2003 Dodge Dakota battery draw over night

MICKEY3506

MEMBER
2003 DODGE DAKOTA
6 CYL
2WD
AUTOMATIC
840,000 MILES

Hello I have just had a car alarm put in and 2 days after that I go out and find my battery dead I jump it off and charge the battery but driving around and it worked fine all day after that next morning dead again
i took it back the the car alarm store and they can not find the problem
the draw they found is.350amps they said they disconnected the radio car alarm everything else and could not find it worked all day on it and we get there and bam no draw so no one knows whats going on
go out today and you know it dead again and now the windshield whipers and washer will not work I can boost the truck and it runs but now the wipers or not working and tomorrow the battery is going to be dead again
any idea's what this could be the car at the store says it could be a computer going out is this true?

Thank you

9 Replies

JAMES W.

MECHANIC
2,395 POSTS

I wouldn't be in a real hurry to blame the computer. If you had a performance problem, then maybe. But, apparently, when it starts it runs good. The wiper/washer issue I would suspect a fuse. On the battery drain, I would look at the "power control module". It is on the firewall by the wiper motor. This is the most common cause of battery drain in a dodge product. Hope this helps.

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Sunday, December 7th, 2008 AT 3:58 PM

JNOVACK

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723 POSTS

Try this test have alarm disconnected and see if you still have the draw if you don't then the probb;em is in the alarm system you realy don't need the alarm because you have a sentry key system it will only start with your key and no other as for the wipers check fuse no. 5 in juntion box also check relay in power distubution center under hood

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Sunday, December 7th, 2008 AT 4:01 PM

MICKEY3506

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5 POSTS

Fuse number 5 is good

my Truck for some reason dose not have a sentry key system I have a standard black key not a gray key my key is thin

how do I test this relay

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Sunday, December 7th, 2008 AT 4:15 PM

JNOVACK

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723 POSTS

Back probe the output from the relay with a vom meter, then turn on the key to see if you get output voltage.

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Monday, December 8th, 2008 AT 1:22 PM

MICKEY3506

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5 POSTS

It seems to only drain the battery if the car alarm is armed

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Tuesday, December 9th, 2008 AT 10:29 AM

JNOVACK

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Ok then there is something hooked up wrong on the alarm system or the black box has a short in it check all the wires for cuts or breaks you have a short somewere in the alarm system

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Tuesday, December 9th, 2008 AT 10:48 AM

MICKEY3506

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5 POSTS

We have taken it to another local company and they have said that the alarm/starter system was installed completely wrong and the

and the wipers was because the guy took my maxie fuse? Was told it was a fuse that control like 5 diffrent systems that if I would have had power windows I would have noticed they did not work either so I took that fuse out

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Thursday, December 11th, 2008 AT 11:46 AM

JNOVACK