I Have A 98 F150. 4.6 V8.4x4 When I Shut The Key Off It Still Draws Power Causing The Battery To Go Dead. I Know That Its Drawing Because The Blower To The Heater Kicks On. Also The Airbag I Leave That Shut Off And That Light Stays On. Before This Problem The Speedometer Wasn't Working But Now Does. Then The Window Wouldn't Roll Down. I Have Had Gauges Like The 4x4 Light Come On And Off. My Airbag Light Comes On And Off. It Sounds Like A Relay Clicking Under The Dash Pulled The One Where It Sounded Like It Was Coming From And Kept Clicking. Any Help Would Be Greatly Appreciated.


Thanks

 

These are all classic symtoms of water intrusion into the fusebox and gem module. You need to get the windshield resealed at the local glass shop or have your dealer do it. Then replace the gem module and fuse box per Ford service messages. You can try to just let them dry out on thier own but there is no guarantee that will work.

 

One way to troubleshoot a battery drain problem is to makeup a cheap and easy current leak tester, or buy a multimeter. To make the current tester you need an 1156 lamp (or similar) and solder a wire to the filiment solder tip on the base and solder another wire to the base. The leads on my 1156 tester are approx 14" each with alligator clips on each end. If properly soldered you should be able to get it to light when one lead is connected to the bat pos and the other to the bat neg.

Once made and tested, disconnect the positive lead from the battery and place it beside the battery. Connect one of the testers leads to the disconnected positive lead and the other tester lead to the batteries positive terminal. If the lamp glows with the key off then you've got something drawing current.
If the lamp glows, the next step is to pull one fuse at a time watching for the lamp to either go out or dim considerably. If/when the lamp goes out when doing this, you've isolated the circuit and can then troubleshoot the defective device or associated wireing to the device that is powered by the effected circuit.
If the lamp doesn't go out on any of the fuses then the next step is too disconnect all the wireing to the alternator (it's not fused), if the lamp goes out then you've got a problem with the alternator. If the lamp doesn't go out then you'll need to disconnect the large battery wire that goes to the starter.
If the lamp still doesn't go out then there is a problem in the wireing between the battery and the fuse panel(s).
I've used this simple tester to find a shorted "hot" lead to an oil pressure switch on a Sunbird and a shorted diode in an alternator on a Saturn. It also makes a quick 12vdc volt tester also.

Even though theres always a very small amount of battery drain with the key off for some devices such as the radio, the ECM and the alternator/regulator, this normal drain isn't enough to light the lamp.

If you use a multimeter, set it to test for amps/current and series it into the battery circuit the same way as the 1156 tester above.
But be advised that a properly functioning automobile will have a couple milliamps of current draw with everything off.

Good luck
Volfandt

 

yep, or use a battery cut off tool, hook up a multi meter on the mA scale, start truck, turn everything on, shut off truck, open door, get out, shut door, open the cut off tool, now all the electricity is flowing through the multi meter, and some vehicles take up to 20+ minutes to drop below 25 mA. 30 is the highest acceptable for most vehicles. if it does not drop, start pulling fuses 1 by 1 and replacing them as you go. when the draw goes away, you know what module is staying on.

seeing as there are other issues, its probably some type of module, perhaps because of the water coming in.

 

Welcome to the forum palmer1998

If I was a betting man I'd put money on Homer having the correct answer on this one. I've seen this problem lots as it rains lots where I live.

 

Go straight to Homer's advice. Don't waste your time and money elsewhere.

Steve

 

could it be the alternator because i replaced that a month or two before this started happening.

 

i third Homers advice.