battery discharge issue is getting interesting

[bikermikey]

so i had a flat battery the other day. charged the battery, van started no problem. charging system on van is good. the battery tests good too.

im thinking there is a discharge somewhere. i put a bulb with a wire between the negative terminal of the battery and the negative cable. with ignition & everything off, the bulb illuminates. it actually pulses. we think this test confirms our discharge theory. something is using some power when it shouldnt be. the pulsing made us think relays....

today i also noticed, when i do the bulb test, there is a clicking sound in time with the bulb pulsing and it comes from behind the interior fuse box. no idea what it is.

can someone confirm our bulb test is doing what we want - does it prove there is a discharge?

things i have done-
removed all relays one at a time, bulb always light up
removed indicator relay, no change

any ideas on what to do next?

many many thanks

[Altransit]

You don't say how old the van is, but anything built in the last 10 years or so, still has a few systems powered up for quite a while after the key is removed.
Your trick with the bulb won't give a reliable diagnosis with modern electronics, and could damage the BCM if your van has one.

[bikermikey]

You don't say how old the van is, but anything built in the last 10 years or so, still has a few systems powered up for quite a while after the key is removed.
Your trick with the bulb won't give a reliable diagnosis with modern electronics, and could damage the BCM if your van has one.

sorry its 2007
what would you recommend i do to check for a discharge then ?
thanks

[bikermikey]

i have noticed this also...

on the little screen on the dash i have always seen the tripmeter and odometer. after having the battery off, i now have the clock and odometer. bit weird. also the light of this same little screen stays on for ages after switching off and locking up...

[bikermikey]

found an old thread about the odometer light staying on... the battery saver relay is mentioned. and its behind the glovebox where i've been hearing the clicking. does this relay need replacing if the odometer light is staying on/ ??