Slow draw on battery

[elk77]

I have a 5.4L Expedition EB edition 4x4 that has developed a slow draw on the battery. Took it to my mechanic and through testing (pulling fuses) isolated the problem to 'something' on fuse 6 - possibly something connected to the sound system. He pulled the fuse and all has been great, no more draw or run down battery. Only problem is that the #6 also controls the in dash air controls - not a good thing now that Fall is on us and Winter around the corner...

What is the best and easiest way to isolate the issue to the radio/sound system as opposed to something else on that fuse?

I'm leaning toward it being radio related as a month before the draw was noticed, I had some grief with the sound system - popping and crackling in the speakers after a couple of days of intense rain... It cleared up after a week but then the draw... Any assistance GREATLY appreciated.

 

[toms89]

I have a 5.4L Expedition EB edition 4x4 that has developed a slow draw on the battery. Took it to my mechanic and through testing (pulling fuses) isolated the problem to 'something' on fuse 6 - possibly something connected to the sound system. He pulled the fuse and all has been great, no more draw or run down battery. Only problem is that the #6 also controls the in dash air controls - not a good thing now that Fall is on us and Winter around the corner...

What is the best and easiest way to isolate the issue to the radio/sound system as opposed to something else on that fuse?

I'm leaning toward it being radio related as a month before the draw was noticed, I had some grief with the sound system - popping and crackling in the speakers after a couple of days of intense rain... It cleared up after a week but then the draw... Any assistance GREATLY appreciated.

When you turn off the ignition it should kill power to these systems. Did you notice if they remain on while the vehicle is turned off. If so it is likely you got water in the gem/fuse block assembly and that is what is creating a load on the circuit. I had similar issue found on this thread.. http://www.expeditionforum.com/f16/interesting-issue-14336/

Did you try turning the individual systems off and if so did the mysterious load still exist?

 

[Big White]

Sometimes the keep alive memory circuit will short and draw more than it is supposed to. Pull the radio connector and see if that is it. I know on some GM radios, it was/is a big problem. If it is the radio, replace it. They if you want stock, can be found very cheap.

 

[Thermo]

Elk, first off, I would tell you to get your hands on a multimeter and plug in the multimeter to where fuse F6 goes (may have to hold the leads in place) and set the multimeter to an amp (not mA scale). Now, all of these checks need to be done with the truck off else you can damage the multimeter (ie, blow the fuse inside the meter). Remove fuse F6 and measure across the fuse. What are you getting? Ideally you should be down around 0.005 or less amps. If you are up over 0.020 amps, you have an issue.

Next, remove fuse F3 in the mini fuse block. This is an alternate fuse for the radio. Did the indication on the multimeter drop? If yes, then the radio is your likely suspect. If you can't find this fuse, then you can simply unplug the radio and do the same check using the same standard. After that, undo the plug to the A/C system. Again, if you see the current drop significantly (to under 0.005 amps), then your control panel has the issue and you need to replace that.

From there, I would need to know more specifics about your truck and see what I can find in the various sources I have. There are slight changes from year to year. So, knowing the exact year is definitely helpful in this case.