I have a 2003 Ranger XL, w/34000 miles. The only modification I did was install a new stereo 2 years ago. I'm a guy who doesn't know a lot about cars, so I question some of the troubleshooting techniques I've gotten from other people. A month and a half ago the battery died and upon inspection, I realized it was time for a new one. I installed a die hard, and 3 days later it was dead. Since then, I've had to jump start it almost every time. Sometimes it will hold a charge for 2 or 3 days. I can't figure out why this is going on. I tested for current draw, and got results of 200 mA and 220 mA on seperate occasions. Someone told me to test the alternator by starting the truck, then disconnecting the positive, and if the truck stays on the alternator is good. Did that, truck stayed on. If I disconnect the battery, it won't discharge, so I thought maybe I had a faulty ground causing an intermittent short, thus draining the battery. I disconnected both cables, checked for ohms and got 4.4 with no variance over a 15 minute span. Problem is, I don't know what it is supposed to read. I am all out of ideas, and don't want to take it to ford, as my warranty expired in march. Anybody have a clue? I have never seen this before, and I'm now at a total loss. Thanks in advance for any and all suggestions.

 

Here's what I just did. Pulled all the fuses from the interior fuse panel, and got a reading of about 24 mA. I inserted the fuses one by one, and took a reading after each (this is with the door closed, key out.). The reading stayed the same until I reconnected the radio fuse, then went to 34 mA. I reinserted fuse #26, which according to the manual, controls the battery saver relay, Auxiliary relay box, Restraint control module, Generic electronic module, and instrument cluster. The reading went up to 230 mA. This is the only fuse that made any significant difference. Anyone know if this is normal, and if not, how to troubleshoot/replace these parts? Aside from the instrument cluster, I have no idea what any of these things are.

 

This troubleshooting technique is one that is questionable. It's too risky to the electronics to pull the battery off with the engine running. If there was something wrong with the alternator, it can put out up to 100 volts and burn everything out.

You are doing the right thing in your second post though. 230ma is too much. Did you pull all the fuses out at once? The reason I ask is the GEM module in conjunction with the battery saver relay controls many different devices in the truck. What I would do is leave fuse 26 inserted, and pull all the other fuses out individually again. I am thinking fuse #26 killed everything, so if we leave it in, maybe we can narrow the drain down even more. 34ma is ok.

 

I started to pull the fuses individually, measuring the draw after each. With every fuse, the meter would read about 205 mA, then after about 10 seconds or so, drop to 180. I had to keep opening and closing the door to access these fuses, don't know if that matters. This is all with fuse #26 inserted. I couldn't find any particular fuse that when pulled, made any sort of difference in current draw. What is it you mean by fuse 26 killing everything?

 

Ok, let's see if we can figure this out. It's good for me, since the more I look at this mess, the more I understand it.

Fuse 26 feeds the battery saver relay. This relay is located in a relay box near the bottom of the steering column. The GEM module grounds this relay to make it come on. So, if you find this relay, pull it out and see if most of the drain goes away.

If it does, then let's see what this relay does. It feeds;

1.Glove box lamp

2.map lights

3.manual dome light on switch built into the instrument light dimming switch. This lights the cargo lights too on early models.

4.An interior lamp relay, located at the same location that the battery saver relay is located.

Pull the interior lamp relay out. If the drain does not go away, we know it's coming from the glove box light or the interior map light.

If the drain goes away with the battery saver relay in, but the interior relay out, then let's see what the interior lamp relay does.

1.Seems the only thing the interior lamp relay does is turn the interior lamps on.

 

I'm not sure what this relay looks like, so I'll have to look again by the steering column. What I did find was a relay box to the left of the stereo. Has 2 plugs in it. When I unplug the first plug (closest to the cab) the draw drops to 3 mA. I plugged it back in, unplugged the 2nd plug (closes to engine) and the draw was at 40 mA. Is it possible this is the battery saver relay? The box is about 5 inches tall, 4 inches wide and an inch thick. No real labels on it except a sticker that says 'scrap if dropped from more than 20cm'. Also, looks like it may have a circuit board in it. Both these readings were w/doors closed and key out. I'll take another look at the whole thing again, and try to trace some wires to maybe see what I'm playing with.

 

Turns out the current draw was intermittent, and I wasn't catching it at the right times. The other day I saw a draw of 3A. After more fuse pulling, I found the draw would disappear when I pulled the fuse for the a/c clutch solenoid. I swapped the relay connected to that fuse with a known good one of the same type (wiper motor), and no draw. Got a new relay for 10 bucks, and as of now, problem solved.