Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums - Electrical Troubles

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Electrical Troubles

Having troubles with my battery draining overnight and the truck has to be boosted in the am. This is a 2007 Ford ExpeditionMax with 146,900 kilometres on it. I tried JustAnswer.com, but am not totally satisfied with their response. Anyway, here is the scenario:

The battery died for an unknown reason last night and now the media/nav screen won't work. The "starting screen" comes on with the Ford emblem displayed and then shuts off after six seconds. The CD options will display if you hit any of the CD slots/Load/Eject, but that is the only function on the media console that works... The heat, fans, etc., all seem to work properly...
This all occurred after driving the truck for approximately 6 hours in a hard rain on the highway... parked the truck and it wouldn't start the next day. I jumped the battery (which is brand new) and everything worked except the nav/display system. I have been reading about issues with the GEM/Central Junction Box in extremely wet conditions causing these types of electrical issues: could this be the case??

Also, I have been having intermittent issues with the heated seats not working... could this be related??

Already Tried:
Turning truck on and off... pressing all the buttons. Starting the media display from the steering wheel media controls, all to no avail. The screen/nav display did come on briefly but wouldn't come on again after the truck was turned off... I also disconnected the battery and checked the fuses in the passenger side panel and the high-voltage fuse box under the hood. I did not see any evidence of moisture, but did notice a tiny bit of oxidation. Fuses are all good...

This is the response from the Ford Tech at JustAnswer.com when I proposed the scenario to him:

Quote:

The water in the gem modules was more of an earlier problem and I doubt this would cause your issue with your audio unit. Usually what we see happen is after a voltage spike from a jumpstart or other problem the programming in the unit will get corrupted. I would suggest taking to a dealer and see if they can reconfigure your audio unit. If this does not do it then you will probably need to replace the unit. Not much you can do to these other then replacing as there are no user serviceable parts.

To this answer, I responded:
I am still wondering what is killing the battery? It was dead AGAIN today when I went to start the truck. The audio unit worked briefly until I parked the truck and shut it off at my first destination. The unit/display screen did not work again after I restarted the vehicle at the two subsequent stops. Once I jump the battery, the truck starts again without hesitation when turned off, which says to me that whatever is draining the battery is doing so slowly... Also wondering: could this be an alternator issue?? The battery was brand new in April of 2010... Thanks!!

HIS ANSWER:

Quote:

It could be an alternator issue but unfortunately you need to have a draw test performed. To do this an ammeter is installed in line and you open the doors but latch the latches so it thinks they are closed. Now leave the key out for an hour so all the modules can go to sleep. After all this you should have no more then a .05 amp draw. If you have more you pull fuses out one at a time until you find the one that is causing the amp draw and from that you can find the part on that circuit that is drawing amperage to kill the battery. Yes this is a long drawn out process but it is the only way. If unsure in your ability I would really recommend having a dealer to do this as with these newer cars we do these types of tests all the time. You would be amazed, it could be your radio causing the whole problem or even the ac controls or a bad alternator drawing amperage, just too many possibilities to guess.

:-huh:-huh:-huh:-huh:-huh:-huh

Well... I am back to a hundred possibilities!! Where would you start? Any opinions???

Dead battery may be due to a bad diode in the regulator.

Not sre if this will help but,,, https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...sometimes.html

Also welcome to FTE!

Quote:

Originally Posted by glruff (Post 10772499)

Not sre if this will help but,,, https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...sometimes.html

Also welcome to FTE!

Thank you for the welcome and for the link: definitely a few options in there that I haven't tried yet! I will give it a go and let y'all know :-jammin

Did you get a new battery or just charge the old one?
Ive had Ford's do crazy things with low/bad batteries.
My Explorer gauges would go nuts on start up and would not work for a few minutes.
Had a Taurus where the dash functions would work intermittently, and it was a bad battery.

A new battery in each and they were as good as new

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sledmamma (Post 10756909)

Did you ever fix this? My heated/cooled seats stopped working a few months back and now my radio/NAV unit is doing exactly what yours is...

You need to have the alternator tested under load.
Unless you are getting 14+volts from the alternator you are not recharging the battery.
A bad alternator will kill a good battery.

My 2008 Expedition EL is also doing the same thing. I did have a dealer check it out and the draw is coming from the Sirius Sat Radio Module or the DVD Module. They pulled the fuses out of them and said the radio will still work. But the radio does not always power up. Sometimes it comes on first thing or it takes it an hour. I do know that since we pulled the fuses for the modules on the passenger side by your feet the battery has not been dead. I would really like to find a fix for this as I keep hearing from my wife about the radio not working. The Heated/Cooled Seats do not work either.

cbogert
Have a relay wired in to supply power to the circuits you need when the key is in the run position.
When the key is off the circuit should be dead.

Came across this TSB and found it interesting. May or may not be your problem but just one more thing to check.

TSB
07-18-5 •BATTERY DRAW AND/OR CRANK/NO START - VEHICLES BUILT BEFORE 12/6/2006

Publication Date: August 31, 2007

FORD: 2007 Expedition
LINCOLN: 2007 Navigator

ISSUE:
Some 2007 Expedition and Navigator vehicles built before 12/6/2006 may experience a battery draw and/or crank/no start concern with these specific diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) P0230, P0600, P2105, P2107, and U0300 in the PCM.

ACTION:
Follow the Service Procedure steps to correct the condition.

SERVICE PROCEDURE

Check for possible internal short at the brake pedal position (BPP) switch. An internal short will not allow the PCM to go into sleep mode.

1.Turn the ignition switch to the off position. Check fuses F70, F74, and F76 in the battery junction box (BJB). Is voltage present on the fuses?
a.If yes, go to Step 2.
b.If no, this TSB does not apply. Proceed with normal Powertrain Controls/Emissions Diagnosis (PC/ED) Diagnostics, Pinpoint Test QT1.
2.Disconnect the BPP switch and recheck fuses. Is voltage still present?
a.If no, replace the BPP switch and go to Step 3.
b.If yes, proceed with normal PC/ED Diagnostics, Pinpoint Test QT1.
3.Start the vehicle. Clear and recheck for DTCs.

PART NUMBER PART NAME
8T4Z-13480-A BPP Switch Assembly

WARRANTY STATUS:
Eligible Under Provisions Of New Vehicle Limited Warranty Coverage
IMPORTANT: Warranty coverage limits/policies are not altered by a TSB. Warranty coverage limits are determined by the identified causal part.

OPERATION DESCRIPTION TIME
071805A 2007 Expedition/Navigator: Replace The BPP Switch, Includes Time To Perform The Diagnosis In The Service Procedure (Do Not Use With 13480A) 0.4 Hr.

DEALER CODING
BASIC PART NO. CONDITION CODE
13480 42

Matt