2004.5 2500 with parasitic draw

[Cmpns8n]

New to TDR, I apologize for the long first post, but I'm was a Powerstroke guy and am new to owning a Cummins. Thanks in advance for any help you can give me.
Bought this truck from a dealer who assured me it was in good condition, turned out to be totally full of s__t. Found out by tracking down the previous owner that the truck was a former oil field rig that he bought as a project but traded in before finishing. Truck only has 122k on it, but uses approx a quart of oil every 500 mi, has a tremendous amount of blowby from the tube and oil cap (enough that it completely coats the underside of the truck and drips everywhere) and now seems to have some electrical issues appearing. Truck has manual windows, mirrors, trans, transfercase, no rear defrost. The truck appears to have had a flatbed on it at one point because they just cut off the wiring to the rear end and hacked in a terminal block to rewire the stock lights when the put a stock bed back on, license lights are missing, 7-way was just cut out.
I drove it nearly every day when I brought it home, but after leaving it sit from approx 5 days, the batts were so dead the dome wouldnt even come on. Reconditioned and charged the batts, thinking it was an issue with the ignition lock cylinder leaving an accessory on. Changed it out and same thing happened two days later.
I have attempted to hunt down the draw by looking for voltage drop across fuses (doors closed and truck left off for a couple of hours) but cant seem to find anything. Does the pass side battery need to be isolated or should I put the meter in line on that side? I have pulled the IOD fuse to let it sit for a couple of days and see if that isolates it. Ive heard that the Front Control Module and Fuse Block get corroded, but before I start throwing money at the truck I wanted to hear from you guys.

 

[Wayne M.]

Well, welcome to the TDR.

I would start by getting wiring diagrams for everything, especially the back, and put everything in order. Make sure the trailer power line is not feeding anything it shouldn’t among other things. Start with the basics and get everything not OEM back the way it should be. I forget, but IIRC both batteries are feeding different circuits of the truck- again- get a factory diagram. Yes, harness problems and corrosion are issues, but I would make those checks after everything is made right.
Regarding the engine? Sounds like it needs a go through. Perhaps cracked rings or worse?

 

[Cmpns8n]

Thanks for the reply. Regarding getting it all back to stock, that is the plan, my last truck was a hot rod and I have no interest in dealing with that again. Clean and stock is what I want. Is it possible to replace the entire rear lighting/wiring harness for this truck? I have been hunting around on ebay but havent seen anything for an 04 chassis harness or similar.
Engine internals are almost certainly shot. Truck pulls fine, idles and runs okay (much quieter than my old 7.3), does smoke blue for quite a while until warm, has some haze and leaves noticeable black soot on rear quarter.

 

[Wayne M.]

I reccomend to do some catching up on the HPCR fuel system and injectors, and what can go wrong with that. It’s a big departure from the HEUI you’ve been dealing with. Provided the injectors don’t dump on you, and you don’t lean too much on it, the engine will hang in there till you’re ready to address it.
Start looking in salvage yards (on Craig’s maybe?)for the rear harness. Be aware of the options you have and try find a donor.

 

[Cmpns8n]

I have been reading up on the system a little bit and have a couple of friends with a good diesel shop who can help me with things on that end. I'm babying the truck as much as I can till I have the funds to tear it down. I wasnt looking for another project, but now I bought what has turned out to be a project and can't afford to sink more money into it on top of a payment.
I'll look for a salvage harness in the mean time. Thanks again.

 

[Cmpns8n]

Little update: checked for voltage drop across ALL fuses, none found. Hooked up the multimeter in line (I dont have an inductive clamp) waited 40 min for everything to go to sleep, had a steady 210mA draw. Pulled all fuses while watching the meter, no change except for 50A tail light fuse, which dropped it to 180mA for about a second and then popped right 210mA. Couldnt get the drop to repeat when trying again, drain stayed there the whole time. The only thing that seemed weird is that the Trailer Battery fuse is always hot, no matter what, but fuse was pulled before this test. So am I right in thinking that there must be a short inside the PDC? I dont want to buy a $600 part only to find out it's something else. Any thoughts would be really appreciated, I'm not really sure where to go from here.

 

[Ozymandias]

On mine it was the electric part of the ignition switch that made the draw.
Try your measurements with that connector pulled, it is to the left side of the steering column.

The second time it was the Alternator that had an internal fault and made a draw.
Disconnect that also and measure again.

 

[Cmpns8n]

On mine it was the electric part of the ignition switch that made the draw.
Try your measurements with that connector pulled, it is to the left side of the steering column.

The second time it was the Alternator that had an internal fault and made a draw.
Disconnect that also and measure again.

Ignition switch has been replaced, but I’ll check again. I forgot to mention, I also tested it with the alternator disconnected, no change.

 

[sag2]

Sometimes I have had to pull all the fuses. So take a couple photos of the fuse locations, then pull all the fuses leaving them out. Wait for a couple seconds between fuses.

 

[Regcabguy]

A friend isolated his draw. The glovebox light was not shutting off. Sitting for a week drained the batteries. Pulled the bulb for a want to be fix.

 

[Burninfuel]

Going thru this on 2019 2500, Battery dead after bringing it home.
Replaced battery and it happened again and again.
Constantly at the dealers and they can't find the problem.
Less that 1000 miles on the clock

 

[sfritts]

I had the same problem. I found that the under hood light was the problem. It would come back on after the truck was shut off with the hood shut I found that the light sometimes come on in the middle of the night and other times but you wouldn't notice it unless it was dark and you would see the light coming out from under the hood.

 

[3rdGenGuy]

Bus fuses 11 &13, 30 amp, FCM power. Gives about 7.94 volts to the frame also. Corroded circuit board in the ICM in our 3rd Gens. It’s a repair or replace, or run new circuit to affected system and hope for the best. I still can’t get that 7.94 short to ground fixed in my truck by bypassing any systems and wiring new. Problem with 3rd Gens, and new ICM and ECM are on my list. Go Dorman for the ICM.