Jdsmith167409

My 2004 f-150 Lariat 5.4 v8 will start up fine as long as I am cranking it everyday, but if I let it sit more than around 24 hrs it will not start. My best guess is something is draining my battery. First I bought a new battery, then I have unhooked the battery for 2 full days, then hooked it back up and it started right up. I have checked the alternator with my multi meter and it checked out at 14 volts. At that point I took it to a professional mechanic, he kept the truck for a week and was not able to figure it out, but all he did was hook a machine up to test all my memory wire stuff and said it was reading at .7 amps and that anything below .8 amps is normal and should not drain my battery to the point it will not start. He also did something with putting a machine in line with the current to and from the battery and started pulling fuses and still could not pin point anything. Then he called me and said he gives up, I went to pick up my truck and still got charged $100/hr labor for nothing, no solution and no diagnoses. I am not cheap by no means but if I am going to pay I atleast want a diagnoses, so for now I am going to try and alleviate the problem myself but I have no idea where to start. Any suggestions or has anyone had this problem before? Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

lewissa81

If you have a multimeter, you can test for parasitic draw yourself. Google "how to find parasitic draw" and you'll find a bunch of how to articles and videos.
Also make sure your cables are good, and battery terminals are clean.