What should I do?

petee1

HELLO ALL..MAYBE SOMEONE CAN HELP..2006 ford escape 4 cyl auto with 155k on clock. when keys are removed from the ignition, most of the dummy lights stay on.jf j do not remove the fuse to the gauge cluster, the battery dies in two days or so. alternator was done. plugs were replaced. what could be causing this to happen? all connections to the computer on firewall were checked and also check this out, i unplugged that computer , all three plugs and the dash dummy lights still stay on....any advice will be appreciated/ thanks

Mr_Shiftright

I would check the negative battery cable (ground cable) and makes sure it's clean and tight on both ends; also check the engine-to-frame ground strap. Just a guess. Some might say "bad ignition switch" but in that case your radio would play, etc. Does that happen as well?

thecardoc3

The start/run relay and the run/accessory relay are both in the smart junction block. One of those two relays could be staying on. The start/run relay provides the power to fuse 28, and the run/accessory relay provides power to fuse 22. You'll have to do some testing to see if the relay to which ever fuse you have to pull is sticking on, or if it is being falsely commanded on or not.

petee1

thanks for responding guys. first let me say its an aftermarket radio that was installed by Best Buy.when I pulled the fuse for the gauge cluster to keep dummy lights iff, the radio also goes off. I am not the oruginal owner of truck. Will check fuses tonight.are the relays expensive?

petee1

hello all...the problem still exists. the three plugs under the hood on the firewall to the computer were disconnected. the ignition key was removed from the cylinder and the idiot lights/dummy lights along with the shift indicator (PRD12)etc stay on. I moved the wires near the smart junction box and i get some fading in and out of the lights with beeping, probably the door open beep. all relays from the SJB were removed one at a time and one relay controls the dash dummy lights. all 3 relays were the same number so i switched them around but still the lights stay on when ignition key is removed. Could it be a BAD SMART BOX? not cheap at all. i forgot to mention that the speedometer/tach needles get the shakes for a few seconds when the10a fuse to the cluster is removed and placed back and is followed by the idiot lights on again. very frustrating.ground wires were checked.....any suggestions?

stever

I wonder if it's possible to disconnect the radio and get it out of the troubleshooting loop for now. Seems like a lot of newer cars these days wind up having electrical problems when aftermarket stuff (audio, alarms, remote start) gets added to the wiring.

petee1

HELLO. I MAY HAVE FOUND THE PROBLEM. THE FUSE BOX ON THE PASSENGER CENTER CONSOLE AREA HAS CORROSION.... PART NUMBER IS 6L8T14B476AG MUST BE EXACT....2006 FORD ESCAPE 4 CYLINDER FWD...ANYONE HAVE IT FOR SALE?