Parasitic drain
#1
#2
#4
Yeah. it's pretty simple.
Everythiing on your B-2 is powered from fuse links.
You might want to remove the 4 fuse link wires from the starter relay & see which one kills the light.
One of these fuse links feeds the alternator & if theres a shorted diode in the alternator it will suck the juice out of the battery & the alternator will probably feel warm to the touch.
Everythiing on your B-2 is powered from fuse links.
You might want to remove the 4 fuse link wires from the starter relay & see which one kills the light.
One of these fuse links feeds the alternator & if theres a shorted diode in the alternator it will suck the juice out of the battery & the alternator will probably feel warm to the touch.
#5
Yeah. it's pretty simple.
Everythiing on your B-2 is powered from fuse links.
You might want to remove the 4 fuse link wires from the starter relay & see which one kills the light.
One of these fuse links feeds the alternator & if theres a shorted diode in the alternator it will suck the juice out of the battery & the alternator will probably feel warm to the touch.
Everythiing on your B-2 is powered from fuse links.
You might want to remove the 4 fuse link wires from the starter relay & see which one kills the light.
One of these fuse links feeds the alternator & if theres a shorted diode in the alternator it will suck the juice out of the battery & the alternator will probably feel warm to the touch.
#6
I was wondering about the alt. When I rev it up, the battery light comes on, when it idles, it goes back out. Something else to think about.
There is a small business locally that tests these for free. Sometimes they have new ones on hand, but I doubt one for this age of vehicle. Wont hurt to check.
There is a small business locally that tests these for free. Sometimes they have new ones on hand, but I doubt one for this age of vehicle. Wont hurt to check.
#7
Trending Topics
#9
Originally Posted by Fordpup
I was wondering about the alt. When I rev it up, the battery light comes on, when it idles, it goes back out. Something else to think about.
There is a small business locally that tests these for free. Sometimes they have new ones on hand, but I doubt one for this age of vehicle. Wont hurt to check.
There is a small business locally that tests these for free. Sometimes they have new ones on hand, but I doubt one for this age of vehicle. Wont hurt to check.
Looks like a charging problem, instead of a drain.
Sounds like a good idea to have that shop check the charging system.
#10
I will be looking into new brushes and diode for the alt. On another note about the drain, the battery that I installed had been sitting in my shed for about three weeks before I installed it in the Bronco. It was still charged up enough to start and drive it around my yard for about a week, then I parked it until I can get up the money for more parts. After one week of no starting or running it, the battery went down again. Thats why I was looking into testing for a parasitic drain.
#11
Yeah, a set of brushes should take care of the charging problem.
Sounds like the battery might have gone dead from sitting around & from not charging. But the light bulb test will tell you real quick if it IS a drain.
I've driven my different Fords a LOT of miles & never had an alternator problem.
Seems Ford alts are pretty bullet proof, so you might even want to look for one off a wrecked Ford at the bone yard. If you're going to replace the brushes yourself disregard this.
Odds are it will last a good long time, and the folks at the wrecking yard can probably tell you which years/models used the same alt as yours.
Sounds like the battery might have gone dead from sitting around & from not charging. But the light bulb test will tell you real quick if it IS a drain.
I've driven my different Fords a LOT of miles & never had an alternator problem.
Seems Ford alts are pretty bullet proof, so you might even want to look for one off a wrecked Ford at the bone yard. If you're going to replace the brushes yourself disregard this.
Odds are it will last a good long time, and the folks at the wrecking yard can probably tell you which years/models used the same alt as yours.
#12
Well, looks like I found the start of my drain problem... there is a yellow heavy gauge wire that starts from the solenoid on the pass. fender, goes across the rad support, plugs into a connector on the other fender. Right where the 2 wires plug together, the wire was actually smoking when I connected the battery. I disconnected the battery, took the yellow wire off the solenoid, the terminal did not spark when I reconnected to the battery. That also took all power from inside the vehicle.
Here is where I need the most help. Where the 2 wires connect on the drivers side fender, the wire goes 1 to 4 wires, with fuseable links on 2 of them. Does anyone have any idea where I should go from there? Could a bad fuseable link cause this kind of power draw, enough to smoke a wire? I really could use some direction from here.
Any master electricians here? Need input and/or a schematic for the old girl.
Many thanks.
Here is where I need the most help. Where the 2 wires connect on the drivers side fender, the wire goes 1 to 4 wires, with fuseable links on 2 of them. Does anyone have any idea where I should go from there? Could a bad fuseable link cause this kind of power draw, enough to smoke a wire? I really could use some direction from here.
Any master electricians here? Need input and/or a schematic for the old girl.
Many thanks.
#13
What appears to be the same circuit on my 87 is wired thusly:
Fuse link C at the starter relay (black with orange stripe) is wired to a connector on the drivers side fender.
The connector is wired to a 4 way splice with 2 fuse links.
Fuse link D (black/orange stripe) feeds horn/cigar lighter/headlight switch.
Fuse link E (solid yellow) feeds the ignition switch.
Dont worry about these fuse links.
The other 2 wires in the splice (black/orange & yellow/white)connect to the alternator.
Remove them from the alternator & see if you lose your drain.
My guess is a shorted diode in the alternator.
Fuse link C at the starter relay (black with orange stripe) is wired to a connector on the drivers side fender.
The connector is wired to a 4 way splice with 2 fuse links.
Fuse link D (black/orange stripe) feeds horn/cigar lighter/headlight switch.
Fuse link E (solid yellow) feeds the ignition switch.
Dont worry about these fuse links.
The other 2 wires in the splice (black/orange & yellow/white)connect to the alternator.
Remove them from the alternator & see if you lose your drain.
My guess is a shorted diode in the alternator.
Last edited by 87 XLT; 11-04-2007 at 01:11 AM.
#14
87 XLT, I will be checking that this morning. You said the wire from the relay is black/orange, so the p.o. must have had a problem cooking that wire too cause it was replaced with the yellow wire I mentioned. Should there be a fusable link in this line as well? I found where the yellow wire was spliced into the black/orange wire and crimped. Makes good sense to me. 18 gauge perhaps??
#15
Hey 87, you were right on the alt diode diagnosis. I unplugged the diode pigtail and the drain quit. No smoking from the wire either. I need to replace the diode, install a new fusible link in the yellow wire that used to be black/orange, and replace all the wiring that got cooked.
I will let you know how it turned out. I will hopefully be doing this soon, but seeing as my wife is disabled, I have to make sure she is taken care of first.
Thanks for the valuable information. You know your stuff.
I will let you know how it turned out. I will hopefully be doing this soon, but seeing as my wife is disabled, I have to make sure she is taken care of first.
Thanks for the valuable information. You know your stuff.