Where is the Time Control Unit on a 1994 Q45?

[myf16]

I have a 1991 FSM and it says the Time Control Unit is next to the Shift Lock Control Unit. On my 1994 car, that position is occupied by 2 large relays. Where is the Time Control Unit?

My symptom is a leakage current of 0.25A. Pulling fuses that SHOULD be unused with the ignition off reduces the drain, leading me to suspect a leakage path via the Time Control Unit. I might be able to verify this by unplugging the TCU, if I can only find it!

[goody90q45]

I see where it's at in my 90 FSM but it's gone in the 94 FSM. Could it have been replaced with the body control module?

See the location of electrical units starting on page EL-238.

http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/Q45/1994_Q45/el.pdf

EDIT: found it in the 95 FSM index. It looks like it's part of the LAN. See page EL-169

http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/Q45/1995_Q45/1995_Q45/

[myf16]

Thanks for that info.

With the leakage being 0.25A, I strongly suspect a relay coil is energized. Perhaps it's an anti-theft relay, since I had been getting false alarms until I just stopped locking the car. I don't think it could be a whole computer module, but I guess that's a possibility.

[myf16]

After looking at the BCU wiring diagram, I had an idea. I had been checking the current drain with the hood up. The hood open switch connects to the BCU.

So I re-measured the current with the hood switch depressed. Still 0.25A. But the current suddenly dropped to 0.02A after half a minute or so of holding the hood switch closed.

My hypothesis:
A slightly bent hood was letting the hood switch activate. This triggers the alarm, and it also (with or without the alarm) creates a 0.25A current drain.

Solution: Make sure the hood is straight by pressing down in the vicinity of the hood switch when I park the car. Or maybe I'll just short out the hood switch so the BCU sees it as closed all the time.

[goody90q45]

....Or maybe I'll just short out the hood switch so the BCU sees it as closed all the time.

This is what a few others have done. It's not likely (impossible?) that the car thieves will be opening your hood before opening one of the doors first.

Good that you were able to figure out the problem.

[myf16]

Today I discovered that the hood switch is normally open, not normally closed. That is, the switch closes when the hood opens and vice versa. This is backwards from any alarm system I've ever seen.

To disable the hood switch, you need only disconnect it or even just cut the wires.

That's what I have now done. The battery had been draining way too fast. Now I see 90 mA, which is high, but if I wait 20 seconds or so for the electronics to time out (interior light dimmer timer, I suspect) the current drops right down to 20 or 30 mA where it should be. I'm crossing my fingers that this time it's really fixed.