trojanman

Three times in the last week I've had to jump-start Cougar, the most recent being this morning after a jump last night as well. She bled all her electrical juice overnight... I couldn't even unlock her with the keyfob this morning. After her jump last night I went for a brisk drive and then came home, shut her down, and restarted her right away, no problem. The clock read around 4:00 when I got to her this morning so the battery ran dry in about 6 hours.

After some investigation this morning, I'm hearing a slight whir/buzz behind the dash in the area of the climate control unit even after I've turned the ignition off and pulled the key. I went to the fuse box and pulled the 25A "blower inside compartment" fuse (Fuse No. 1) and the whirring/buzzing stopped.

It seems to me that the blower is still running somehow, even after the ignition is turned off. Problem with keeping the fuse pulled is that the fan won't work without it (no AC).

Anyone know why this might be or what I should check?

TIA

MarkD

The little fan (I think) you are hearing in the back of the CCU can operate for up to twenty minutes after the ignition is turned off. If it runs longer, then maybe a CCU issue causing the drain.

Battery problem or alternator problem?
I assume it still starts after sitting for short periods, just dies overnight.
Not sure how long the drives you make are...

If you have a voltmeter, you can do a basic test of the alternator by checking voltage at the battery with car running. You should see 13+ volts.

Has any other work been done recently?

mhm993

yeah, the fans spin for a while. Check the voltage at the terminals with the car running, and then take your battery to the local pep boys and get it load tested.

trojanman

Thanks guys... alternator is new and the battery seems to charge well even after being fully drained.

The other thing that makes me think it's a "gremlin" of some kind is that I've come to my car several times in the morning to find my radio on (it wasn't when I turned the car off the night before).

Only recent work was an oil change last week... can't imagine that could've caused any of this, but who knows.

Keep the advice coming... much appreciated.

quasr

Could also be the front boot light switch not turning off the bulb when the boot is closed. Same could go for the light in the engine compartment. Happy hunting!