Electrical Problem - 2004 Vue 3.5
 

I am having an electrical issue and I'm having problems tracing down the issue.

A week ago we had rain, and the sunroof drains were clogged (since cleared out). The drivers side floor board was soaked. After drying it out I've been having a parasitic battery drain with some strange electrical issues. The best way to describe the current status is that the car behaves like the key is permanently in the accessory position (even when it is removed). I get door chimes with the key removed and door open, the radio is constantly powered (not just clock), the window switches are constantly powered, etc.

I pulled all of the fuses (under hood and in passenger side floorboard) and all appeared to be in good shape. I then pulled fuses one by one to locate the draw, and almost all of the load was coming off of the 30A ignition fuse in the engine bay. This leads me to believe that there is a module/component on this circuit that is faulty.

My first thought was that I had a bad ignition switch so I opened up the dash and disconnected the two connections... I still had a draw on the circuit so I think a bad switch rules that out. I thought it could be a BCM, but I scanned the module and there were no faults. The engine also runs fine. Any ideas? Does anyone have a wiring diagram for the ignition switch in all positions?

Check your door switch for voltage and also check the bundle of wires going through into the door

The door switch appears to be working correctly. When the door is closed the chime goes off (parasitic draw remains). The wires in the door appear to be ok as well. The power locks and windows work.

any particular reason to look here? Is this a common problem area?

I disconnected the wiring harness connector in the driver area as well and cleaned the connectors. No resolution.

I'm not a mechanic, but I'd check the BCM (body control module). I'd try unplugging it and plugging it back in several times to "sweep" the contacts on the connector. Sometimes they get a little corrosion and can lead to strange things happening. I'm not sure where it's located in your car, but THINK it's under the dash pad near the middle of the car.

You will likely solve this very quickly with a wiring diagram. It will tell you exactly what else is on that ignition circuit. The water may have shorted together a 12 volt line to ground somewhere near the wetness, but since water is such a poor electrical conductor, you have a slow electrical drain that does not blow the fuse. You will need to trace from the fuse box towards the steering column as well as away from the fuse box on the other side as I do not believe that fuse is grounded on either side but I could be wrong.

You can likely dig up the schematic for the ignition system online. You will know what wires to trace, what colors they are, and what they connect. I'm guessing the 12 volt feed to the accessory in the switch is actually shorting via the moisture long before it gets to the ignition switch. That is why disconnecting the ignition switch doesn't change anything.