short in electrical system

[nicks]

thanks for the the follow up seafish and everyone else, I'm freaking slammed at work along trying to squeeze the time in to get to the bottom of this electrical dilemma. I will be testing the amp draw later ( with a cheap H.F. multi meter, one of those $5 units only goes to 10 amps ...will see what happens) ...my good fluke meter is down, will keep you all posted

 

[PWong]

will be testing the amp draw later ( with a cheap H.F. multi meter, one of those $5 units only goes to 10 amps ...will see what happens)

The actual amps reading is not important as far as it's higher than the max normal reading ( milliamps). If you are not sure the 10 amps range is enough you can add a variable resistor in series with the meter and start at max resistance. The dial down the resistance to see how high the reading can go.
The higher than normal meter reading will tell whether there is a draw or no draw.
The $5 unit should be fine to handle the job.

 

[nicks]

quick update.... will be getting to the amp test tonight ( owning your own business has a lot of ups, but the down side is quite challenging when your under staffed ) all is good I'm very blessed to be as busy as we are. I'll make sure I post the results. OK by the way I tested the heater grid solenoid/relay and it test's out OK

 

[nicks]

OK, guy's here is the skinny. Only have the Aux. battery in the truck now being I have the D/S battery try out. The H.F. multi meter looks like it did the job current draw is 3.6 amps, but after approx. 3-5 min it slowly reduces down the .01 amps ??? If I disconnect the battery cables for 5 min. and reconnect them it's back up to the 3.6 amp draw and the process repeats it's self. After pulling ALL the fuses it looks like the culprit is Fuse # 11 20 amp when I pull it the draw goes from 3.6 to .95 this circuit labeled as follows IOD -CCN/Radio/underhood LMP/WCM/SDARS/HFM. I know what some of these abbreviations mean but I'm not sure about the WCM,SDARS,HFM. I have had the under hood light disconnected for quite awhile so I can rule that one out....please advise

 

[Prairie Dog]

The 3.X amps is normal until the puter goes to sleep.

 

[seafish]

IOD stands for ignition off draw...it supplies the components of y our truck that need some power while it is not running. Like the radio station memory etc.

That being said, after the computer goes to sleep it should drop to milliamps... IMO, .95 amps is till fairly high for an IOD draw so something is still on. Have you checked if your glovebox light is on even though the door is closed...the switch can go bad and leave the light on.

 

[nicks]

3.6 amps is normal until the computer goes to sleep,seems a bit high, than it drops down to .01 amps which is nothing. Can anyone tell me what the other components of that fuse # 11 are =CCN/Radio/underhood LMP/WCM/SDARS/HFM ? thanks

 

[nicks]

Hay guy's,another quick update...hooked everything back up, tried my spare key( thought it may be a weak battery in the key fob ) now NOTHING WHEN I TURN THE KEY ????? Checked the wiring harness going to the A/T and it checks out OK. Man I'm running out of options and may have to eat crow and bring it to a shop which I really don't want to

 

[nicks]

OK, truck is cranking over now ( ECM prob. needed time to reset ) but no start . Looks like it's a NO fuel situation now. Does anyone know the correct way to check if the fuel pump is getting power threw the TIPM ?

 

[Blu-meanie]

Make sure all the fuses you pulled are seated

 

[K5IP]

All of this makes no sense. You say the draw goes to 10ma after the initial surge. This is normal and indicates that you do not have any short.
Thy monitoring the battery terminal voltage while someone else is starting the truck. If your not maintaining 11 vdc under starter load you still have a battery problem. If the voltage holds up, look for a battery cable problem

 

[nicks]

Roger on that, all fuses are seated. There is no fuel coming out of the engine fuel filter upon cranking, have to test the fuel pump first, can't get the freaking connected off the top of the module so I'll just drop the tank and replace the complete fuel module assy ( have 192 K miles) fuel pump is prob. at the end of it's life span any way .Can get the OEM complete module from Autozone for $150 delivered to my door ...it's worth

 

[K5IP]

Nicks, If your truck is like my 03, You might try cranking the engine for one or two seconds, then back the key off to the run position and the fuel pump should run for about 30 seconds. I do this every time I change filters. You should be able to hear the pump run during those 30 seconds. Maybe a longer time will help prime it.

 

[Prairie Dog]

Nicks, If your truck is like my 03, You might try cranking the engine for one or two seconds, then back the key off to the run position and the fuel pump should run for about 30 seconds. I do this every time I change filters. You should be able to hear the pump run during those 30 seconds. Maybe a longer time will help prime it.

If you get a later S/W upgrade, it will run constantly.
Comes in handy when doing a filter change!