2005 retro has a battery drain after new radio install.

[CBBIRD]

I am the original owner of a Steel Blue 2005 Tbird. This beautiful car has been flawless except for normal maintenance. a new air conditioner in 2017. and rebuilt FEM in 2019 over 60,000 miles.

Even during the winter I drive the car weekly. It starts every time on the first start, even after sitting for three weeks while I was on vacation in January.

I recently upgraded my factory radio to a Sony XAV-AX7000. Love the new radio sound, hands free phone, backup camera, Android Auto giving me voice commands, music and navigation. The fit is a factory finish from the audio shop that did the install.

Unfortunately after the radio install there is now a power drain on the battery. After 12 hours a fully charged battery is dead. (Battery is two years old and is in good shape.) Now when the battery is charged or quick jumped I get the following reaction on every car start.

1. First key turn. Dash lights come on but the starter will not engage?
2. Second key turn. The starter engages, but does not start the car??
3. Third key turn. The car now starts normally???

Have you ever ran into this? Do you have any ideas on how to correct it before I go to the dealer.

Audio shop says this is not from the install. (RIGHT!) Because the radio is on circuit 2,18, & 27. The 1.5 amp power draw was found on circuit 13 (instrument cluster). Except for the power draw the instrument cluster works. I have found no light or accessory not working. The only problem is the battery going dead and change in how the bird starts.

My Fixit shows two codes after the radio install.

1. P1000. Systems Readiness Test Not Complete.
2. P1260. Theft detected vehicle immobilized. Every time the battery is reconnect (to stop battery drain) the alarm sounds.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

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[Frankie the Fink]

That 1.5 amp cluster draw is a smoking gun IMO. I would expect it to be in the milliamps on a car that is shut off.
Find the associated fuse for the cluster and pull it overnight and see if the battery stays up.

A fuse readout says 4, 13 and 17 all say "cluster" with 4 including other components.

 

[ibmbc]

I am the original owner of a Steel Blue 2005 Tbird. This beautiful car has been flawless except for normal maintenance. a new air conditioner in 2017. and rebuilt FEM in 2019 over 60,000 miles.

Even during the winter I drive the car weekly. It starts every time on the first start, even after sitting for three weeks while I was on vacation in January.

I recently upgraded my factory radio to a Sony XAV-AX7000. Love the new radio sound, hands free phone, backup camera, Android Auto giving me voice commands, music and navigation. The fit is a factory finish from the audio shop that did the install.

Unfortunately after the radio install there is now a power drain on the battery. After 12 hours a fully charged battery is dead. (Battery is two years old and is in good shape.) Now when the battery is charged or quick jumped I get the following reaction on every car start.

1. First key turn. Dash lights come on but the starter will not engage?
2. Second key turn. The starter engages, but does not start the car??
3. Third key turn. The car now starts normally???

Have you ever ran into this? Do you have any ideas on how to correct it before I go to the dealer.

Audio shop says this is not from the install. (RIGHT!) Because the radio is on circuit 2,18, & 27. The 1.5 amp power draw was found on circuit 13 (instrument cluster). Except for the power draw the instrument cluster works. I have found no light or accessory not working. The only problem is the battery going dead and change in how the bird starts.

My Fixit shows two codes after the radio install.

1. P1000. Systems Readiness Test Not Complete.
2. P1260. Theft detected vehicle immobilized. Every time the battery is reconnect (to stop battery drain) the alarm sounds.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

This isn't going to help you but may add comfort to not being alone. I actually have the exact same issue with a new radio install I had done with my 2004 tbird late last fall. It was so late in the season that after some failed trouble shooting on my own I decided to leave it alone until spring as the car is stored for the winter. This spring I plan on taking it to a shop tohave it sorted. It's super frustrating.

 

[CBBIRD]

That 1.5 amp cluster draw is a smoking gun IMO. I would expect it to be in the milliamps on a car that is shut off.
Find the associated fuse for the cluster and pull it overnight and see if the battery stays up.

A fuse readout says 4, 13 and 17 all say "cluster" with 4 including other components.

You were correct after pulling #13 fuse. Battery stayed charged and the car now starts normally. This mean whatever is wrong on circuit number 13 is causing the starting issues and battery drain.

 

[CBBIRD]

This isn't going to help you but may add comfort to not being alone. I actually have the exact same issue with a new radio install I had done with my 2004 tbird late last fall. It was so late in the season that after some failed trouble shooting on my own I decided to leave it alone until spring as the car is stored for the winter. This spring I plan on taking it to a shop tohave it sorted. It's super frustrating.

 

[T-Bird Tommy]

I seem to have had a very similar problem with a very similar radio upgrade. Mine was a Sony XAV AX4000. At the same time I had a rear view camera installed. My answer to you is a bit long, but mat help. Please let me know if it does indeed help!

Radio Problem
After a couple of days the car will not start do to a dead battery!
Battery has been replaced with the same result.
Fuses,
Pulled These Fuses Wednesday 8/21 at 3:00 PM
2 (5A - Radio Start Signal)
18 (20A - Radio, central imaging amplifier)
27 (10A - Radio)

Recheck in a few days. If the car starts after the three days or so…
Put one of the fuse (#2) back in, wait three days more.
If the car starts after the three days or so…

Leave fuse 2 in and add fuse 18 to the fuses.
If the car starts after the three days or so…
Leave fuses 2 and 18 in, and add fuse 27 to the fuses wait three days more.
If the car starts after the three days or so… the problem is not the radio
If the car fails to start after pulling a particular fuse, that may be the circuit (battery) draw.

