Hi Guys-
I am having difficulties with the power locks on my daughters 2005 XLT Escape.
What is happening, when the vehicle is turned off, sometimes the lock relay or what-ever control unit behind the interior fuse box starts cycling. Clicks like open then closed then repeats at about 90 beats per minute with the vehicle on or off. It will continue to cycle until it consumes the battery to nothing. We have tried pushing the buttons on the fob, turning the vehicle back on, and lots of other combinations. The only successful treatments is to either disconnect the battery or pull the 30 amp relay. Neither of these actions are fixes and often it starts back up after the vehicle warms up or we try locking it with one of the fobs. So we keep a pair of needle nose pliers handy to yank the relay.

Some notable details.
Installed a new 800 CCA battery last 16 months ago. Still under full warranty at Batteries Plus, it tests fine.
Have bypassed the locks with a jumper on 3 of the 4 doors because the open door sensor wasn't working.
The rig has 215K miles and seen a lot of teenage use.
Sometimes the check engine light comes on for High Fuel Pressure sensor but I try to keep that one turned off.
The rig runs great and we like it when it behaves.

This issue has me perplexed and any advise is welcomed. Being the rig is old and I am 'cheap', curious if this is something I solve myself? I am mechanically inclined and have worked on this rig a bunch including replacing the transmission. I would have replaced the door locks but the price for replacement parts is ridiculous! There isn't much information about my issue I can find and this forum has provided me many good ideas in the past.

Thanks - Ken

 

As a follow up, I have been researching everything and discovered my car battery had a weak cell. All my electrical issues occurred when it dropped below 11.5 volts, which it would on a cold night to around 11.3v and that is when things when haywire. Replaced the battery and things have been working fine. Go figure how finicky this rig is?

Ken

 

And the solution was or is... regarding the autocycling of the door locks and battery drainage...
The lock wire jumping on the drivers door was incorrect, meaning I had connected the wrong 2 wires to trick the dash light to think the door was closed when the sensor said it was always open. Once I figured out what the correct wiring 'jumpage' should be, the issue has never re-occurred. The moral of the story, double check your reference and work.

Good Luck to all.