I've been chasing this for a while now on my wifes 2000 GLE.

Her car started been killing the battery overnight because of this draw. It would get so flat it wouldn't do anything. Replaced the alternator last year and the battery is a nearly new Interstate. Both test fine and once jumped off it charges up fine.

When the battery started dying I tested it for a draw and found a 6 amp draw that seemed to cycle on for a few minutes then off for around a minute. I didn't time it.

I tracked it to the circuit pictured with the wires coming out of it. It powers the power locks, windows and roof. I wired in a switch on the cover so she could kill the circuit at night to preserve the battery. That's what the wires are. She works out of the car and makes several shorter stops so it's fine during the day. As long as the switch is off it can sit for days with no problem.

So far I've tried rolling the windows down and opening the roof in case something was binding but it still draws. I unplugged the front door harnesses but that didn't stop it.

I unplugged a main breaker under the dash and the draw went away but that breaker seems to power more than just that circuit so that wasn't much help. The strange thing is that the draw disappeared after I put the breaker back in so I couldn't test any more. I don't know if the breaker reset something because I disconnected the battery cable several times and the draw always came back.

I told her to leave the switch on and it's been fine for a few months until the other day. It completely killed the battery overnight again. I've been having her flip the switch again and it's been fine.

I'm not sure what to test next though.

 

BCM is my guess. GM has a massive problem with that whole system and it can't be fixed LOL.

But idk if you can even narrow it down to the locks/windows. I would think it would be a steady draw if something was messed up in those, though.

 

That fusible link powers a couple of other things besides the windows. The fusible link goes directly a the circuit breaker that then goes to 7 different things.

Here is a list of those things and the FSM page number in the EL section. There are 2 versions of the 2000 FSM and page numbers are different, so here is a link to the one I am referencing:

http://boredmder.com/FSMs/Nissan/Maxima/2000/EL.pdf

sunroof motor page 179
driver power seat motor page 187
passenger pwr seat motor 189
driver power window switch page 220
+ power window relay page 219
* door locks page 231
* door lock remote page 251
* homelink transmitter page 318
* NATS security page 323

For items marked with an asterick (*), the connection is to the SECU module and the SECU is used for that circuit.

The item marked with the plus (+), the connection is to a relay. With the car turned off, I think it's highly unlikely this circuit is the problem.

I would focus on the power seat motors and the sunroof motor. You can unplug those motors and see if the battery drain stops or continues.

While the SECU is a suspect, I wonder if it could be responsible for a 6 amp draw without burning up. But I wouldn't rule it out.

Good luck.

 

I thought about the motors, but they would have to make a noise if drawing that kind of power. And I thought the same thing about the secu (silly nissan and their fancy names ). But, really, what else does it leave?

 

Since it's cycling On/Off, and the car is a GLE, her heated seat comes to mind. Try disconnecting fuse #9 in the fuse box.

 

I wish all GLEs had heated seats. :/
But those have manual switches...

Now, steering wheel has that funky *** switch.

Radio is junk. What about that?

 

Radio isn't on that circuit.

No heated seats.

I'm going to have to start digging again. I've forgotten lot of what I already checked so I guess I'll be starting over again.

 

If a motor can't turn because it is binding either internally or because of the mechanism it drives, it can draw power without making any noise.

I have to disagree with this for 2 reasons - the heated seats don't get their power from the fusible link in question and they have circuit breakers built into them.

But when ever the car is in in the parasitic draw mode, start unplugging things such as the SECU, the power seat switches, the sunroof motor

 

Thanks, The sunroof works so I don't think it's binding. I'll try the seats first and go from there.

 

Wow, that was it Dennis.

I put this on the back burner till tonight and finally got back to it.

It was the tilt button on the drivers seat. I recently (right about the time this started) had a trim shop repair some leather on the seat and it seems like they put it back together with some extra material pinching between the switch box and the cover panel. The panel was pressing against the button cover and causing it to occasionally bind.

The switch felt squishy and if I pushed it just right the seat would keep moving after I let off. It was dead quiet but I could do it and recreate the draw over and over. This explains why it went away after I crawled under the dash too.

I cleaned it up and tucked the material back. The switch feels crisp now and doesn't stick.

Thanks again Dennis. As usual, you had the answer.

 

Excellent detective work! I guess we can say "and the all lived happily ever after."