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Battery drains overnight.

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Old Mar 23, 2014 | 07:39 PM
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Battery drains overnight.

My battery goes dead if I leave the negative hooked up overnight. I started my '99 Expedition and took the negative cable off while it was running. Since it did not die I assume that it is not my alternator. I got my test light out and hooked the clamp to my negative cable and put the needle on the negative post. It lit up and I started pulling fuses one at a time. The only fuse that significantly dimmed the light was my #103 50A Junction Block Battery Feed. Don't really know where to go from there. Any ideas?
 
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Old Mar 23, 2014 | 09:04 PM
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Often the rear wiper isn't adjusted correctly on the pivot arm so the motor never actually parks. This keeps power flowing to the motor constantly and can drain the battery.
 
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Old Mar 23, 2014 | 10:45 PM
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How would I fix this problem? Can I simply pull the fuse for the rear wiper?

EDIT:
My rear wiper does not work. We took the nut off and tried to take it off. Even when we pushed the wiper down it still had a draw on the battery. I was thinking of taking the back hatch panel off and disconnecting the wires?
 
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Old Mar 23, 2014 | 11:42 PM
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Alloro is right. There was another member who just posted pics and a write-up for the repair. Couldn't have been 2 weeks ago.
 
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Old Mar 24, 2014 | 05:07 AM
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It has it's own fuse, just pull it.
 
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Old Mar 24, 2014 | 08:43 AM
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Originally Posted by Heather88
How would I fix this problem? Can I simply pull the fuse for the rear wiper?
In the fuse box under the hood, pull fuses #12, #212, and #213 those are the ones for the rear wiper.
 
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Old Mar 24, 2014 | 04:41 PM
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Pulled fuses #12, #212, and #213 under the hood and disconnected the rear wiper in the back hatch. I put the test light on while I pulled the fuses out and the light is still bright. Any ideas or is it suppose to be bright?

EDIT: I took the Exp to work today. It died once when I made a hard left to turn in to a parking stall and died twice while I was backing into my driveway. Don't know what could cause this either.
 
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Old Mar 25, 2014 | 10:33 AM
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Originally Posted by Heather88
Pulled fuses #12, #212, and #213 under the hood and disconnected the rear wiper in the back hatch. I put the test light on while I pulled the fuses out and the light is still bright. Any ideas or is it suppose to be bright?

EDIT: I took the Exp to work today. It died once when I made a hard left to turn in to a parking stall and died twice while I was backing into my driveway. Don't know what could cause this either.
You might have a relatively common issue with the alternator. Not sure of your miles on the Expy but if the alternator is original, they will start to work intermittently. The internal brushes wear out and you will not get a consistent charge. Typically, the alternator will work at start up but once warm, will fail and the truck will run only on the battery, but not for too long.
If the battery is then weak and the alternator stops charging/feeding the electrical system, the truck will stop running.
Once charged, you might start it in the driveway and watch your alternator gauge. You will see it bounce back and forth eventually once warmed up.
It might take 10 minutes or so.
 
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Old Mar 25, 2014 | 08:23 PM
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Originally Posted by r2millers
Typically, the alternator will work at start up but once warm, will fail and the truck will run only on the battery, but not for too long.
My truck doesn't randomly die. It dies when I turn the wheel to hard in either direction and when I put it into reverse. I tested it out when I went to the store earlier today. Maybe their is a short somewhere in the wiring?? I have no idea.
 
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Old Mar 25, 2014 | 08:31 PM
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First , you should NEVER disconnect the battery on a modern vehicle while running ! ( unless in an emergency ) You can damage electronic components . 2nd , when doing a draw test you need to give time for all modules to reboot and go into sleep mode . 3rd , the proper way to test for draw on newer vehicles is to use a DVOM set to DC amps .
 
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Old Mar 25, 2014 | 09:23 PM
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Originally Posted by JWC 3
NEVER disconnect the battery on a modern vehicle while running !
I wouldn't say its a modern vehicle. My Expy is a '99 EB edition.
 
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Old Mar 25, 2014 | 09:30 PM
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Originally Posted by Heather88
I wouldn't say its a modern vehicle. My Expy is a '99 EB edition.
If it has a computer ... It IS a modern vehicle . Your truck has a couple ..... Voltage spikes from disconnecting the battery while running can damage components .
 
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Old Mar 25, 2014 | 09:58 PM
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The battery acts as a filter. That's why disconnecting is a no-go. What will an unloaded alternator spool up to anyway? 40 volts?
 
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Old Mar 25, 2014 | 10:17 PM
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Originally Posted by Tedster9
The battery acts as a filter. That's why disconnecting is a no-go.
Yes , the battery absorbs any variance in the charging , within normal charge rates . When the battery is suddenly removed from the loop , the alternator will go full charge before the electronics can take over . Damage can happen in that time .
 
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Old Mar 26, 2014 | 09:16 AM
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Originally Posted by Heather88
My truck doesn't randomly die. It dies when I turn the wheel to hard in either direction and when I put it into reverse.
This can be the result of a stuck IAC valve. If the IAC valve is stuck then it can not respond to those added load demands at idle and the result is the engine stalls.
 
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