What's draining my battery ?

[Andy in Florida]

I have a 2002 TBird that has developed yet another puzzling problem ~ something is draining my new battery. First the map lights would not turn off ~ I unplugged the map light ~ battery died the next day. Any ideas or thoughts ?

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[merlin]

I have a 2002 TBird that has developed yet another puzzling problem ~ something is draining my new battery. First the map lights would not turn off ~ I unplugged the map light ~ battery died the next day. Any ideas or thoughts ?

I have a 2004 with the same problem & my Ford dealer said it was a short in the CD Player. I pulled the two radio fuses & have no longer a battery drain. Of course, I can't listen to the radio & don't have a floor lamp. So . . . .
Hopefully, there's a better solution.

 

[Andy in Florida]

I have a 2002 TBird that has developed yet another puzzling problem ~ something is draining my new battery. First the map lights would not turn off ~ I unplugged the map light ~ battery died the next day. Any ideas or thoughts ?

 

[Andy in Florida]

The TBird is back in my garage and this is what my Ford dealer mechanics found after a ten (10) diagnosis ~ The short or fault was located in a door switch ~ I forgot to ask for the 'fault number'. This 'switch' is located inside the door panel so there was nothing for me to see. The mechanics adjusted the door, plugged my map lights back in, and fully charged my new battery. I was charged for 1 1/2 hours of labor.

 

[JAF]

I have a 2002 TBird that has developed yet another puzzling problem ~ something is draining my new battery. First the map lights would not turn off ~ I unplugged the map light ~ battery died the next day. Any ideas or thoughts ?

Had a new battery installed BUT the new battery was not good sat on the shelve to long have the battery checked by the dealer not AAA

 

[cdf912]

I have a 2002 TBird that has developed yet another puzzling problem ~ something is draining my new battery. First the map lights would not turn off ~ I unplugged the map light ~ battery died the next day. Any ideas or thoughts ?

I had the same problem. Seems the map light switches are pretty flimsy. These TBirds have electrical systems that go to sleep when the car is not driven and draw a tiny bit of electricity overnight for the clock, etc.. If you pull a lamp like you did the electrical system does NOT go to sleep and its just like leaving the map lights on. At least the car thinks so. I ended up replacing my mirror with an after-market brand that includes auto-dimming at night and has garage door opener built in. I love it. Anything that draws electricity can be a potential problem with these cars. If a bulb burns out, replace it immediately. Make sure you turn everything off before you leave it for the night. I left my door ever so slightly ajar one night, all the interior lights were out but the car didnt go to sleep mode and the battery was dead the next day. Very frustrating.

 

[merlin]

I have a 2002 TBird that has developed yet another puzzling problem ~ something is draining my new battery. First the map lights would not turn off ~ I unplugged the map light ~ battery died the next day. Any ideas or thoughts ?

My dealer said that the reason for my battery draining down was that there was a short in the CD player. After trying various things; e.g. removing fuses, etc. the draining didn't stop. When removing & disconnecting the radio, the problem no longer existed, thus validating the Dealer's diagnosis. Searching online, I found a company in California (Hi-Tech electronics) that confirmed this was a common problem. I then sent them the radio/CD player for repair & have since reinstalled it. No longer have the problem.

 

[tony millholen]

Hi I had the same problem they kept suggesting different things . But after talking to a friend I found out the computer in the car drains the Battery if in use or parked. It will pull any where from 10-13 amps sitting still. I got one of those slow chargers you connect one end to the battery and the other end to a electric plug into a wall plug that stays on all of the time . Since I have done that I never had a problem again . It's very easy to do and will save you a lot of aggravation. I hope this will help you . Happy driving.......

 

[PhilD]

I actually removed my stereo and put in a new one (I do point out a cheap one from walmart more to see if it worked) because I had heard of these problems and the CD player actually jamming the CD's which mine had done from time to time. There is a kit for the wiring and another to allow you to install a smaller unit into the hole in the dash plus giving you a storage space below the stereo. It all looks really good, I may look for a better stereo at some point but this one for $30 is a radio plus has slots for a usb stick or memory card with your music on it which is a lot easier that CD's. It does have a remote but I never use that, far more distracting when driving.

My point is there are solutions to replacing the stereo if you have to.

 

[tony millholen]

I actually removed my stereo and put in a new one (I do point out a cheap one from walmart more to see if it worked) because I had heard of these problems and the CD player actually jamming the CD's which mine had done from time to time. There is a kit for the wiring and another to allow you to install a smaller unit into the hole in the dash plus giving you a storage space below the stereo. It all looks really good, I may look for a better stereo at some point but this one for $30 is a radio plus has slots for a usb stick or memory card with your music on it which is a lot easier that CD's. It does have a remote but I never use that, far more distracting when driving.

My point is there are solutions to replacing the stereo if you have to.

Hi Phil I am going to up date mine too. I'm going to install a double din nav. system. I was told there is enough room for it. I already got the new face plate I just need to match the paint and spray it.

 

[PhilD]

Yes there is room for it, I did it this way more as a test to see if it would work and also I had this stereo from my old suburban which then dies a year later so I removed it for another day, hence it came in handy for this car. On another link someone has stated they fitted a large one with touchscreen which sounds better plus bluetooth would be good. Only real snag is you cannot connect the steering wheel controls to the new stereo but it was worth it, also you lose the clock but thats it. It was easy to do if you are comfortable doing that sort of thing.

