Another parasitic drain post. Battery at 12.8 volts. Waited for GEM to time out. Draw is 3.34 on the multimeter (Fluke). Multimeter is in line with the negative cable. Pulled and checked every single fuse and relay: under the hood, side dash fuse panel and under dash relay panel (8 positions but only two relays). Still 3.3ish. Disconnected the add on AC inverter as well, just to be sure. Still 3.3ish. What next? Can the instrument cluster draw power without fuse/relay? What fuse/relay powers the instrument cluster? Can alternator diode be bad and test good? Should I disconnect the Positive cable from the alternator? I have been reading all the posts but I am stuck. Thanks in advance....

 

3.3AMPS is ALOT

Is it in mA, milliamps maybe
.3amps is 300mA
.03amps is 30mA

Yes, alternator wires are connected directly to the battery, so unplug the 3 wire connector, and the larger wire on the stub/nut terminal, but these are "live wires" so don't let then short to engine metal

 

I will take a pic of the meter with load. I disconnected the 3 wire plug on the alternator but no change. Will try carefully disconnecting Big Battery cable to alternator next.

 

Are you disconnecting a battery cable and putting AMP Meter in between cable a battery terminal, or is this a clamp on meter?

 

Thanks for the help RonD. Ok, additional steps: Disconnected Alternator Plug and Alternator Charging wire. Disconnected A/C Inverter power line from Starter Solenoid. Removed BSR. When I touch the Underhood Fuse Panel/Relay box power line to the starter solenoid, I get the draw. I have a wire under the battery ground cable clamp that runs thru my multimeter and back to the clamp. When I lift the clamp from the negative post, there is no break in contact. But at this point I think I am beyond GEM Timer issues. So the draw is coming thru the Underhood box. If I remove the 50 Amp I/P Fuse will that isolate the underhood relay box? What should I do next?


I think that is 3.3 Amps....

 

you need to move your positive lead to the 10a fused socket on the meter. the one its in is for volts and ohms.

 

Let me try that....

 

OK, tried that. Meter says .02, but, When I remove the negative terminal I hear the BSR relay click. When I put it back on it clicks again. I started it up. Started fine. Also, when I reconnect the negative terminal I get a little spark like there is a draw. Now if the GEM is active, what should my draw be BSR active? BSR inactive? I can't get the reading to change. It holds at .02.

 

most battery hook ups result in small spark. i would verify your meter doesn't have a blown fuse and go from there. i usually do this by reaching through an open window and opening glove box to turn on glove box light. most small lights draw around 3amps. if meter proves good then you dont have a draw as spec i use is 500ma or less. .5 amp or less. sometimes can take a few minutes for things to power down to achieve this.

 

The meter works in all other modes properly. Its a Fluke so I have high confidence in the meter. So I should leave the meter in line, negative cable disconnected and open the glove box to see if I get a change in draw. Is the Multimeter wire enough to power the light or will I just see a draw?

 

also just fyi your meter is inline with the battery. it is making the connection. all electronics are hooked to the battery when your meter is inline and the fuse is good. only difference is that the meter fuse will blow if current exceeds 10 amps. that is why it is important to make sure key is off and other key off accessories are turned off before connecting meter. also roll the windows down prior so you can reach inside. ie you should see the same spark when hooking up the meter as you do when you hook up the battery. turning on key will blow the fuse, turning on headlights will blow fuse. if it comes down to it you can remove fuse from meter and check continuity(ohms) of fuse with meter. Just don't forget to switch your leads depending on your intended use.

 

the meter only uses the fuse when checking amps. all other functions will work with a blown fuse. if your glove box light works when the battery is connected but not when the meter is hooked up between battery and disconnected terminal then the meter isnt making the connection ie blown fuse

 

So leave it in line. I have the door latch manually closed so I can reach in and open the glove box. When I activate the glove box lamp, I should see a draw increase correct?

 

the current the glove box light uses will be drawn through the meter and displayed and the bulb will light.

 

so if your meter is working youll see amperage go from .020 to 3.020 when you open the glove box and the light comes on. and change back to .020 when you close the glove box. if meter isnt working youll see no change, the bulb wont light, and all will act like battery is disconnected because it is. this is all considering the glove box light works normally when battery is hooked up.

 

OK, you were right about the Meter fuse. I did not know that the in line fuse could blow but the rest of the meter would still work. I grabbed another multimeter and found the circuit. Fuse #25 Gem/Speedo. I also disconnected the other two Gem fuses to see if they would make a difference but they didn't. Time for a speedometer repair?

 

time to disconnect individual components until the numbers get in line. what are the numbers curious? how long did you wait after meter hookup? the glove box test works w new meter?

