98 Ranger battery drain issue

[i6pwr]

This 98 Ranger had a dead battery then after 3 days it was dead again. After some load tests it develops a .74A drain after the GEM goes to sleep. The .74A drain is in the radio harness in the light green/purple wire here.

What I also have is 3.8 VDC on the red/black wire here: I thought that wire should have 12V constant but not sure.

This wire I'm 99% sure comes from the bottom of the GEM (Generic Electronic Module). I cannot directly trace it visually, but the same red/black wire in that harness has 3.8 VDC.

I've heard of these modules going bad, but the radio is pulling this draw and not powered on, no lights on the radio when the draw is occurring.

With the radio harness disconnected the battery does not go dead.

I'm curious if anyone has had this battery drain issue and have the radio be the culprit and not the GEM. I opened the GEM and did not see any broken solder joints or leaking caps or any sign of visual damage.

 

[clinebarger]

The green/purple wire is the constant hot to the radio, The red/black circuit is hot only in the start position.

Pull fuse 28 & see if the "ghost voltage" is eliminated on the red/black circuit, Just to rule it out as a variable (I doubt it's an issue).....If you're still pulling a 740mA draw on the green/purple circuit.....I would suspect the radio.

 

[DemoFly]

You didn't mention it, but I assume you tested the relay on this circuit?

 

[i6pwr]

The battery saver relay clicks when fuse #26 is pulled, I assume that's the relay you are referring to? I haven't tested that relay but should have, I was hyper-focused on the radio I guess once I found the draw.

Forgot to mention, but I will need to double check during the day, but the green/purple wire did not have 12VDC when the key was off. I want to reconfirm that though.

 

[i6pwr]

To clarify, yes...the green/purple is hot with key off and the yellow black is hot in RUN as it should. Forgot to check the red/black, grrr...had to run a quick errand.