2004 thunderbird with all sorts of problems needs a lot of help PLEASE!

[007Cruiser]

I left the positive terminal disconnected for about 1 hr. I connected the terminal and the car started. Any ideas as to what would cause this problem?

Did the drain continue after this disconnect and restart?

[Frank Dreano]

Well since the car was basically a "gimmee", spend some money on an OBDC reader first and check for error codes,
16 amps is a HUGE parasitic drain and must be nearly a short somewhere, but modern cars are heavily fused to prevent such things because its a fire hazard if nothing else. Most ford dealers will run a diagnostic for under $150 and may just pinpoint the issue.

As others have said the "lowering" could be part (all?) of the problem. I have had to deal with far too many "Hot Rod Harry" mods on classic cars I have owned or worked on to even mention.

[steelblue5505]

Do not believe the 172 point inspection will reveal this electrical situation.
Also do not think this situation will show any codes on a reader.

The problem is intermittent. Sometimes all is ok sometimes not.

[Elky64]

There is no automobile on the planet that has a 16 amp drain with nothing on. Pulling fuses in an orderly manner may find it, tho a draw that large might point to something big having failed internally, like an alt. or a solenoid. look for wires that are warm, etc.
Some of the guys are right, if you don't normally do electrical troubleshooting, find a shop that specializes, and have it towed over.

[007Cruiser]

There is no automobile on the planet that has a 16 amp drain with nothing on. Pulling fuses in an orderly manner may find it, tho a draw that large might point to something big having failed internally, like an alt. or a solenoid. look for wires that are warm, etc.
Some of the guys are right, if you don't normally do electrical troubleshooting, find a shop that specializes, and have it towed over.

I think you’ve hit the nail squarely on the head.

[vicsrc]

The drain is coming from all the exterior lights being on. Pulling the fuses to the lamps eliminated the drain. finding what caused the light circuit to be on is part of the problem and not the drain itself.
To address the take it to a dealer question I have a OBDC code reader and there are no codes when its running or when its failing.
The last time I took my Ford F150 to a dealer to run diags on it for a miss in the engine it cost 100 bucks for the service no complaints with that, beats pulling one plug at a time to find a miss. THEY CHARGED ME 600.00 DOLLARS TO REPLACE 1 PLUG!!!
It will become a lawn ornament before I do that again.

[vicsrc]

Steel blue suggested that I check the wheel wells for any cable damage and it was obvious that someone had been in the right front well because the plastic well cover was missing
I am also looking at the possibility that the ignition switch is shorting.
Since the instrument cluster and the key in position are not working I am looking for the missing ground circuit for these items
At this time it is pointing towards the front FEM module which controls these items and more investigation is required to determine if this is the defective unit or the result of a failure down the line

[HKS]

I am about to buy this bird from a friend of mine
So far it has a battery drain problem and a water leaking problem with a hose ( no major problem with the hose)
I drove the car home to check it out and it has not moved since. It had sat for three years so I replaced the 7 year old battery and it restarted fine.
The next morning the battery was drained and the car would not start. I put the charger on it and it cranked and started . The next day it would not start again.
I removed the positive cable and charged the battery when I connected the terminal I noticed a large spark at the terminal so I used my amp meter to measure the drain on the battery was 16 amps and all the external lights were on. I checked the light switch and it was off. I pulled the SSP 1-4 relays to kill the lights and the fog/running lights were still on so pulling the fuse to that circuit killed that light also.
The car still would not give any indication when the key was inserted . After replacing all the parts removed it still had a drain. I left the positive terminal disconnected for about 1 hr. I connected the terminal and the car started. Any ideas as to what would cause this problem?

Pull fuse F4.31
A 30amp fuse in Battery junction box. Fuse is hot at all times.
Then let me know what your Amp Meter reads (at the + battery connection).
HKS

P.S. A bad diode in the alternator can also cause battery drain. Disconnect alternator and check see if you still have 16 amps drain.