Power Distribution Box 2005 PSD & "resting" current draw

[pjpvi]

Anyone have the fuse diagram for the Power Distribution Box on a 2005 PSD that you can post up?

While I'm at it, just curious if anyone else has an idea of what a reasonable power draw is with engine off, doors closed (no lights on), separator disconnected, basically a "resting" state. Reason I'm asking is I'm just putting in a new set of starting batteries and I have a fair amount of "sizzle" when connecting up the ground. Unfortunately, my ammeter is only good to 200ma. By pulling fuses out of the power distribution box, I've identified the high draw circuits.

Fuse location approximate current draw:
#7 - 17mA
#9 - 130mA
#18 - 80mA
#22 - >180mA (not sure as it would excede the meter rating of 200mA)

I found a diagram for a 2002 PDB on-line and if it holds true for a 2005 van, then the fuse positions line up as follows.

#7 - Ignition Switch
#9 - Modified Vehicle Power (I have no idea where that could be???)
#18 - Battery Junction Box (Again, not sure what that is)
#22 - Central Junction Box

I checked the power leads to the starter, winch and up to the separator and there don't appear to be any shorts in those lines.

So ..... Is this an expected power draw in a "resting" state?

Thanks -
Phil

[Ford_6L_E350]

That's pretty minimal power drain. Less than half an amp total. That power has to keep 'awake' several CPU's, clocks, counters and who knows what all. Not like old vehicles that were completely off.

Even my ScanGauge draws some power in the 'OFF' state, otherwise it couldn't recognize when to come alive.

Mike

[pjpvi]

Thanks Mike. A half amp didn't seem like that much, but I really wanted to compare to what someone else experiences. Glad to hear you think it is not excessive.

Phil

[joey2cool]

You should look in the 2005 Ford E-Series Owner's Guide. I have a 2010 and the Guide is online as well as in my van. Assuming you're talking the high-current (HC) fuse/relay locations, my manual says #7 is an HC Micro Relay for Upfitter 4, #9 is HC Micro Relay for Modified vehicle and stripped chassis run/start, #18 is 30A fuse for Electric trailer brake, Trailer brake controller, and #22 is not used. Every year make and model must be different...

Ford is notorious for parasitic loads, but the highest load I've heard of is .85 amps. This can add up over the month if you don't drive or attach to shore power. I like your test method - I think I'll try it on my van because I've also been wondering what exactly the draw is for. I've noticed the van's MotorCraft BXT-65-650 wet cell likes to sit low at 12.0 to 12.2 volts, unlike my two Deka 27 AGM house batteries at 12.6 - 12.8 volts. Of course, temperature plays a role and I take measurements many hours after loading or charging to avoid bias from float.

[pjpvi]

Joey,

Searched on E-Series Owners Guide and stumbled my way to a great site with manuals for all years.

http://www.ownersmanualsource.com/ford/ ... s-manuals/

Here's what it says the fuses in question are for.

#7 - Ignition switch, Fuse panel, Accessory delay
#9 - Modified vehicle power (would love to know where this is)
#18 - Engine compartment fuses 3, 5, 23 and 26, Instrument panel fuses 26 and 32, Start relay
#22 - I/P fuses 4, 5, 10, 11, 16, 17, 22 and 23, Circuit breaker 44

I think I'll just try to find an ammeter that can confirm my total draw and if it's around a half amp I'll just call it good.

Phil

[Ford_6L_E350]

Phil,

According to my 04 E-Series Wiring Diagrams, F1.9 (in the Battery Junction Box) is a 50A fuse for Modified Vehicle Power. I guess that means SMB hooked it up to something.

The other fuses are as you listed. F1.22 powers the Vehicle Security Module, so it makes sense it would have a higher draw than some of the other fuses listed.

I can't scan in and post the wiring diagrams. But, I do have two 04 Wiring Diagram books (probably 99.9% accurate for 05) if you want to buy or borrow one.

Mike

[pjpvi]

I borrowed an ammeter that goes to 10amps yesterday and the it seems that the "resting" current draw is around 210mA. I can't explain why that is lower than adding up some of the values in my initial post, but it seemed pretty stable after a while at 210mA.

Initial in-rush was around 720mA for maybe 5 seconds, then it dropped to around 270mA for maybe another 5-10 seconds, then it settled in at 210mA.

I guess all is normal. The new DieHard P2 batteries sure do crank the engine nice and fast now! Costco gave a full refund on the batteries I put in June 2009 (gotta love Costco!). New BlueSea separator should show up tomorrow. Should be electrically stable again soon.

Phil

[IheartDieselVans]

I've been desperate to figure out what the 'spec' parasitic draw is on a PSD van, mine runs about 210 mA also when resting, at least an hour or so after driving it. This seems like quite a lot to me, and somewhere on Powerstroke.org someone posted that Ford spec is 0.05 amps, or 50mA.

I've got a 0299 code, so I'm taking it in the dealer tomorrow to have the turbo dealt with...hopefully they can fix my draw. I notice that my two brand new Odyssey batteries are at float, around 13.0 volts after I drive for a while, but the next morning they're down to 12.7. A week, and they're in the mid 12.6 range, which is about 80% according to Odyssey. It seems troubling to me that my two start batteries can be drained 20% in a week!

I'm leaning toward a disconnect switch between the battery/ground for times when I plan to not drive for a while. Anyone else have any experience with measuring parasitic drain, and what values are common?

[Steve_382]

Those milli amps add up pretty quick. While researching my house batteries, I found that the Tripplite 2000 pulled 210 ma just on standby, not inverting. 210 ma times 24 hours a day, times 7 days is over 35 AH, or about 20% of my 180 AH available from my two Group 27 AGM batteries. Four weeks and they are way too low. There is a switch on the front of the Tripplite that shuts the thing down to about 10 ma, so I have started doing that when not using the van for camping.

[IheartDieselVans]

Well, I got my van back from the dealer, and it got a new turbo which seems to give my quite a lot more power. The tech said the vanes were pretty stuck. Not surprising, since the vehicle sat for just over a year without being driven prior to me buying it.

So, my parasitic power draw issue is a bit more complicated. I measured it at 210mA by putting my multimeter between the battery ground and the frame, being careful to maintain continuity during the whole process (I know I didn't mess this up since the radio presets remained!). I performed this test in the morning, after the vehicle had sat untouched overnight. So the tech tells me that he is only getting 0.02A draw, which is 20mA. I ask him how he's measuring it and he says that he dropped the batteries and disconnected ONE negative terminal and has got his meter between the negative battery terminal and he clamp. I very gently remind him that there are two batteries in parallel, and that perhaps the other batt is now being drawn. No, he says, this is how they've always done it.

He tells me on the phone that Ford spec for parasitic draw is 50mA, but on my invoice thing he typed, he says spec is 0.5A, or 500mA. I didn't really know what to do, I didn't want to piss the guy off, and I'm quite confident that the guy knows more about this stuff than I do, but does his technique sound strange to anyone? I now wish I had just asked him to put his meter between the frame and common ground like I did.

I should specify I've got a 2008 E350 RB 6.0PSD with an Advanced 4x4 conversion.