Battery voltage drops to 5V with negative connected on a Ford Edge

65wgn440 said
What was the exact amperage draw amount (with key out of ignition, all doors closed, no accessories on, and waiting about 5 mins with amp meter in place) ?

My meter was set on the 10 amp setting, and I got .12 initially, then it slowly dropped to .06. So 120mA and ending at 60mA. That doesn't seem like a big draw to me, but what has me scratching my head is the voltage drop, not necessarily the amp draw.

Another strange thing is that my meter, when set to milliamps, would read zero. I only saw any sort of draw when set to 10 amps.

crj1968 said
I think on an Edge the PCM is involved with charging.....I have a BMW that has some sort of smart charging system, battery registering nonsense.... hold on.

Same type of situation...
Interesting, this dudes alternator also tested good but was bad. Maybe you can't test them properly without the PCM being involved. ??

Charging system issues

Thanks, I've read a little about this car and have seen that the PCM is a common problem, but I didn't realize it was part of the charging system -- I thought it had more to do with the transmission.

Frank Mopar said
correct. I guess I should have been more specific that the alt is the parasitic draw.

Thanks for the clarification, I understand now. I also didn't realize that an alternator or starter could draw current like that, but thinking about it now, makes sense.

Thanks for all of the good suggestions, I'll be trying them tomorrow morning when I get off work.