Ben5

I have a 2004 F150 Supercrew 4x4 with about 75,000 miles. I keep running into this problem when I leave the truck sitting for about two consecutive days without being cranked. The truck will not start and it acts like the battery is dying. I have recently put a new optima battery in and it still does it if I leave the truck sitting for several days. If I jump it off and drive a considerable distance then it will not do it again until the truck has sat again. I took it to the Ford dealership and they couldn't find anything, no voltage drains or anything. Could someone please point me in the right direction! Thanks

Ben5

Does anyone have a suggestion???

Scot

It is always possible that you received a bad battery from stock, but unlikely. More probable is something draining the battery over a couple of days. Disconnect the battery when you know it is going to be sitting for a couple of days, that way when you reconnect it and it starts you can rule out the battery. Other than that you will have to track down what is draining it. You can always bang around on the fuse boxes to free up a possible stuck relay.

NGM

You can get an amp probe and see what kind of draw the battery has after the truck has "gone to sleep" usually 10-15 minutes. Make sure there are no lights on. If there is an underhood light unplug it. Up to a 50Ma draw is acceptable. Should actually be around 20Ma. If it is over that then you start pulling fuses until the draw goes away. Then figure out what is on that circuit and fix it.

Ben5

NGM, where do I need to put the leads to measure this? Positive and negative? Or ground?

NGM

a amp probe goes around the neg wire and is read with a DVOM. Any shop should be able to do a draw test with their battery tester.

Ben5

Thanks

Ben5

I have heard that there is a Solenoid somewhere on the passenger side. Is that a possibility? Should I check all of the connections to and from the battery? After I try starting it and it fails, I hear some clicking or ticking sounds and then my gages all jump rapidly for a second or two.

Scot

The clicking your are hearing is the starter solenoid throwing out when you try to start the truck and yes it is on the passenger side. It is drawing all power left in a dead battery and thats why the gauges are irradic. You are also problem hearing relays on the firewall chattering from the same issue. It wouldnt hurt to check the connections but usually that wont drain a battery. If you had a loose connection the starting problem would be more consistent, not just when the truck has been sitting. The problems you are having describe a dead battery and something draining it. Please dont try to measure the amperage draw by placing a multi-meter on the battery positive/negative posts, you will destroy your meter. You will need to use a clamp on meter like NGM mentioned.

KAH

This is not the answer to your problem but a question that it brings up, at least to me. You are having a battery drain. Would it be possible to disconnect the battery ? Then take a battery charger, if one is available, and connect it as a battery.

If the battery charger showed current flow, then one would be able to check the various circuits and determine where the electricity was going.

And if the charger had a discharge meter, it would give an immediate reslt of your tests.

Naturally, this would not indicate large current flow nor would it have enough current to start the engine.

But it might just give an indication where the electricity is being lost.

I DO NOT KNOW IF THIS WOULD WORK, IT IS A QUESTION FOR OTHERS TO ANSWER. NOR DO I KNOW IF THIS WOULD FRY THE ELECTRONICS IN THE VARIOUS CIRCUITS. SO PLEASE DO NOT TRY IT UNLESS OTHERS CAN VERIFY IF IT WOULD WORK.

Some time ago, I did have a similar problem. I had a VW Beetle with a non existing heater and defroster. ( In my opinion, no VW ever had a heater and defroster, that I am aware of ).

But this VW was very fussy as to where the windshield wiper blades rested. If the wipers were working and the motor turned off with snow on the windshield, if the blades did not return to the exact resting spot, the motor would continue to craw current as it was trying to park the blades.

If the blades were blocked with snow and did not properly park in the exact spot, it kept trying, until the battery was dead.

Ken H.