Battery Drain fuse 16 IOD help please

[Joshua13]

The vehicle:

2000 XJ automatic 4.0L
Battery, starter, alternator were all replaced when i bought jeep approx 2.5 years ago.
Did not come with FOB for keyless entry

The background:

Over the last few weeks ive had a very intermittent issue with starting. Its as if there is no battery, but on the 2nd/3rd/4th/5th turn of the key it fired up and away i go. I have not kept track if it has been after being parked for long periods, but as it is a daily driver lets assume 24hrs max between start ups. Now yesterday and today it got worse. This morning it was very much a dead battery so i jumped it and went to work. It fired up just fine after work no problem. I decided to come home and do some tests.

The facts:

5.56 milliamp draw
4.58 milliamp through fuse 16 (IOD)
0.85 milliamp through fuse 22 (PCM)
0.13 milliamp unknown location


The work so far:

Pulled all fuses inside - no change
Disconnected TCM - no change
Dome light, cargo light, under dash lights all removed - no change
I cross referenced what fuse go through both fuse 16 and the fuse box inside from this site:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/fuse-box.info/jeep/jeep-cherokee-xj-1997-2001-fuses-and-relays

According to that site The only things left unchecked would be remote keyless entry and visor lights. Picture shows comparison and my actions

The questions:
1) did i miss something in my checking?
2) are the circuits listed on that site correct? (Some are duplicates)
3) PCM is drawing power, is it supposed to?
4) what do i do next?

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[RCP Phx]

According to my FSM, fuse 16 is the right headlight!

 

[Runnin'OnEmpty]

I suspect a 5.56ma draw is normal for a 2000.
I'd check the battery terminals and the negative
Battery ground on the engine.

Might also be a failing battery.

Ignition switch is suspect, as is the NSS.
Will it start when you place transmission
In neutral...?

 

[RCP Phx]

At 5ma your battery should last forever, something else is wrong!

 

[Joshua13]

I suspect a 5.56ma draw is normal for a 2000.
I'd check the battery terminals and the negative
Battery ground on the engine.

Might also be a failing battery.

Ignition switch is suspect, as is the NSS.
Will it start when you place transmission
In neutral...?

Battery grounds are good.
Yes it starts in neutral,

How do i test the ignition?

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[Joshua13]

At 5ma your battery should last forever, something else is wrong!

Any idea where to start looking?

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[RCP Phx]

I would charge the battery and then load test it.

 

[Saudade]

I would charge the battery and then load test it.

What he said! And check your charging system.

Ruel out the easy stuff first.

 

[Joshua13]

Update:
I did all the things mentioned above. I also cleaned the battery terminals and put dielectric grease on them. Jeep ran good for past 2 days.
Driving today my battery gauge jumped to 19V!
I pulled over, shut it off and restarted it. Normal voltage.
Now after work jeep wont start. I got 12.7 volts across the battery butit looks like the grease is all gone off of the positive terminal and the lead looks pitted.
I wiggled the terminal and got it started.
What are my next steps? Is it something in the alternator? Or is it the cables? Or both?

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[Runnin'OnEmpty]

Since wiggling the cable got it started,
I'd replace the cable first. That might be
all that's wrong (high resistance in the cable
end).

 

[xcm]

Have you replaced it with a known good battery as RCP suggested?
It could be a bad battery, with internal damage that works *MOST* of the time.
I’ve also had battery terminals, that somehow didn’t make contact to the posts they were installed on… no idea how that happens, but it did! I cleaned the hell out of the battery posts, and changed out the terminals with parts store marine style ones.

I’d focus on battery, terminals, and cables until you can eliminate them as a possibility.

 

[Anak]

I have seen some really sketchy battery terminals. And the older XJs get the sketchier the battery terminals seem to get. Especially when it gets to the point they are running the typical parts store replacement terminals with the bar across the back, held down by two bolts. If you are running that sort of terminal and have corrosion going on in the cables themselves then that would be the first thing I would take care of.

Marine style or military style both work great with cables that have a lug on each end.