 

.02 after fuse #25 removed. Do I need to go any further?

 

what is it before the fuse is removed? does the glove box test work? sorry to be repetitive but 90% of so called draw issues arent draw issues and i think on these trucks its usually the gem if anything. you'll want to disconnect the component to test if it is what's causing the draw ie remove cluster and see if numbers change before replacing.

 

Rangers expected current draw key off/BSR off, .03 to .06
.01 for computer memory
.01 for radio clock and memory
.01 for GEM
.03 for keyless entry and/or alarm

 

.20 before fuse removal. GEM was replaced a month ago in an attempt to fix it.....I can disconnect the GEM. Would that isolate the cluster if the draw remains? Or will that disable the cluster voltage as well?

 

Vehicle Application: 1996 Ranger 2.3
1997 Ranger 2.3
1996 Ranger 3.0
1997 Ranger 3.0
1996 Ranger 4.0
1997 Ranger 4.0
1996 B2300 2.3
1997 B2300 2.3
1996 B3000 3.0
1996 B4000 4.0
1997 B4000 4.0 Customer Concern: Has a 200 milliamp (mA) battery draw that was traced down to fuse 25 in the instrument fuse panel. Average Reported Mileage: 143500 Tests/Procedures: 1. Recheck after the vehicle has been shut off for 1 hour without being touched. After that time, it should be below 50 mA. Tech Tips: Most 1995 and newer Ford products have modules in them which will remain in "standby" mode for a period of time after the vehicle is shut off. While in this mode, they will draw current which is excessive by established standards for normal current drain. However, after no longer than 1 hour of inactivity (no change in state of door switches, door handle switches, hood switch, trunk/tailgate switch, ignition switch or key-in-ignition switch), they should go to sleep, and total current draw should be less than 50 mA. Author: Paul Mensink Potential Causes

With Service Manual diagrams, components, TSBs, and R&R procedures
Normal Condition
Confirmed Fix Summary

Confirmed Fix

With Service Manual diagrams, components, TSBs, and R&R procedures
2 - Replaced Generic Electronic Module (GEM)
1 - Repaired Alternator Wiring
1 - Replaced Airbag Diagnostic Monitor
1 - Replaced Powertrain Control Module (PCM)
1 - Replaced Battery
1 - Disconnected Radio
Tech
Reported Fix Details
Confirmed Fix 1 Agrimotive
March 16, 2017 1995 Ford Ranger, XLT 3.0L, V6, VIN U, 12V, OHV, USA *
Generic Electronic Module (GEM) Replaced Generic Electronic Module (GEM) 2 Kingstonauto3
June 30, 2015 1999 Ford Ranger, XLT 4.0L, V6, Gas, Asp N, VIN X, 12V, OHV, FI, USA *
Generic Electronic Module (GEM) Replaced Generic Electronic Module (GEM)
1 Ryan Pain
June 5, 2015 1996 Ford Ranger, Splash 4.0L, V6, VIN X, 12V, OHV, USA *
Airbag Diagnostic Monitor
81,000 miles Replaced Airbag Diagnostic Monitor
1 GEORGESAE2
April 18, 2016 1999 Ford Ranger, XL 3.0L, V6, Gas, Asp N, VIN U, 12V, OHV, FI, USA *
Alternator Wiring
- someone wired pigtail to alternator regulator wrong Repaired Alternator Wiring
1 Captain2
January 8, 2014 1996 Mazda B4000, SE 4.0L, V6, VIN X, 12V, OHV, USA *
Battery
- Battery Replaced Battery
1 Norman Smith
August 9, 2013 1997 Ford Ranger, Sport 2.3L, L4, VIN A, 8V, SOHC, Fuel Sys EFI, USA *
Powertrain Control Module (PCM) Replaced Powertrain Control Module (PCM)
1 Howard Frum
March 5, 2013 1996 Ford Ranger, XLT 2.3L, L4, VIN A, 8V, SOHC, Fuel Sys EFI, USA *
Radio
- I found a bad radio. I just took the fuse out since the vehicle was not worth a radio.
Radio
- I found a bad radio. I just took the fuse out since the vehicle was not worth a radio.
206,000 miles Disconnected Radio
1 David McGinnis
September 9, 2019 1995 Ford Ranger, XLT 2.3L, L4, VIN A, 8V, SOHC, Fuel Sys EFI, USA *
Tech Tip
- Found cassette still in radio. Removed cassette and draw went away. Confirmed Fix Details

 

sounds like my specs are high but i think the 1 hour thing is interesting. take this info with a grain of salt sometimes good sometimes bad

 

OK, I will do the timer check again......

 

with the meter connected for the entire time ie hook meter up, walk away for an hour and recheck.