2001 Windstar - Weird Electrical issues draining battery

[tjohn2401]

I'm hoping for a little direction here...

I've got a 2001 Ford Windstar that has an electrical issue that slowly drains the battery. If I let the car sit for more than 24 hours, the battery is dead.
While I'm driving, it acts strangely. If I roll up or down the power window(driver side) the radio station changes. Sometimes if I stop hard or make a sharp turn the radio station changes. It just randomly skips around.
The same thing happens when I hit the power door locks. The interior lights will stay on sometimes, too, even if I've got the switch turned off.

I can hear a clicking sound coming from the Front Electronic Module when I roll the driver side window up or down, or when I use the door locks.

I'm thinking maybe the FEM is bad? If so, I'm sure I can find one at a junk yard. Is it an easy fix?

Thanks for any help you can give me. I don't want to go through winter disconnecting the battery every night.

Tim

[northern piper]

Tim have you gotten underneath the dash and looked for frayed wires or anything suspicious? It sounds like a bad ground or something that is shorting depending on the wire harness movement. Problems like this are a real pain to diagnose and are often really frustrating. I'd be looking for wires where they pass thru metal openings, around brackets etc which over the years have worn insulation off the wire. You've got a pretty good sized drain if your battery is dead overnight. While you haven't mentioned it, check your rear door brake light. Sometimes the BOO switch will go intermittently bad which will allow the brake light to be on which will drain a battery quickly (ask how I know..)

[catvents]

Tim
In addition to the Northern Piper's recommandations, would you take a look to the rear wiper motor; by the inside of the van, just pull a little bit the plastic rear end finish ( at the top near the rear wiper arm and touch the rear wiper motor to fell if it is hot. Reason I recommand that is that someone has pull my rear wiper arm and after I have used the van it seem that the rear wiper motor has not returned to his regular park position but was like seized and this has drained the battery, similar as your problem. Maybe it is not that but it is a quick check to do, just in case.

[CnlK]

Is your alterntor charging and battery good? The electrical systems will
do strange things if battery voltage is subpar. I had an alternator that was drawing 4.5 amps when the car was shut down. Must have been a bad diode. You can set your multimeter to amps and connect in series to battery and start pulling fuses.