Battery Drain - Wiper Circuit?

[rugguy]

I have a 2005 Ram 1500 SLT 4.7 Magnum V8 with 248k. The battery completely discharges when sitting for a week. When I jump the truck off, the windshield wipers make three swipes and then stop, even though the wipers were turned off. Here is what I have:

One year old Die Hard Gold 880CCA.
Fully charged and professionally tested.
When ignition off/ not running battery voltage 12.8v - 13.0v
When ignition on and running voltage at cables 14.3v - 14.7v
Battery Gauge shows on the + side when engine running.
Pulled windshield wiper fuse (#8/30amp) and tested the empty slot terminals for current with motor and ignition off.
Volt meter read 12.7v with the fuse out. Read again and meter read 2.8v at V200m.

Questions:

1.) Should there be any current flowing through the circuit with the ignition off for the windshield wiper motor? I don't think so but I am no expert.
2.) If the battery is being drained by this, what would I need to do to fix this? Hopefully just a bad wiper control on the turn signal stalk.

Disclaimer. I have been wrenching on cars, trucks and motorcycles for 50+ years. But I have almost zero knowledge or successful experience chasing electrical gremlins.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[tron67j]

First thought, unless wipers are actually moving the problem isn't necessarily that area but to do the simplest test take fuse out which removes the switch and motor from the equation and if battery does not die, you have narrowed the problem. I haven't looked at the wiring diagram for the 4.7 but would think the power moves from fuse to switch and then it is the switch making contact that sends the power on to the wiper motor. Are you original owner? Wondering if power for an accessory was tied into a circuit somewhere and that is causing problem. Also, with age of system it is possible that there is a loose wire somewhere or a co tact point like a switch is bad. Check all your grounds and major hot leads, clean all contacts and check for losses connectors and such.

When you say professional testing, was that on a load test where the system is put under maximum strain? Just want to be certain.

 

[rugguy]

Thanks for the reply.
Not the original owner.
I did take the fuse out as you suggested to see if battery holds charge.
Battery not load tested. Tested by Advance Auto technician.
When the battery would die, as soon as I hooked up jumper cables, the windshield wipers would cycle three times and then stop, even though the ignition was off.

In my highly-uneducated opinion, there shouldn't be current at the fuse when both the wipers and the ignition off. Just doesn't make sense.

I'll let you know what I find out.

Thanks again.

 

[Smokeybear01]

I have no idea why your battery is draining, but just going to throw this out there. When the wiper motor contacts corroded, my wipers would cycle when I used the remote to unlock my truck. If I grabbed the wipers to pull them away when cleaning the windshield with the truck off and locked, they would cycle and pull out of my hand as if not wanting to be touched. Where I'm going with this is, the wipers cycling when you throw on jumpers may not necessarily have anything to do with the wipers and your phantom drain. Good luck,

 

[Daw14]

My old 2004 would swipe the wipers three times. This started the first week of ownership.

I could look out my window at the truck and suddenly the wipers would cycle , truck sitting for two days prior.

It would do it while I was r driving ,out of nowhere,three swipes.

I did not go to the dealer because of non repeatable issues.
And they most likely would have efd something else up.

Anyhow this truck did this until I traded it at 10 years old, new 2014 has not displayed this condition in the 10 years I’ve owned it.

 

[rugguy]

I fully charged the battery I pulled the WW 30a fuse and have had zero battery drain. I am going to put the fuse back in, let the truck sit for a few days and see what happens.

 

[InsaneKitty]

Rain sensor triggering? just a random thought

 

[TradesmanGuy]

Can you find and disconnect the wipers from the circuit? I would not expect any voltage to be accross the fuse tabs with the wipers off.

 

[Smokeybear01]

Rain sensor triggering? just a random thought

Not in a 2004.

 

[RamDiver]

I fully charged the battery I pulled the WW 30a fuse and have had zero battery drain. I am going to put the fuse back in, let the truck sit for a few days and see what happens.

I don't have much patience for waiting or playing guessing games while troubleshooting electrical gremlins.

These things are pretty cheap on Amazon.





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