usfbull19

Hey guys. I have an 05 v6 vert and am having some electrical issues. First off, I have some sort of vampire in my electrical system. It will drain my battery every 30 days or so, requiring me to charge the thing with a trickle charger. And recently, I've had the fast blinker on my right side and I've noticed that the middle bulb was out when the turn signals were on. And today, I also noticed that the brake lights all the way across the right tail lamp assembly didn't work. But the lights work just fine with the lights on. Any suggestions as to what might be going on? Thanks in advance for your replies.

Whitehorse10

Has the alternator ever been replaced?

Nuke

First, search the forum regarding battery issues. The S197 is plagued with alternator and battery problems. The OE MotorCrap battery has a typical service life of 2-3 years in some of the more problematic cases. Also, the Shaker audio systems in the older models will quickly drain the battery if not shut off before turning off the ignition.

Electrical gremlins immediately bring to mind the TSB for the dreaded water leak, common to the 05-08's. It eventually corrodes the SJB connections. The TSB is in one of the stickies in the 2005-2011 main forum.

usfbull19

I have searched with no answer to my particular situation. I have never changed the alternator. I have brought it to the dealer previously and there isn't the water leak. No water under the mats or behind the kick panel on the passenger side. I thought it might have been the shaker system cause the amps had a bad alternator whine. So I disconnected the 2 amps by the driver side foot well and changed the head unit to a pioneer aftermarket unit. Any other suggestions guys.

usfbull19

Oh, the battery when I purchased the car was the oem but has since been replaced. It's slowly wearing down now. There was a lot of corrosion by the terminals and the battery leads needed to be replaced.

157dB

Do a amp draw test and start pulling fuses.
When the amp draw drops below 500 milliamps,
you have found the item causing the battery discrarge.
Easy Peasy.

Next problem...

The SJB is not under the carpet and can get
wet with no visable signes of water intrusion.
Open the SJB and inspect the circuit board
for any signs of water damage. Thats the only
wat to be sure about it being OK or not.
05s are the worst as the leak was not setected
and 'fixed' by the 'SJB water sheild'. The 06s and
lated S197s have as a 'band-aid' fix by Ford.

We can guess all day but until you inspect the SJB
and do the amperage draw finder test, its all just
internet guesses at best.

usfbull19

Thanks for the help guys. Any particular easy way to fix the sjb if there is an issue?

157dB

Get a new SJB and have Ford
reload the 'as built data' the
SJB you now have has in it.
$600-$1000.
Spencive leak, huh?
And its widespread accross the whole
S197 body style...

usfbull19

Yeah. the first dealer call quoted 300 for the box and 400 for labor. And I'd need to get the windshield resealed or I'd be doing it all over again.

Nuke

It's not the windshield that 's the location of the leak. Read the TSB,