2005 f250 6.0 Lariat

First I checked on the grounds and they are all good on the truck.
No lights are on, the doors were all closed for the test and the truck was sitting over an hour.
Everything works in the truck gauges, lights, radio, power locks, windows etc.
I had the volt meter hooked up and nothing changes by pulling all the fuses on the interior and under the hood.

With both negative battery cables removed and the alternator disconnected.
I connected my volt meter from the negative cable to the negative battery terminal and read 13.38v

If I reconnect the battery ground cable on the passenger side and test on the driver's side battery with the volt
meter from the cable to the battery terminal I read .84 volts.
Also with both grounds off when I touch the driver's side battery cable to the ground terminal it sparks and
I can hear what sounds like a relay engaging . I'm not sure what to check for next.
Any suggestions to what to test next would be greatly appreciated.

 

pull the FICM and PCM relays


Redundant infCOMPONENT TESTS
Battery - Drain Tests
NOTE: No production vehicle should have more than a 50 mA (0.050 amp) continuous draw.
Check for current drains on the battery in excess of 50 milliamps (0.050 amp) with all the electrical accessories off and the vehicle at rest. Current drains can be tested with the following procedure:
WARNING: Do not attempt this test on a lead-acid battery that has recently been recharged. Explosive gases can cause personal injury.
CAUTION: To prevent damage to the meter, do not crank the engine or operate accessories that draw more than 10A .
NOTE:
Many modules draw 10 mA (0.010 amp) or more continuously.
Use an in-line ammeter between the battery positive or negative post and its respective cable.
Typically, a drain of approximately one amp can be attributed to an engine compartment lamp, glove compartment lamp, or luggage compartment lamp staying on continually. Other component failures or wiring shorts may be located by selectively pulling fuses to pinpoint the location of the current drain. When the current drain is found, the meter reading will fall to an acceptable level. If the drain is still not located after checking all the fuses, it may be due to the generator.
To accurately test the drain on a battery, an in-line digital ammeter must be used. Use of a test lamp or voltmeter is not an accurate method due to the number of electronic modules.
Make sure the junction box/fuse panels are accessible without turning on interior and underhood lights.
Drive the vehicle at least five minutes and over 30 mph to turn on and exercise vehicle systems.
Allow the vehicle to sit with the key off for at least 40 minutes to allow modules to time out/power down.
Connect a fused jumper wire between the negative battery cable and the negative battery post to prevent modules from resetting and to catch capacitive drains.
Disconnect the negative battery cable from the post without breaking the connection of the jumper wire.
NOTE: It is very important that continuity is not broken between the battery and the negative battery cable when connecting the meter. If this happens, the entire procedure must be repeated. Connect the tester between negative battery cable and the post. The meter must be capable of reading milliamps and should have a 10 amp capability.
NOTE: If the meter settings need to be switched or the test leads need to be moved to another jack, the jumper wire must be reinstalled to avoid breaking continuity. Remove the jumper wire.
NOTE:
Amperage draw will vary from vehicle to vehicle depending on the equipment package. Compare to a comparable vehicle for reference.
No production vehicle should have more than a 50 mA (0.050 amp) draw.
If the draw is found to be excessive, pull fuses from the battery/central junction box one at a time and note the current drop. Do not reinstall the fuses until you are finished testing.
Check the wiring schematic in the wiring diagram for any circuits that run from the battery without passing through the battery/central junction box. Disconnect these circuits if the draw is still excessive. o

 

2005 F350 6.0L 160K miles - Similar problem

It has been week sent I last run this vehicle. Tried to get going and discovered two drained AGM batteries (18 months old).

Ambient temperatures in -0 to 20F. Pulled the batteries, so I could warm them up in garage. Good news is they are taking charge. Most drained AGM's are finished once exposed to these Alaskan winter temperatures.

Appreciate the above guidelines as how to test as what is the source of this amperage drain. Suspect the dome lights did not turn off, which usually happens in about 30 seconds after exiting the vehicle. First thing on my list is to check the generator output to make sure it is working. This I had replaced as preventative maintenance item last August.

Once I get this F350 into the garage and get it thawed out will try these amperage tests. This vehicle has heck of number of fuses. Between the 6.0L and the power distribution in the cab.

 

Thank you for the post! I will follow the procedure using the amp meter I was using a volt meter and did not mention I recently had the Alternator replaced along with glow plugs and harness on the drivers side.

 

Hunting for parasitic drain can be a hit or miss adventure, but I've never found using volts to be a good search tool. You need to search by current flow as pointed out.

Many electronic modules will go active once power is restored or stay active after a vehicle is shut down for some time, so when searching you need to keep that in mind. Initial reattach ment of terminal clamps often can exhibit a minor spark due to that, usually not observed unless your reattaching in the dark. My wife's LS has 8 modules, and one still draws for 15 minutes after you exit the vehicle, which makes troubleshooting a PITA.

If you have a vehicle that drains down quickly, once your recharged up, one good, fast check to do is to feel or infrared check the temp of the glow plug module on the pass valve cover. There have been a couple of reported instances over the last few years of them staying active in some manner, not to the point of keeping the glow plugs on but internal circuitry active or shorted.

The GEM should shut down interior lights if a door is open for an extended time. When I'm down at the farm I open both main doors and leave then cracked open as I'm constantly in and out of the cab. I let the interior light time out rather then kicking on multiple times during my day.

 

I appreciate your response and will check the glow plug module with a infrared camera.

When I noticed the spark (I could hear the arc) was after the truck was sitting over night and doors were never open the bulb is not in under the hood. Also I took the ficm relay out and touched the ground again and along with the spark at the battery terminal I hear a clicking by the ficm but it's too cold to take thing apart today to see whats clicking. I'm hoping this is the problem.

 

A shorted diode in the alternator can also be a cause.

 

You must go at it systematicly. Using the proceedure outlined above and all fuses in place,pull/disconnect one fuse/relay at a time while monitoring amp draw.

 

Hi There,
I'm new to this site and forum. I have a similar issue with parasitic drain on my 2006 f350. Could you take a look at my post and offer a next step check. I'm studying the wiring drawing to identify wire feeds that are always hot. It looks like I've had 71 views, but no replies. I'm not sure if I messed something up in my post.
Thanks.

 

Deleted

 

Howdy,

Take a look at the date of the post you replied to. It's dated 2016 !!(9 years ago)

Your best bet with this subject is to post a new message/new thread. You will get far more responses to it!

Regards,

Rick

 

yeah, Jmaher figured out. He has a thread started here and on the Org.