df3

I recently bought a 1990 f150 in great shape. I hadn't had any problems with it and then it was shutting off while driving. I figured out that the ignition switch needed to be replaced. Not knowing that you could just drop the column to replace it, I took off the the steering wheel and all. Anyway, replaced the switch and the ignition tumbler, put it all back together and it seemed to work fine (except for a tight turn sig. lever), until the next day when I went out and the batt was dead. Jumped it, thought I had left the wiper on, but that wasn't the case because I went out the next day and it was dead again. Any suggestions? Thanks.

Ricky B

An easy and cheap trick is to take the key out, disco your positive cable from the battery, hook up a digital volt meter to the cable (black wire to the battery cable clamp and the red wire to the positive battery terminal) and then check the voltage draw on the volt meter and see what it says (let's just say it's 3.6 volts in this example). Then while you are watching the volt meter, have a trusted friend go in the cab and carefully start removing fuses ONE AT A TIME. When you notice the voltage suddenly drop to .1 or something very low after fuse XX has been removed, then you have found the culprit...........

mazo21

I have an 89 F150 with a straight 6 and the same thing was going on. New battery, new alternator, did the volt meter thing, pulled all the fuses, and the new battery was still dead. Turns out it was the starter. I changed it out and she starts every time. No dead battery in the morning. I don't know if this is the case with yours but it's worth a look.

Ricky B

The starter would actually be the easiest one to check----key off, put the red volt meter lead on the + cable on the starter and the black lead on the chassis ground. Bingo........