Greetings. I have a 2003 E150 that appears to have a parasitic drain. It looks like the culprit is a "50 amp Modified Vehicle Power" fuse in the Power Distribution Box under the hood. It intermittently shows a small draw.
Can anyone tell me the purpose of this fuse? I am reluctant to just pull the fuse to see what it powers up. At the present I am just removing the negative battery cable while not in use because I have gone thru 3 batteries in one year.

 

You're not going to alter anything pulling the fuse in question that you would not do the same by disconnecting the battery cable.

Usually a 50 milliamp drain is considered acceptable.
.Do you know just how much it is pulling?

Can we inquire where did you obtain this van ?
Did it have some special equipment installed that you were not aware of that the owner before you may have had installed and was possibly removed?

 

Thanks for your reply. I purchased the van last year from an individual near me. It has a handicap lift that I need for my mother that had a stroke. The van currently has 70k miles on it and for most part in excellent condition.
I had assumed most of the issues with the battery going dead was due to a weak battery. So I replaced it a few months ago. So the issue remained with the new battery going dead over a period of 10 days without cranking. We only use the van to take her to the Dr, so it isn’t used but once or twice a month.
I look for issues like a light on at night but can’t find one. I purchased the Amp Hound 2 and found the potential draw in the 50 amp Modified Vehicle Power fuse. I say potential because sometimes it shows it’s drawing, but not every time. I can’t take a chance having a dead battery with her in the back on a mobility scooter. She’s 90 years old and only has movement in right leg and right arm. She can’t walk at all and I have to pull her into and out of the scooter. I’m 71 and have a shoulder issue too..
Thanks for any advice you can offer.

 

Thank you , for answering my question.
There is SPECIAL EQUIPMENT installed and that is what the modified circuit is all about.
The object is to determine if something on the circuit is staying on. Would you possibly know if there is a switch to prevent the lift from operating as possibly a safety measure? If there is such a switch , shutting it off , might eliminate the drain, don't know without actually checking the system.
If you have any directions with the van, it might mention such a thing. If you believe you found a switch to prevent operation, you might try shutting it off when the lift is not in use.. Waiting to hear from you. Thanks.