Parasitic Engine Battery Drain 07 E350 gasser

[sierraoneill]

Hi All,

I posted a little over a month ago about a parasitic drain on my engine battery. After replacing the alternator (bad voltage regulator) and going on vacation, I'm back on to fixing this problem.

Battery and charging system are now confirmed as being good.

I've since gone through the fuses to find out which circuit the drain is coming from and have narrowed it down to Fuse # 22 under the dash which is: Memory power radio, Battery saver relay, Instrument cluster, Courtesy lamp relay, Accessory delay relay.

Since pulling this fuse I no longer have a dead battery after the van sits for a couple days.

Now here's where I can't figure out where the problem is.

The instrument Cluster goes dead once the key is off (all gauges drop), so I assume that is not the culprit

The Radio is aftermarket, just a few years old, and never had an issue, and it turns off when the key goes off.

Dome lights and door lights turn off a few minutes after the doors are shut and the key is off, so that seems normal. There are also no lights stuck on, so I assume all the door light switches are functioning fine.

Could a bad relay still function but also be a parasitic drain? I think the Accessory delay and battery saver relay are only like $8 each so it wouldn't be that expensive just to replace them.

Any other ideas or has anyone had similar issues on the E350?

Mine is an 07, v10.

Thanks!!

Nick

[sierraoneill]

I just spent some time searching all over, and from the number things I've read on the internet, it sounds like a battery saver relay? Anyone ever hear of this issue? It's hard to get anything beyond that in my search, and some have said it's integral to the instrument panel which sounds like a major bummer. Owners manual says the relay for it behind the Radio, but "The instrument panel relay module is located behind the radio in the center of the instrument panel. Have your authorized dealer service this module, if required."

Any thoughts?

[wish41]

I literally just dealt with this issue a couple weeks ago on a 2006 Ford E350 6.0 project van I'm working on (well, my brother-in-law mechanic is doing most of the actual work). After checking many different fuses, ultimately it was indeed the battery saver relay, which was corroded when we took it out to inspect it. It seems like the relay did not kick off (on?) after the 30-40 minutes that it takes for things to officially cycle off. We replaced the relay and it seems to have resolved the issue.

[sierraoneill]

Is that the relay located behind the radio or the delay relay under the hood? It's not a part of the Instrument cluster is it (as I've read in a few spots)

Thanks!! I hope it's that easy!!

[wish41]

My issue was the delay relay under the hood. Hopefully yours ends up being just as simple!