Where is the final stage resistor located?
 

I know there are a bazillion posts about the dreaded battery drain problem, which my 03 4.4i has suddenly become afflicted with big time (new battery; goes from fully charged to stone dead in a matter of hours). Before I get too deep into the troubleshooting, could somebody please tell me where the final stage resistor is located? I've read that this is the culprit about 60% of the time. Also, is there any way to test it, other than making a visual observation? Thanks.

Here you go http://www.xoutpost.com/articles/x5/...placement.html

Thanks; however, upon reading the thread, my car isn't displaying any of the symptoms indicative of a defective final stage resistor, so I'm not sure that's my problem.

Given that battery drain is a pretty common problem on these vehicles, what are the recommendations as to the first areas to check? Or is it one of those nasty problems that could be caused by a host of different things, none any more likely than another? Thanks.

Proper diagnosis, measuring current draw, determining which circuit is drawing power, and how much. Also, a test to ensure that the vehicle goes into sleep mode, which it won't do if there is too high a draw upon shutdown.

Any circuit in the vehicle can cause it, from the FSR, to the video control unit, to the built-in telephone circuitry, etc. It isn't a nasty problem, it just requires basic diagnosis, and that diagnosis must be hands on. Sorry, can't do more than that over the internet, but hopefully it points you to the proper steps.