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2009 Escape - Parasitic Drain
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Grizzletor
New User
Jun 5, 2022, 6:34 PM
Post #1 of 8
(887 views)
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2009 Escape - Parasitic Drain
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I have a substantial parasitic drain on a couple different fuses on my 2009 Ford Escape, 3.0L. The offenders are:
5 10A (1) Keep Alive Power (PCM); EVAP Canister Vent Control Solenoid, PCM Power Relay ~5 A
26 10A Keypad Illumination, Brake Shift Interlock, SJB ~0.2 A
5 10A Instrument Cluster (IC) ~0.7 A
I replaced the evap coil since it was cheap enough and I was also getting a P144A code shortly before noticing the drain.
I unplugged the passenger side cable to the pcm and the draw went to negligible with the interior fuses still removed. I removed the PCM from the firewall and the casing still seemed sealed but there was a significant amount of corrosion.
My questions are:
Is it likely that the PCM is the issue or could it be something downstream?
Would a bad PCM explain the current draw on the other two fuses?
How reasonable is it to replace? Seems easy but is it just a swap and reprogram of the key?
Seems preowned modules are $150-$250 on ebay and you send them your VIN to flash. Since this is a much more money to me I wanted to know if this is legitimate?
Thank you so much!
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Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Jun 5, 2022, 7:36 PM
Post #2 of 8
(882 views)
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Re: 2009 Escape - Parasitic Drain
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I think your testing is faulty. You are not giving the timers enough time to expire.
Some timers can take up to 30 minutes to expire. You also have to rig the door switches to remain closed with the door open. Also when you remove some fuses it causes the timers to reset and you have to wait all over again.
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We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.
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Grizzletor
New User
Jun 6, 2022, 3:09 PM
Post #3 of 8
(848 views)
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Re: 2009 Escape - Parasitic Drain
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Thank you for the tip!
I left it running for a while but I guess not long enough and it did seem to make the cabin fuses peter out. I heard some vanes or something engage/disengage in the first few minutes that corresponded with an amperage draw but it only happened around 3 times.
Looks like the only affected fuse is the PCM circuit that is running around 4.5A.
I tried disconnecting any visible wire harnesses and it didn't it didn't affect the current draw.
I also had a strange throttle wobble coming out of the driveway of work and I have noticed it before where acceleration has been unresponsive while the engine is cold. Letting off the pedal and reapplying seemed to right itself. Seems like that may be relevant.
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Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Jun 6, 2022, 3:27 PM
Post #4 of 8
(846 views)
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Re: 2009 Escape - Parasitic Drain
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Sure you are going to see throttle issues if you keep disconnecting the PCM. It has to relearn the strategy every time you do that.
That isn't a parasitic draw. That's something large still on.
Here is the procedure you need to follow.
You will need a digital ammeter and a jumper wire with clips on the ends to do this.
First rig any door switches so you can have a door open without triggering the interior lights and unplug the hood light. Remove one battery cable and attach the meter in series between the battery cable and battery post. Take the jumper wire and also attach it the same way. Leave the jumper wire on for at least 30 to 40 minutes to expire all the automatic timers. Now remove the jumper wire and read the meter. Anything over 50ma is too much draw. The way you locate this is to start removing fuses one at a time until the meter drops to normal level. This will be the circuit with something staying on. Determine what components are part of that circuit and check them individually until the problem is isolated.
Note that the act of pulling fuses will often restart some timers so you may have to wait for them to expire if that happens
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We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.
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Grizzletor
New User
Jun 6, 2022, 4:09 PM
Post #5 of 8
(843 views)
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Re: 2009 Escape - Parasitic Drain
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I was remarking that I was experiencing strange very occasional throttle issues even before the parasitic draw issue. Not sure if its related or not, I just thought it might be another symptom of a failing PCM. More of a mechanical guy so electronics aren't my thing :)
And I did exactly what you described except that I just left the ammeter on for the full 40 minutes. After the 40 minutes, the only fuse that affected it was Engine #5 10A (1) Keep Alive Power (PCM); EVAP Canister Vent Control Solenoid, PCM Power Relay which was pulling the 4.5 A. It was the only fuse I pulled because that is what did it before.
I also tried swapping the PCM relay with one adjacent and that didn't help.
(This post was edited by Grizzletor on Jun 6, 2022, 4:37 PM)
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Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Jun 6, 2022, 4:39 PM
Post #6 of 8
(837 views)
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Re: 2009 Escape - Parasitic Drain
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Does the draw go away if you pull the PCM Power relay
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We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.
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Grizzletor
New User
Jun 7, 2022, 3:31 PM
Post #7 of 8
(818 views)
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Re: 2009 Escape - Parasitic Drain
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No, removing the relay does not influence the drain.
Interestingly, I installed a breaker switch on the negative terminal and retested. The 5 amp PWM drain was not there initially.
My ammeter died but when I woke it back up something cycled.
I believe it was the throttle body. This seemed to wake up the PCM circuit and started to pull 5A again. Disconnecting the throttle body the drain was still there.
I reattached the circuit with the throttle body disconnected, no drain at first, then 5A after a few minutes.
Throttle body does cycle every time it gets initial power if its connected during power. Then maybe 3 more times, 30-60 seconds apart (not normal?). Current spikes to ~8-16A during cycling but 5A is persistent.
My theory is the throttle isn't closing all the way and the PCM is staying awake to tell it to close? And it never really shuts off?
Throttle body replacement seems fairly inexpensive and straight forward. Seems like I could just do it?
Thanks!
(This post was edited by Grizzletor on Jun 7, 2022, 3:33 PM)
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Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Jun 7, 2022, 3:42 PM
Post #8 of 8
(815 views)
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Re: 2009 Escape - Parasitic Drain
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I think you are wasting more money on replacing the throttle body.
My educated guess would be a problem in the smart junction box. That fuse feeds 3 modules internal to the smart junction box.
You might want to try a used fuse box before spending any money. They have a pretty high failure rate.
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We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.
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