battery drains quickly in 4 days

[docraymund]

i bought a 2000 expedition xlt 4x2 and replaced the old battery with a new one but quickly drained after just 4 days i will attempt to trace the cause in the wirings but have no idea where to start please help thanks

 

[JDMitchell]

Check your fuse panel under neath the dash to see if you have moisture causing electrical problems. You might have a leaky windshield seal.

 

[HFFH]

the rear wiper has been known to cause battery drain.there are posts on here about it.

 

[docraymund]

thanks i checked that out but seems ok i was wondering if there was an incidence of a previous short circuit somewhere but cannot figure out exactly how to determine that.

 

[docraymund]

i still have to check that rear wiper if it is working just bought the vehicle 2 wks ago and always disconnected the battery clamps.

 

[ELVATO]

Do the procedure mentioned here.

http://expeditionforum.com/showthread.php?t=6596

 

[docraymund]

thanks for the information i will do what you suggested over the weekend but one thing has been bogging my mind: if i isolated the shorted circuit is it advisable to rewire it myself as a novice do it yourselfer or would it be better if i just dont put back the fuse and leave it non functional?

 

[docraymund]

I did an ammeter check and got 4.34amps while doing this I heard a soft clicking noise somewhere in the engine compartment. It is a regular click and nothing seems to be running I cannot pull out fuses because the ammeter wires gets hot quickly. Any ideas?

 

[tmajikman]

Hows the meter connected, you may have to pull 1 fuse at a time and then connect your meter to find the draw, a major pita, but a mans gotta do what a mans gotta do sometimes.

 

[ELVATO]

Yea, wondering how you have it connected. You should be measuring DC amps, with the red lead switched to the correct position/port (probably 10A unfused).

 

[docraymund]

Yup, vow ammeter black lead to negative pole red lead to cable. I did not run the engine first Same result I will attempt to pull out fuses tomorrow and maybe use the test light method. Will update all of you with results. Thanks for all your comments.

 

[tmajikman]

should be, pull negative cable off of battery, hook up neg. lead to battery, positive lead to neg cable while it is disconnected from your battery, you can fry your meter when reading amps if you hook it up with the neg and pos. cables still connected to the battery, and your readings will be wrong as well.

 

[docraymund]

i started pulling out fuses but haven't finished all. i used the test light method and light went on after connecting it to the negative pole and to the negative cable clamp. i noticed that the rear wiper is not working only the rear washer motor seems to be functional. i also noticed that the a/c can be turned on even when the ignition key is not inserted. is this normal? also the ABS and airbag light does not illuminate when you switch on the ignition. are there ways to check these? thanks

 

[docraymund]

Problem solved. I just disconnected the negative battery terminal after every use it's not a daily driver but my Sunday car. Works fine no more battery drain I just reconnect before using and there's no change in drivability. I love this truck and hope that I can maintain it with all my efforts. Thank you all for your suggestions - docraymund from the Philippines.

 

[docraymund]

found the cause of battery drain

Good day! Just wanted to give some feedback regarding battery drain problem. Thanks for all your suggestions I finally traced the cause after pulling fuses one by one. It was the last fuse left it was the 30 amp fuse for the towing connector. Previously drain was so bad that a test light would light when connected to bat - and battery terminal. After pulling the last fuse the light went off . Problem solved thanks for the help!