Hello all. I'm new to this group.
I own a 98 Ranger Splash short cab 4-cylinder RWD 5-speed with 250,000 miles on it.
Came out one morning and the battery was stone dead. It was 8 years old and I replaced it.
Checked before reconnecting it and there was a 4 amp current drain with the key out.
Disconnected the fuse to the alternator and the drain stopped, so I replaced the alternator.
The 4 amp drain is still there. Removing fuse 15 to the instrument panel brought the drain from
4 amps down to 130 mA. Put the fuse back in and smacked the dashboard (not too hard) and the
drain dropped from 4 to .13 amps again. The question is now is this short in the wiring or the
instrument panel itself.
I removed the instrument panel and the drain went back to 130mA. I reconnected the instrument
panel with it hanging out and it stayed at 130mA. I hate intermittent electrical faults.
The instrument panel shows surface corrosion but I've seen worse. No hot spots. All of the gauges
and indicator lights are working.
I'm Ok with installing a battery cutoff with a remote, as I don't care about the clock and radio tuning.
2 questions:
Can I trust this instrument panel even if I find the drain?
Is a 130mA current drain normal when everything is shut off? It seems high to me.
Many thanks.
I own a 98 Ranger Splash short cab 4-cylinder RWD 5-speed with 250,000 miles on it.
Came out one morning and the battery was stone dead. It was 8 years old and I replaced it.
Checked before reconnecting it and there was a 4 amp current drain with the key out.
Disconnected the fuse to the alternator and the drain stopped, so I replaced the alternator.
The 4 amp drain is still there. Removing fuse 15 to the instrument panel brought the drain from
4 amps down to 130 mA. Put the fuse back in and smacked the dashboard (not too hard) and the
drain dropped from 4 to .13 amps again. The question is now is this short in the wiring or the
instrument panel itself.
I removed the instrument panel and the drain went back to 130mA. I reconnected the instrument
panel with it hanging out and it stayed at 130mA. I hate intermittent electrical faults.
The instrument panel shows surface corrosion but I've seen worse. No hot spots. All of the gauges
and indicator lights are working.
I'm Ok with installing a battery cutoff with a remote, as I don't care about the clock and radio tuning.
2 questions:
Can I trust this instrument panel even if I find the drain?
Is a 130mA current drain normal when everything is shut off? It seems high to me.
Many thanks.