[labelboy]

I was checking fuses under the hood on my 98 Voyager and noticed my EATX Relay was missing. I have never removed it and am sure I would have noticed it missing before. The only thing I can think of is that it was removed when I had it at a dealer a couple if months ago. The car quit running while on a trip out of town and they were troubleshooting what ended up being a toasted ignition coil. It also appeared that they had removed the panel under the steering wheel and not replaced it properly. All in all I wasn't impressed with their work or the bill I had to pay.

I guess my question is:
1. What does the EATX do?
2. Is there any instance where it would not be present? (optional equipment, etc.)
3. Will it hurt anything if it's not there?

Thanks,
Al

 

[alvin]

EATX relay supplies power to the TCM and solenoid block; it's only used with a 4-speed transmission so yours is a 3-speed. There are other relay slots that are empty, particularly on the junction box under the dash.

 

[atoman]

EATX = Electronic Automatic Transaxle
the relay is for power supply to TCM (tranny control module) - 4speed will only work in limp mode (park, reverse, neutral, and 2nd gear only) if TCM is off

 

[labelboy]

Thanks. You guys sure are a great resource.

 

[labelboy]

BTW: There was a fuse in the EATX fuse slot. You sure I don't need the relay?

Al

 

[sideburns2009]

BTW: There was a fuse in the EATX fuse slot. You sure I don't need the relay?

Al

You'd know if you did need it. You would be able to go a max of about 25MPH :lol: unless you redlined it as it would be stuck in 2nd gear (limp in mode). You have the 3.0 so you have the 3 speed. It doesn't have a TCM. I've noticed that I have a fuse on my '97 Ram in the ABS slot, though I don't have ABS. The ABS relay is ,however, missing.

 

[Jeepman]

Probably to keep it from showing a fault code for ABS. Years ago, when a vehicle had no air conditioning, the fault code for air conditioning "not working" would always come up during a code check.

 

[SqueezBox]

Discovered EATX relays were missing in mine the othernight as well........after doing some research, it is as the others have said, that they are not equipped with 3 speed trannys.

 

[KevinLand]

Question, I have a 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan Se 3.3L V6. Does that mean mine is a 3 speed as well? I'm having issues with battery drainage & don't know what is causing it. I did the pulling fuses to see what drops the rpms & came up with 2 areas. 1: EATX fuse & the other is the Memory fuse. What do I do now? Pushing off a cliff is looking more & more better! Thanks

 

[beretta96]

How old is your battery?

What makes you believe you are having a parasitic draw as opposed to the battery struggling to maintain its charge due to age?

I’m not connecting how your suspicions of a parasitic draw are related to how many gears the transmission does, or does not, have??

 

[KevinLand]

How old is your battery?

What makes you believe you are having a parasitic draw as opposed to the battery struggling to maintain its charge due to age?

I’m not connecting how your suspicions of a parasitic draw are related to how many gears the transmission does, or does not, have??

My battery is only about 1 year old, & I've tried a brand new battery & nothing changed. I'm trying ANYTHING I can. So, Einstein, what's your theory on it? What bright idea do you have? I'm all out of options. Something keeps draining my batteries, the check engine light doesn't come on either.

 

[atoman]

So, Einstein, what's your theory on it?

You really should ask Edison questions on direct current
Pick up a multimeter or an ammeter and start checking individual circuits of the fuses which reduce the drain...

 

[KevinLand]

You really should ask Edison questions on direct current
Pick up a multimeter or an ammeter and start checking individual circuits of the fuses which reduce the drain...

I have already checked all of the fuses, twisted my body in so many unnatural positions crawling through the engine compartment/under the dashboard. Didn't find a damn thing. Except 2 fuses 1 was the "EATX" fuse, & the other said "Memory" I've noticed seems like it shuts down for a brief moment, (just enough for my stereo & amp to click off & on but starts back up right away) headlights do the same. But check engine light hasn't lit up yet. I'm at a total loss here! Any other suggestions? Any would be highly appreciated

 

[atoman]

I did the pulling fuses to see what drops the rpms & came up with 2 areas. 1: EATX fuse & the other is the Memory fuse. What do I do now?

