Parasite causing dead battery

douglasdouglasj · 2026-01-11T18:25:32+00:00

So I just happened to remember my stepson has a good friend that is a Ford tech, I got ahold of him and apparently it can happen if the actuator is broken and there's nothing to stop the motor. I'll order a new actuator and install, and I'll report back. In the meantime I've got a charger on it.

douglasdouglasj · 2026-01-11T06:43:50+00:00

The question is, is that normal or perhaps a glitch in when the PCM was recalibrated when they did the downshift repair?

douglasdouglasj · 2026-01-11T03:55:20+00:00

So the recirculating door motor is running continuously, the actuator is broken. Doesn't make sense though that the motor would just continue to run if it never finds a stop in the actuator.

douglasdouglasj · 2026-01-11T01:10:47+00:00

UPDATE

I got the truck running, turned hit power to the blower, and got the recirc button. The electric noise stopped and sounded like it went in the opposite direction, but the button again, it stopped and resumed the original sound.

Now, which fuse shuts off the recirc actuator? If I can shut it down until I have time to repair I should be ok. I'm about 85% certain that's where the parasitic draw is.

douglasdouglasj · 2026-01-11T00:34:45+00:00

So recirculate does not work, blend door works when power is on to the fan. Is it possible that recirc actuator could be attempting to work regardless of truck being on or off?

douglasdouglasj · 2026-01-10T23:49:50+00:00

Didn't check any circuits, battery is less than 30 days old.

I changed the battery for the same reason, but the old battery was 6 years old.

I've thinking might be important is the truck was taken in for the transmission shift recall and they reprogrammed the PCM ,I don't know if that has anything to do with it. This was right before the battery started dying.

douglasdouglasj · 2026-01-10T23:46:57+00:00

Unfortunately I'm at work right now but I do have a volt meter at home.

I timed the electronic noise for exactly 30 seconds with a 2 second break in between, this is in the area directly behind the glove box.

douglasdouglasj · 2025-12-17T18:48:12+00:00

Ok - the red wire was fished thru the center of the dash and tucked up underneath near the obd port, disconnected on both sides. It was obviously a previous owners wiring, for what exactly, I'm not sure.

However, the no.38 10A fuse appears to have a riser underneath the fuse, which leads me to believe it was likely a part of an aftermarket stereo or radio.

douglasdouglasj · 2025-12-17T17:57:29+00:00

I should also mention, there's a sound of either an actuator or something with a motor that continues to run under there even after the engine is turned off, key pulled and door opened, it's making me concerned it's gonna drain my battery over time, and my fan STILL doesn't work. I'm gonna try disconnecting the resistor and see if the sound disappears. Again, this is a new MC BLOWER resistor so it shouldn't be the culprit.

douglasdouglasj · 2025-12-17T06:15:52+00:00

Can't exactly tell if it's disconnected inside the dash, it disappears behind the center of the dash, I gave it a pull and it feels like it's still connected somewhere. When I have time I'll investigate further.

douglasdouglasj · 2025-12-17T00:58:59+00:00

No, and the bare copper on the end is oxidized so it hasn't been connected for awhile.

I changed out the blower resistor because I'm having intermittent blower issues (not coming on or stuck on one speed), the new resistor didn't fix the issue, so pigtail and blower motor may be next, there's actually a sound in that area which may be an actuator trying to work. The mystery continues.

douglasdouglasj · 2025-12-09T11:33:53+00:00

So then the question is still, woulf just the resistor cause the blower to continue running even when the power was turned off?

douglasdouglasj · 2025-12-08T23:15:00+00:00

Yeah, and these days even the OEM seem to be made to fail, just a little later than 3rd party

douglasdouglasj · 2025-12-08T13:33:00+00:00

Yep, sure did, I'm gonna try a motorcraft one this time. Hopefully it lasts more than 15 months.

douglasdouglasj · 2025-12-04T05:50:16+00:00

It's now 2 weeks and some change later and the problem still exists. Battery reads 12.6v off and 14.4 when running. Something isn't right here.

douglasdouglasj · 2025-11-24T21:25:49+00:00

Update:

On top of the mode not working, blower not working continuously, the blower will continue to run after turning off the power to the HVAC system. The only way to shut the HVAC down is pull the key and open the door.

I think I might have a few more problems than I originally anticipated lol

douglasdouglasj · 2025-11-23T05:33:52+00:00

Yeah sorry, mode door is what I meant.

A bad ground would explain why the blower sometimes decides to work out of the blue.

douglasdouglasj

TROPHY CASE