'01 GC Sport Battery Drain (please help or I'll have to shoot it!)

[coyote54]

Let's try this again as I am at my wits end.

Wife's 2001 Dodge GC Sport has a bad ignition off battery drain. Will drain a fully charged battery overnight. I have isolated the drain to the 20 Amp HZD LP circuit. This circuit runs the instrument cluster, blinkers, hazards and the "information center" above the dash.

Tore the dash apart the other day and when I disconnected the instrument cluster my drain went away, so I said AH HAA. I must have a bad cluster. $100 bucks later with the new (used) cluster installed I still have the same drain. Also, my test light shows a pulsation associated with the drain (ie. a flickering but steady test light). At certain times I can also hear my dinger chirping faintly in time with the flickering test light. Certainly 2 clusters can't both have the same problem in them can they?

I'm about to pull my hair out. What is downstream of the cluster on the same circuit that could be causing a drain. I've disconnected/reconnected every circuit, wiggled every wire,......

Any suggestions???????
Thanks,
Tim

[B33p3r]

Because you say it's pulsing, I'd concentrate on the hazard light relay circuit. The Flasher relay is located within the steering column. I'd pull that and see if your problem doesn't disappear.

[coronach]

I also have a significant power drain on my '01 Caravan SE. Drain is 1+ amp which kills the battery within 3-4 days if not used. I too found the HAZ circuit to be part of the problem BUT I also found a 25amp fuse titled only as "10D" in the fuse box that solved the drain when pulled out. Any idea what the "10D" (or IOD) circuit is ? My van is Canadian if that makes a difference.

[coyote54]

Originally Posted by coronach

Any idea what the "10D" (or IOD) circuit is ?

The IOD that you refer to is the Ignition Off Draw or Drain. This circuit is for all of the electrical draws that are occurring while the ignition is off such as radio presets, clock memory, and I believe several other very small draws for the various computers/modules that need a trickle of charge to stay current. The IOD fuse is pulled when the vehicles are shipped from the factory to keep the battery charged in transport. It can also be pulled when storing the vehicle for long periods of time to maintain battery charge.

I can't remember if my drain goes away when I pull the IOD fuse. I will recheck when the wife gets home.

I would REALLY REALLY REALLY like to know ANYTHING you find out about your drain through the HZD circuit. Please post your findings and I will do the same.

I've already spent $300 at the dealership and have nothing to show for it. He said he found a door lock relay that was hanging and that was the problem. 2 days later again I had the same problem.

Intermittent electrical problems SUCK