I just bought this 2004 Crossfire for my daughter, it has 110,000 miles, seemed to run great for a few days. Suddenly she called me with a dead battery, (the seller told me he just replaced the battery, so that should have been a clue). Replaced the battery, same thing the next morning. Put another battery in it, drove it around, checked the alternator, was putting out 14 volts. Parked the car in the garage noticed there was air still barely coming out of the a/c vents even though the air and the car was off. So, I replaced the blower motor resistor, and fixed that problem, even though the fan switch choices are still very erratic. Fast forward two days later, dead battery again, but NOT the blower motor again. So I disconnected the negative battery cable, used multimeter and found a 6 amp draw, so with the multimeter still in place, I started pulling fuses to see which one would cause the draw to go away. All had no effect except # 35, which is "Radio frequency remote control, hazard warning flasher, instrument cluster, climate control". So I thought I found the problem, so I removed the fuse, connected the negative battery cable, and tried to start the car, and it turned over about 4 times, and then nothing, it stopped trying to start. So I put the fuse back in, and now, the car will turn over, but will not start. I can smell the fuel, so it acts like its not getting any spark. I cant imagine I fried anything because the negative battery cable was not connected to the battery, and the only thing connection was through the multimeter. The only thing electrical I did was pull a fuse and then put it back in. Hopefully someone can tell me what I did, or where I can look to fix this problem.. Thank you in advance....

 

I have two suspects, the alarm siren under the cowl in front of the windshield and the RCM. The batteries in the siren leak and short out and the relays in the RCM go bad eventually. Use the search feature at the r/h top of this page.

 

I agree with zeracer. The most common battery drain on these cars is the alarm siren. The non start issue could be the Relay Control Module (RCM).
I will put a few links to posts I did with pictures and explanations. Hopefully this will be helpful. You can get a new RCM from amazon for about $126.00. The model number is in the last link.

Alarm Siren replacement and drain cleaning 1

Alarm Siren replacement and drain cleaning 2

RCM replacement

 

The weird part is, until I pulled and replaced every fuse in the fuse box, I didnt have a problem with the car starting and running. When I found the parasitic drain fuse, I left it out, hooked the negative cable again, and tried to start the car. The engine turned over a few time and then nothing. It wasnt a slow turn over like a dead battery, it was trying to start for a few revolutions and then it just stopped turning over. So I disconnected the negative cable again, put the # 35 fuse back in place, and it turns over, but just wont start. It acts like its not getting spark. I could smell fuel, so I know its not a fuel issue. Will messing with the fuses, affect the RCM. Will it mess with the Skreem? I had no issues prior to this other than the parasitic battery drain.

 

Did you connect the negative cable first or last? A power surge can effect the electricals.

 

Don't understand the question. I had the negative cable off, used the multimeter between the battery and the negative cable end, so the draw was going through the multimeter. Once I found that pulling the # 35 fuse reduced the draw, I pulled the fuse, connected the negative battery cable, and tried to start the car, which is when it turned over 3 or 4 times, then nothing. So I disconnected the negative cable again, replaced the # 35 fuse, then reconnected the negative battery cable, then tried to start the car and it turns over, but doesnt start, like its not getting any spark, because I can smell fuel, but wont start.

 

When you pulled fuse #11 it may have broken. This happened to me with the #9 fuse when I pulled it out. Try using an ohm meter on it and see if the fuse is good.

 

Thanks, I will try that today

 

You say you smell fuel so I'm guessing the fuel pump relay is ok.
Check the rest of the RCM operation like this.
Do the 2 remain closed?

 

FYI, I ordered all new fuses thinking that some of these fuses were bad, because they seemed brittle anyway, along with not real good results with the test light, thinking I will just replace all the fuses and start from scratch. SO, I go to the fuse box to start changing them out, and low and behold, I inadvertently left the # 11 fuse out, aka "ignition coils".... Popped one in there, car started right up..... Now, I just have to narrow down where the draw is coming from. I just received an new RCM today and will be installing that tomorrow. Thanks for the help, sorry about my stupidity........ While I am here, any ideas on how to fix a drooping headliner? Went to start it up today and the headliner was all in my hair.

 

There are threads on the forum on how to replace the headliner yourself or you can take it to a shop. There is also a Youtube step by step.
Most questions and answers can be found on the forum. Had battery drain on both of my Crossfires and both times it was the siren that is located under the windshield cowl. Use a a gear puller to remove the windshield wipers (mark it with a NON PERMANENT marker so you know where to align them back to). Then just undo the screws of the cowl, and remove the two clips, fold the cowl up. The siren sits in the middle of the and is held in by only one screw. There is a new version of that siren I purchased that actually beeps when you lock/unlock that car. Love that as I was never sure if the car unlocked due no sound and can't see the lights flash by daylight. Quick job to replace. While you are there, make sure the 4 (I think) drain holes under the cowl are free of debris. Pour some peroxide down there and flush it with water till it runs out of the drains below your car. Those drains, if blocked will let water run down your A/C compressor causing it to get damaged and the flood the passenger side floorboard and what is underneath there. NOT fun.
If you got the cowl off, might as well do that maintenance.

