95 Lincoln Town Car drains battery of all power in just 20-30 miles driving. First airbag light comes on, then ABS light, then air conditioner goes out, digital dash goes dark, and headlights dim. Alternator light never comes on. What could be causing such a massive drain of battery?
We replaced battery first time it died. Got an 84 month with lots of CCAmps. Have recharged battery to fully charged. We drove 20-30 miles had same problem as outlined above. Back on charge again last night. Suggestions for what next.
Have you had the alternator tested? Have it tested in the vehicle with a full load on it.
A couple of our resident techs posted a way to test for these types of drains but I can’t remember what it was. (surprise, surprise)
Took car to Pepboys for electrical check. They said battery and alternator were fine. (I did not watch what they actually did.) Told us the negative cable was loose on battery terminal (duh my husband trickle-charged it). We drove off and after 25-30 miles had same problem as outlined above.
Could this recall problem with airbags be the culprit? Recall Date: 02/24/1995
Summary:
THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG HAS AN INFLATOR BODY THAT CRACKED DURING FORMING OF THE CURL THAT RETAINS THE IGNITER PLUG IN THE END OF THE INFLATOR. ALSO THE IGNITER END CAP CAN SEPARATE FROM THE INFLATOR.
Consequence:
THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG MAY NOT INFLATE PROPERLY RESULTING IN REDUCED OCCUPANT PROTECTION IN A VEHICLE ACCIDENT. IF THE IGNITER END CAP SEPARATES IN A FRONTAL COLLISION, HOT GASES CAN BE RELEASED AND IGNITE FLAMMABLE MATERIAL OR CAUSE BURN INJURIES.
Remedy:
DEALERS WILL REMOVE AND REPLACE THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG MODULE.
Did that recall affect your vehicle? Were you sent a notice to take it in for the fix?
From your description and the fact that the store said the charging system is ok I suspect that the problem is due to a bad connection in the main power buss. This is after the charging system. It sounds like a connection is heating up after time and the power is being blocked due to high resistance in the power buss line. Check the main panel under the hood and look for signs of heat damage to the wiring. The problem may also be with a power relay or the ignition switch connections so they should be checked if you don’t see any problem at the power distribution panel.
This recall concern wouldn’t cause the type of problem you are having. The warning light is coming on because full power is not getting to the system and it could cause the airbag system to possibly fail if it was needed.
We bought this car used. Did not know about this recall and did not ask the owner. How would we find out if it was one of the affected?