need help, battery drains in a day

jnpmismash

Registered User
my 90 sc drains the battery, even with all of the fuses pulled, except for the 80 amp in the distrubution box. I can not get that one, or the 30 amps on either side of it to pull out. was wondering if anyone knows what these fuses are for. and if anyone knows were i could get electrical prints for this car. I should also mention that when i put in a new battery, the car wont idle or even run very good at all for 15 minutes or so.
 
I had a problem similar to this awhile ago too.

the first thing i would do is make sure that all of your interior lights are off, check the glove box and the center console light, as i've had problems with both of them staying on. Also, if you have any amps or stereo equipment, make sure those are shutting off too. If none of those show up, your alternator may be running on it's last breath.

Andrew
 
the 80A fuse in the dist. box should be for your ignition switch. the 30A fuses by it are for the antilock and arc system(i think)

To remove them you need to remove a set of screws that hold the three of them down.

Andrew
 
importkiller said:
check to see if your fuel pump stays on thats what happened to my 90 sc
did you just listen for it, or did you pull off a fuel line? Iv'e pulled the fuel tank out of my 94 v8, that wasn't all that fun.
 
89_Red_Xr7 said:
the 80A fuse in the dist. box should be for your ignition switch. the 30A fuses by it are for the antilock and arc system(i think)

To remove them you need to remove a set of screws that hold the three of them down.

Andrew
thanks for the info. The ford dealers around here couldn't even answer that for me.
 
make sure you check the buttons on the power seats. I had one stuck and it would drain the battery.
 
jnpmismash said:
my 90 sc drains the battery, even with all of the fuses pulled, except for the 80 amp in the distrubution box. I can not get that one, or the 30 amps on either side of it to pull out. was wondering if anyone knows what these fuses are for. and if anyone knows were i could get electrical prints for this car. I should also mention that when i put in a new battery, the car wont idle or even run very good at all for 15 minutes or so.

Did you pull the fuses in the fuse box under the dash or only the ones in the fuse box under the hood?

The two 30 amp fuses are for the ABS module and the shock actuators. To remove them and the 80 amp one, first disconnect the battery, then insert a screwdriver to disengage the tab for the little plastic box that houses these three fuses (while pulling the fuses up at the same time), then remove the screw that holds each fuse.

The least expensive way to obtain the 1990 Electrical & Vacuum Troubleshooting Manual is through eBay. The 1990 Wiring Diagrams can be bought new from www.helminc.com for $19 shipped or used on eBay.
 
thanks

J.D. said:
Did you pull the fuses in the fuse box under the dash or only the ones in the fuse box under the hood?

The two 30 amp fuses are for the ABS module and the shock actuators. To remove them and the 80 amp one, first disconnect the battery, then insert a screwdriver to disengage the tab for the little plastic box that houses these three fuses (while pulling the fuses up at the same time), then remove the screw that holds each fuse.

The least expensive way to obtain the 1990 Electrical & Vacuum Troubleshooting Manual is through eBay. The 1990 Wiring Diagrams can be bought new from www.helminc.com for $19 shipped or used on eBay.
thank you for the link to helminc. and thanks to everyone that has replied to this. This was my first post on this site, and I really appriciate all the help I've gotten.
John
 
You mentioned that you put in a new battery. Did the old one die on you? The reason I mention this is because the SC cannot run off the alternator with a dead battery. (Actually it will run for about 15 or 20 minutes and then.....kaput), The alternator will be fried.
If you do need a new alternator make sure the new battery is fully charged before you drive it or the new alternator will burn itself out trying to charge it up.

Don't forget to post back when you figure it out. :)
 
put all your fuses back in disconnect the neg batt term put a test light between the neg term and neg wire it should be dim if not pull out fuses one at a time until the light dims then you have found the circit. remember to pull the light out of the hood and keep the doors shut while doing this. if you use a multi meter 100 mili amp draw is a max whith an alarm without alarm 20miliamp is the max. its called a parasitic draw test you can research this further on line. good luck
rwyyattb
 
rwyyattb is right on the mark, if you took it into a shop that is how they would diagnose it, if they know what they are doing. One thing about using a multimeter, you can see what kind of amperage is being drawn exactly, and as soon as you correct the problem that is causing the draw, you see it right away, without having to wonder or guess if it is fixed.

Good tip about the leavng door open etc., that would turn on any lights that would increase the amperage reading, I forgot about that once. :eek:

Give us update, and let us know how it worked out for you. :)
 
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