Home from Cambria trip

Parked car Wednesday 8/21 @ 2:45 PM Voltage was 13.0
Thursday 8/22 @ 3:00 PM 12.6
Friday 8/23 @ 3:45 PM 12.6
Saturday 8/24 @ 12:00 PM 12.6

Car started without a problem.
Re-installed fuse 2 (5A - Radio Start Signal)
Sunday. 8/25 @ 12:00 PM Voltage was 12.5
Monday 8/26 @ 12:00 PM 12.4
Tuesday 8/27 @ 2:15 PM 12.4

Car started without a problem.
Re-installed fuse 18 (20A - Radio, central imaging amplifier)
Took car out for lunch Wednesday (about 40 miles) and returned

Wednesday 8/28 @ 3:30 PM Voltage was 12.8
Thursday 8/29 @ 2:00 PM 12.7
Friday 8/30 @ 1:45 PM. Voltage was. 12.6

Car started without a problem

Re-installed fuse 27 (10 A - Radio) When this fuse was re-installed with the ignition key being removed some type of noise is heard either under the dash or the kick panel. Also the key started requiring a second turn for the vehicle to start. All this indicates to me that something is being activated, and drawing current because the key is not even in the ignition!

Saturday 8/31 @ 2:00 PM Voltage was 11.6

Added battery trickle charger as we will be leaving for a few days soon.
After charge with trickle charger removed:

Sunday 9/1 @ 10:00 AM Voltage was 13.2
Monday 9/2 @ 7:00. AM. 11.8

Was out of town from Monday after checking the voltage (11.8) until today Wednesday at 2 PM. Checked the voltage at that time and there was 0 volts!

Wednesday 9/4 @ 2:10 PM Voltage was 0

The battery has been put on the charger and I will check again tomorrow.

Thursday 9/5 @ 3:00. PM Voltage was 13.2

Nothing further will be done until I speak with Nate @ Sound Doctor for some kind of resolution.

Sept 10th @ 3:00 PM, dropped car off at the Sound Doctor in Camarillo (where Sony was installed). He will do his own testing and evaluate.

Email from Nate at Sound Doctor on Monday the 16th saying he believes the problem is fixed. The car has been sitting since Saturday the 14th at around noon. He won’t be able to verify until he returns to work on Tuesday as they are closed Mondays.

Tuesday Sept 17th: Spoke with Nate @ Sound Doctor. He again said the car has been sitting since Saturday around noon without being touched. The voltage was at an acceptable level at this time. He started the car at approximately 9 AM, without a problem.

When asked what he had found to be the problem, see said, it was in the way Ford had wired the reverse trigger. For some reason a relay was activated where on most cars with the ignition off the relay is NOT activated. He said this also caused the problem of having to turn the ignition on twice to start the car, although he was sure why! He installed a relay that solved the problem. He believed the car is 100% good and ready to go!

I later spoke with Nate and let him know that since he made the above modification to the reverse trigger the battery was NOT having the problem any longer. However since that time the rear view camera intermittently will show the view upside down. I cannot predict when this happens but every time it happens it will straighten itself out if I shut the engine off and restart the car. There is a setting that allows you to flip the camera image but it seems to have no affect.

I now have another appointment with Nate at the Sound Doctor on Dec 12th. If the camera image is upside down in the morning, I will NOT restart the car and will NOT turn the car off after arriving at the Sound Doctor.

After visiting the Sound Doctor on December 12th, the camera was wired differently and now is not going upside down. Will keep an eye on the problem!

 

[ibmbc]

Wow this is awesome info, this is EXACTLY what I have been running into on my tbird. I'll pass this on to my tech to have them start there. So the reverse trigger was causing the drain and the issue of needing to turn the ignition over twice?

 

[T-Bird Tommy]

Evidently yes, this is how I understand it! The 4th paragraph from the end should say... although he was NOT sure why. That is my typing error.

The relay he installed was installed behind the radio. I hope this is of help, but please let me know either way! Although our New Radios are not exactly the same, they are from the same maker, and within the same model family.

 

[ibmbc]

My head unit is an Alpine (as where you and original poster both have Sony) so I don't think this is a Sony compatibility issue, it's seems to be more of an issue with newer aftermarket radios.

 

[ibmbc]

My head unit is an Alpine (as where you and original poster both have Sony) so I don't think this is a Sony compatibility issue, it's seems to be more of an issue with newer aftermarket radios.

 

[CBBIRD]

When I resolve this. I will let you know what I have found. I now know that if you pull fuse number 13. My car starts normally and the battery has not been drained.

Tommy, Where is the Sound Doctor i would like to connect him with my dealer. Contact info for Nate?

 

[T-Bird Tommy]

I think it would be better to ask your dealer/tech to call Nate rather than the other way around.
Anyway here is the contact Information:

Nate Perkins
Sound Doctor
735 W. Ventura Blvd.
Camarillo CA 93010

Phone: ‭1 (805) 388-5558‬

 

[Frankie the Fink]

The retro birds are a bit of an oddity in that many aftermarket radios require a reversing relay for the backup camera to work, e.g. voltage going low triggers the camera vs the voltage going to 12V. e.g. the triggering reverse light voltage that lights the bulb needs to be reversed.

Kenwood radios require the relay and I installed mine behind a trunk panel....and it NEVER drained the battery....the relay coil should have zero current draw when the ignition key is turned off. I wonder if the other poster's reversing relay was wired to UNswitched power; e.g. always receiving 12V with the ignition off. The relay requires a trigger signal (when the backup light lights when the car is put in reverse) and the relay powering voltage, a SWITCHED 12V only when the ignition is on.

I think we may be discussing two different problems;...

 

[1984shovelhead]

After you confirm that you have a good battery and charging system looking for a parasitic draw without an ammeter is a waste of time if dyi and or money if your paying to have it done.