 

[Jan]

I have been through 5 batteries with mine over the past 5 years. Each new one lasts just a little over a year and one day it is dead as a doornail. I have long suspected it was something to do with either the radio or the air conditioning. I've heard it actually ticking after the motor turned off. If I turn it on, put it on Air, and then off air, and then shut the car down, it seems to work. But just as I thought that was it, it went dead again last week. So now I think you have told me the problem. I don't even turn my radio on anymore. The cd player jammed and took forever to release 5 cds, so I stopped using it once I got them out. I may try a new radio. thanks.

 

[PhilD]

I noticed that when I changed the stereo to a different make the stereo would go off as soon as I shut down the engine whereas it used to stay on for a set time or until you opened the door. I am wondering if its either this part of the circuit keeping it drawing current or if the cd player has a disc stuck or is not sensing it right and is constantly trying to reseat it, that would cause a constant draw on the battery.

I know when I bought mine from carmax and went to pick it up the battery was dead, they had to replace it. Also when I stripped everything away we noticed the battery had leaked into the bay next to the spare tire causing paint damage so had to repair that. So also check for damage in that area.

 

[Black Bird]

I noticed that when I changed the stereo to a different make the stereo would go off as soon as I shut down the engine whereas it used to stay on for a set time or until you opened the door. I am wondering if its either this part of the circuit keeping it drawing current or if the cd player has a disc stuck or is not sensing it right and is constantly trying to reseat it, that would cause a constant draw on the battery.

I know when I bought mine from carmax and went to pick it up the battery was dead, they had to replace it. Also when I stripped everything away we noticed the battery had leaked into the bay next to the spare tire causing paint damage so had to repair that. So also check for damage in that area.

 

[Black Bird]

I have a 2002 T-Bird with 33,000 miles on it. My first battery lasted 10 years without any need to recharge it. My second battery is now about 4 years old-no problems. You must have something that is slowly draining down your battery.

 

[PhilD]

I have to say over the almost forty years of owning/driving cars I have found batteries rarely last more than four to five years these days and when you buy a used car you can guarantee the battery will die very early on, its just inevitable. Another thing to remember is if the car is in your garage don't lock it with the remote this activates the door motors and alarm system which will slowly drain the battery. I always leave the windows down so the the part of the system that drops them slightly when opening/shutting the door cannot be jammed and constantly activating.

 

[Jan]

I have a 2002 TBird that has developed yet another puzzling problem ~ something is draining my new battery. First the map lights would not turn off ~ I unplugged the map light ~ battery died the next day. Any ideas or thoughts ?

I got to the solution in mine after replacing about 6 batteries. First, it is something that is refusing to allow the car computer to go into sleep mode. That knowledge helped me. Turn your motor off in complete silence and listen. You may hear a very faint clicking noise. It's very very faint. Mine was something in the air conditioner. After trying several things, I found that if I turn it all off, then turn on the defroster with AC for just a minute or two. I then cut off and shut the car off again, and the clicking is gone. I've had no more battery problems since about January. I have to do this every time I shut the car off. Sometimes the clicking is there and occasionally not.

It might be your air system, the radio, or anything connected with it. But I found my answer...as crazy as it sounds.

 

[Jan]

I have a 2002 T-Bird with 33,000 miles on it. My first battery lasted 10 years without any need to recharge it. My second battery is now about 4 years old-no problems. You must have something that is slowly draining down your battery.

My 2003 didn't start doing this until about 2010. Once it started, the average battery lasted a year. Thank goodness I found the problem, as I put in the other comment.

 

[Silver Bird]

I have a '04 Thunderbird. I am the original owner. It is a "garage queen" and my wife's "around town" car. 'Has 20K miles...

Problem:

It will not start from being idle after about three days unless connected to a battery maintainer. This started about six months ago. I have confirmed that there is a drain on the battery of almost 1 amp with nothing obviously "on" and the car has "gone to sleep". I have pulled fuses/relays for the problem items reported above but the drain still exists. From my search of the internet on "parasitic" drains in modern cars, 50 milliamps is normal. As I have about 1000 milliamps, "something" is "on" or shorted. Before starting to pull additional fuses/relays, I would appreciate any findings, in addition to those above, by other owners.

There is mention of a TSB above that may be relevant to this. If anyone has information on it, please advise.

'Regards,

Fred Hudspeth (AKA "Silver Bird")
Tyler, TX

 

[cdf912]

Hi Fred,
this has been plaguing owners of many newer model cars, so not just T-Birds. Seems newer cars keep a low voltage going at all times. Issues arise when something like a burnt out bulb, CD player stuck, AC defroster left on when engine turned off, etc., pull too much and of course prevents the car from going into sleep mode. Mine turned out to be the faulty map light switch in the rear view mirror. I turned the lights on once and I couldn't get the switch to work and turn the lights off. So I just took the bulbs out thinking everything would be fine. Wrong. There are several You Tube videos on this (search: battery drain) and you can watch how to pinpoint the problem. Some people just go buy a trickle charger and leave it at that. I changed my mirror out to a great aftermarket night dimming model. So that cured my problem. But every time you shut her down, you have to make sure everything is OFF.