Electrical Drain

[TheArchaic1]

Ok, so I am still having the same problem as before with the battery being less than 12 volts when I go to start it in the morning. The battery is less than 90 days old, and it will hold a charge as long as the car is on. When I come to a stop at night, there is no dimming of the lights so I know that the alternator is working right.

What other things should I possibly be looking for? I am at a loss on this one now, and its starting to really piss me off. I know that I am going to have to replace the battery because it has been jumped at least 4 time in the last week, but ANY help as to what might cause the drain while the car is off would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[NYC LS8]

With all the audio stuff you have, I'd start looking there.

 

[2000lsv8]

With all the audio stuff you have, I'd start looking there.

that's exactly what i was going to say

 

[TheArchaic1]

Believe it or not, the rear defroster has a bigger current drain than the stereo in the car, plus it was doing this before I put the stereo in. I just thought it was a bad battery, and or thge cold since I live in Wisconsin and it gets f@&%$ng frigid here in the winter.

Any other ideas guys?

 

[TheArchaic1]

Ok, so I have my dad helping me out with this one, and he found four different NHTSA cases with the 2001 LS having an electrical drain and a fifth one that deals with the anti-theft system draining the battery. Anybody have this problem too?

 

[Soopa009]

I was going to say alarm system or possibly a automatic starter.. Friends truck kept having its battery drained because of the autostarter.. *shrug*

 

[TheArchaic1]

From what I found it could possibly be the headlamp switch, or the battery cable might be pinched under the car.

 

[FASTLLS]

The only thing that I can suggest is (while the car is off) putting a multi-meter on it with the amp setting. Then start pulling fuses until the draw goes away. Remember to start with the biggest fuse on the meter first, then if that's to big, go down to the small one. Also, your not going to get a reading of zero because the computers draw power even with the car off.

If you believe it is a power cable, it might have got cut (very unlikely because I think it goes in the frail rail and is protected) and has a lot of resistance. But you said it works good the rest of the day.

To check the alt., while the car is running, put a meter on dc volts and check if you have 14.6 volts.. Not the best test but it's a start..

 

[TheArchaic1]

The only thing that I can suggest is (while the car is off) putting a multi-meter on it with the amp setting. Then start pulling fuses until the draw goes away. Remember to start with the biggest fuse on the meter first, then if that's to big, go down to the small one. Also, your not going to get a reading of zero because the computers draw power even with the car off.

If you believe it is a power cable, it might have got cut (very unlikely because I think it goes in the frail rail and is protected) and has a lot of resistance. But you said it works good the rest of the day.

To check the alt., while the car is running, put a meter on dc volts and check if you have 14.6 volts.. Not the best test but it's a start..

Ok, so heres the update to the drain problem. Thanks FASTLLS for your input, since what you described is close to the actual Ford procedure for what to do in this case. It is actually a lot more involved than just truning off the car and using a multimeter to check the current while you pull fuses. This procedure actually takes about 3 1/2 hours when done propoerly and by the book.

To fix my problem,before doing the procedure as prescribed by Ford, I put a new battery in the car, and then I turned off the easy entry system. For some reason the steering wheel would move backa nd forth like it was supposed to with the system on, but the drivers seat would not move as it should.

By turning off the easy entry system I have been able to let the car sit for over a day with no drain on the battery.

A big thanks to those who tried to help. This is a problem that even Ford knew about, so much so that they even have a specific procedure to diagnose the problem. This specific problem was known to the 00-02 LS and 01-03 T-Bird.

For future reference I will try to get a copy of the procedure from Ford up in a link for anyone else that might have this problem as well.

 

[cammerfe]

I have had a similar problem on my '02 LS. Mine seems to be mostly a whole series of alternators that simply don't do their job. About two months after the first replacement, my car died on the starting line at Maxton. We had the fun of changing it again, by flashlight, in the pits that night. It's since failed one more time. I finally got smart and put in a voltmeter to be able to monitor on an on-going basis, Been good for several months now. I'll put in an aftermarket 200 amp alternator along with the new engine later this summer.
KS