If you don't care about the sire, just disconnect it and take it out. That stops the battery drain, too. I like to have my alarm but to each its own. Let us know how it goes.

 

Nickwe21 is right the most common draw is the alarm, if you have the original radio that's also a common one.
You can pull the number 9 fuse (See the chart I posted above) and see if that stops the draw.
If you need a step by step guide on how to remove the alarm siren, here's a link to a post I did when I replaced mine. Also clean your drains while you have the cowl off. (That's in the post as well).

Alarm siren replacement and drain cleaning

 

Ok, so my XF was/is suffering from the dreaded "parasitic drain", typically drawing approximately 170mA with everything off. I went through the standard procedure, pulling each fuse in turn. Pulled fuse 9, current dropped to around 40mA, so I suspected the alarm siren. I removed that and checked the parasitic draw with fuse 9 still removed. Hovering around the 40mA mark. Replaced fuse 9 - parasitic draw back up to around 150mA, but fluctuating wildly, sometimes down to around 50mA. So what gives? My car does not have Tyre Pressure Monitoring. Two things to note: 1. Due to the parasitic drain issue, I always kept the battery disconnected. Whenever I reconnected the battery, in addition to the slight spark at the battery terminal, I always heard a loud "chirp". I assumed that was the alarm siren. BUT, even with the siren removed, I STILL get that chirp when I reconnect the battery. Where is that coming from? Any comments/suggestions? One other thing: There are two heavy duty cables running from the positive terminal of my battery. Is that normal, or has a previous owner installed something that I am unaware of?

 

Sounds like you are heading in the right direction. Just for clarification here is a link to diagnose battery drain; Pizza's help papers

You should open the bottom panel in the hatch and inspect for water damage to the security and air pump (CLP/SSM) located there. It is powered through the #9 fuse. Click this link for more info: CLP/SSM

Good Luck

 

Whoa....many thanks zip439. Your reply has sent me in a new direction. My XF spends most of its life locked in my garage, so I leave the car doors unlocked, with the battery disconnected. I can't remember the last time that I actually locked the car - several years!!! Anyway, I just went to the car, key in hand. Now, the battery IS connected, so I tried locking the car with the remote. Nada! The turn signals flashed 3 times but the car didn't lock. Pressed UNLOCK - got a single flash of the turn signals. I assume this is correct? But the central locking did not operate. Then, the penny dropped - I had removed fuse 9 to reduce parasitic drain. Popped that fuse back in and the central locking worked fine. Not "chirping" though - probably 'cos I removed the alarm siren? I checked under the tray in the trunk (aka "boot") and dry as a bone - no surprise there since my car has not seen rain for about 6 years....It's a coupe - maybe that's why it's dry - and I've washed it only once since I bought it! :-)

 

Use my paper "Finding Battery Drain v3" and pay attention to the instructions about waiting long enough after doing ANYTHING for modules to reset.
SImply pulling a fuse and looking at the meter will lead you astray - there are timers involved, when you change the state of a fuse, a timer may reset and you will see a lot of current for up to three minutes, then it will settle down. Meter readings in that first three minutes can often lead to astray.

What this means is, if you DO NOT follow my instructions, you will waste your time chasing ghosts - this is why 99.999% of people trying to find excessive battery drain fail to fix anything.
READ my instructions and do what I tell you if you want to fix this.

Also, once you find the fuse that is carrying the current, you will probably want to look at the wiring chapter of the service manual, there are MANY ITEMS fed by some fuses that are not listed on the fuse box cover or in the charts in the owner's manual.

 

Very many thanks PizzaGuy. Having read through your paper on Parasitic Drain (both v1 and v3), I was aware of the need to allow time for things to settle down. Perhaps I just didn't wait long enough....? I'll give it another go. At the moment, I have removed the Alarm Siren and also left Fuse 9 removed and am monitoring the state of the battery. Unfortunately, I don't have a full wiring diagram of my car, only the "wonderful" Owner's Handbook. The window washer motor does not work - but the wipers do - and I think I have the dreaded leaking washer bottle reservoir - the "low washer bottle fluid" warning light is on permanently (I have a paper on that written by another forum member) and plan to tackle those issues soon. Meanwhile, any idea what is "chirping" when I re-connect the battery, now that the Alarm Siren is removed?

 

Your service manual is located (digitally, a .pdf file) on the forum. There is a link but it has been years since I needed anything from it. If I remember correctly, it is a 'sticky' at the top of one of the forum sub-categories. All members can download any item in the documents collection for free. Good luck finding your issue, it sounds like your committed to fixing your multiple issues (tackle them one at a time, it could and would confuse).


.

 

The windshield washer bottle replacement is not as bad as you think.

 

Service manuals are here:

https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...ollection.html

THe wiring diagrams in them are all we have. I paid $65 for the "wiring diagrams" from CHyrsler in 2011, the book was nice to have, and I have many notes in it - but it's simply the wiring chapter of the 2005 service manual that you can download at the link above.