Pick up a multimeter or an ammeter and start checking individual circuits of the fuses which reduce the drain

Assuming "rpms" is meant to say "amps",
Find the wiring diagram (I don't have one for MY2000 in front of me) and check individual circuits that are supplied by the 2 fuses you narrowed it down to. (each of those fuses likely supplies several sensors/modules/relays/solenoids/etc)

It may not be the circuit fault itself, it could be a faulty door ajar sensor or bad ground causing a "standby" circuit to "wake up" a module causing additional drain but you need to find what's pulling the current (then you can 'backtrack' from that circuit to systems it depends on).

Any other suggestions?

The only other suggestion is, if you can't DIY, take it to a tech who can trace the circuits for you. (otherwise you'll have to live with it - battery disconnect switch OR send if off to the yard)

 

[BillGrissom]

Many blank relay positions in my 1996 Voyager 2.4L underhood box. If you look close, the plastic slots are closed with no copper terminals behind them, so as-designed for that model/version.

 

[StrawberryPie]

Assuming "rpms" is meant to say "amps",
Find the wiring diagram (I don't have one for MY2000 in front of me) and check individual circuits that are supplied by the 2 fuses you narrowed it down to. (each of those fuses likely supplies several sensors/modules/relays/solenoids/etc)

It may not be the circuit fault itself, it could be a faulty door ajar sensor or bad ground causing a "standby" circuit to "wake up" a module causing additional drain but you need to find what's pulling the current (then you can 'backtrack' from that circuit to systems it depends on).

Thank you for providing this information, as I too have a 2000 Town & Country and it has a battery drain. I must unhook the battery every evening. If I accidentally leave the battery hooked up it takes about 2 days to completely drain my battery. A neighbor who has been doing his own auto work for about 60 years tried to narrow down the problem for me, but no luck. It's definitely not the battery as we put a brand new battery in, which lasted about 4 days then went dead. Now I'm back to unhooking it every evening.
We tried replacing things, he trouble-shot with a multi-meter to try and find where the drain was coming from, but couldn’t find it. Now the check engine light has been coming on after I’ve driven about 15 miles. While it was on I stopped into an auto parts store and they used a device to read the Code and told me the code said a particular cylinder wasn’t firing.
I don’t know much about cars, and I am trying to learn, so this might be a stupid question, but here goes: Could it be that a drain could be caused due to spark plugs needing to be changed?

And, If I replace the spark plugs will that suffice to allow the cylinder to fire properly?
Thank you for your help.

 

[atoman]

Could it be that a drain could be caused due to spark plugs needing to be changed?

And, If I replace the spark plugs will that suffice to allow the cylinder to fire properly?

No. Spark plugs are driven by coil pack and coil pack is only supplied with power when ASD (auto shutdown) relay is 'ON' when key is in "RUN" or "Start" position...

Weather the plug is the cause of misfire is a separate question, you should certainly remove the plug and examine what it looks like. However the cause may be anything from failing ignition wire to injector fault to valve timing or mechanical cause of low compression.

 

[StrawberryPie]

No. Spark plugs are driven by coil pack and coil pack is only supplied with power when ASD (auto shutdown) relay is 'ON' when key is in "RUN" or "Start" position...
Weather the plug is the cause of misfire is a separate question, you should certainly remove the plug and examine what it looks like. However the cause may be anything from failing ignition wire to injector fault to valve timing or mechanical cause of low compression.

Thank you, This helps.

 

[robertwheless84]

My battery is only about 1 year old, & I've tried a brand new battery & nothing changed. I'm trying ANYTHING I can. So, Einstein, what's your theory on it? What bright idea do you have? I'm all out of options. Something keeps draining my batteries, the check engine light doesn't come on either.

IOD, genius

 

[atoman]

IOD, genius

IOD fuse does not exist on 3rd gen minivans...