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Electrical issue - Killing battery

LowCountryEB

Full Member
Joined
Dec 7, 2001
Messages
255
Loc.
Charleston, SC
My battery is dying ever month or so due to hot wire. We pulled out the ignition and wiring harness and noticed that power is being pulled through the fuse panel when the ignition is turned OFF. It's pulling power from the battery when the key is out of the ignition as well. Any ideas as to what the problem may be? Thanks in advance.
 

Viperwolf1

Contributor
electron whisperer
Joined
Aug 23, 2007
Messages
24,331
How much current is it and what accessory equipment do you have?
 

DirtDonk

Contributor
Bronco Guru
Joined
Nov 3, 2003
Messages
47,747
There will always be power to some fuses, while others only get power when the key is on. So detecting power at some locations is not automatically indicative of a problem.
If you're detecting current flow however, then yes, that's an issue. Take the offending fuses out until you detect no drain and you've at least found the circuit(s), if not the actual issue.

Other items that often cause a drain are the voltage regulator and alternator. If you pull the 3-wire plug off the regulator and the power drain goes away, there you go.
If you pull the main charge wire off the back of the alternator and the drain goes away, bingo.

Viperwolf will know what causes the problems, and probably other possible causes as well, but you will need to keep digging.
And frankly, a drained battery in a month is not that much drain. Lots of vehicles won't take sitting that long without losing the ability to start. Radios, computers and other accessories can draw just a tiny bit, but added up over a month, and you've got a weak/dead battery.
And a bad battery itself can do the same thing. Different batteries discharge at different rates I think. And an older weaker one might discharge quicker still.

Maybe the others can confirm all that, but I guess the way to test the battery itself would be to isconnect if from the truck and see if it still drains.

Good luck.

Paul
 

Ethansdad73

Bronco Guru
Joined
Apr 8, 2008
Messages
1,630
we had this issue on a bronco we were working on where there was a good draw.. We took a test light and disconected the negitive side of the battery and connected the test light to the neg bat cable and then put the test light to the neg battery terminal. Causing it to light up very bright. the other person went thru the cab switching things to their on and off possitions to find the draw... turned out to be the brake light switch at the pedal was bad.. after we disconected it the test light had a very dim glow like ambers vs a full burn of the light buld.

hope that will help...
 
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