2004 Retro PATS and Battery Drain | Ford Thunderbird club group 1955-2005 T-Bird models

2004 Retro PATS and Battery Drain

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DougS

DougS

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2004
I am having a PATS issue. It seems a bit different than previous Posts and may be related to a bad battery. My year-old battery loses its charge after a day or two of not driving. When that happens, I open the door, and the horn alarm starts. The key fob turns off the horn. The battery (at 11.8) will still turn over the starter 3-4 times, but the fuel pump is locked. After I charge the battery, there is no alarm, and it starts. I cannot find any power drain on the battery, the alternator is working fine, so I am replacing the battery today. Does anyone know if there is any normal relationship between a low battery and the PATs system ?

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Since your post is about a "battery drain", I've added that to your subject. See similar threads below as well as-

S

Thread '2004 Mystery Drain On Battery'

Something is drawing from the battery on my 2004. My mechanic has tried everything he can think of, including changing the battery several times, checking the battery draw, cleaning all contact points. According to him, there is something that is draining the battery, but he cannot find what it is. The battery will die after sitting anytime between four and 10 days after charging and giving it a good run. Does anybody have any ideas? Any help would be appreciated.
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Did you do the trunk light test? That little support bracket for the trunk switch is easily bent, and so subtle that it looks okay without close inspection.
 
I would like to remove the trunk light bulb so that when I choose to leave the trunk open for extender periods of time it will not drain the battery .. how do you remove the plastic lens cover. I wish to not break it by forcing it ..thanks
 
James Shoaf said:
I would like to remove the trunk light bulb so that when I choose to leave the trunk open for extender periods of time it will not drain the battery .. how do you remove the plastic lens cover. I wish to not break it by forcing it ..thanks
Click to expand...
Use the search page and you will find this thread that explains removal

usmcdad

Thread '2002 Trunk Light LED Replacement'

I have swapped all my incandescent lights (fog, map, interior, license plate) out for brighter, whiter, and lower power consumption LED's. -That is, all except the trunk light. I have tried prying from both ends, and both sides, but the sucker will not pop out. Does anyone know the trick to removing the trunk light without destroying it? I have already slightly bent the metal bezel surrounding it. -Is it possible the whole light and bezel pops out? I have been trying to remove the light from the bezel. Is the light and bezel a single unit?

Thanks in Advance for your advice!
 
DougS said:
I am having a PATS issue. It seems a bit different than previous Posts and may be related to a bad battery. My year-old battery loses its charge after a day or two of not driving. When that happens, I open the door, and the horn alarm starts. The key fob turns off the horn. The battery (at 11.8) will still turn over the starter 3-4 times, but the fuel pump is locked. After I charge the battery, there is no alarm, and it starts. I cannot find any power drain on the battery, the alternator is working fine, so I am replacing the battery today. Does anyone know if there is any normal relationship between a low battery and the PATs system ?
Click to expand...
I have had an issue with my 2003 in the past with a similar symptom (engine not getting fuel). Fuel pump was fine. The problem was some kind of rear electronic module (located in the trunk area). An expensive repair ($1500) 2 or 3 years ago. Another thing I have found since my car may sit 2 or 3 weeks at a time is the drain the security system has on the battery. If I lock the doors manually with the key instead of electronically the security system will not engage and I do not have trouble with battery drain.
 
The battery on my 2003 drains after about a week or so, too. I''ve also taken it to a very good mechanic that couldn't find the problem. I never thought about the trunk light; will try that and also look for other lights/accessories that may be causing the drain.
 
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