Damn Dirty Ape

iTrader: (1)

Ok, Truck is almost trouble-free at this point after a couple of TSB's and am very happy with it.

The problem: Every so often (maybe every few weeks to month or more), the engine cranking speed will slow down noticeably and I get no retained power to the sync/mft system after key off. According to them I should get about 25 minutes of radio/mft play after the key is off but the door not being opened. Like waiting to pick up your child at school or waiting on the wife out shopping.

About 5 seconds after key-off the screen will go blank except for a progress bar that works its way to the right. The wording is basically 'system off to conserve battery, please turn off or restart vehicle'. After about 15 seconds it will shut down. Windows still work so not all the retained power is killed off.

They put a new battery in it about a month ago and it worked fine until about a week ago, doing the same thing. I took it in today and they found the battery low, charged it up and it cured the shutdown problem. I do have the amp powersteps but I have pulled the fuse and checked for any current drain that could be a culprit but found none.

The service advisor asked me if I make a lot of short trips. I said it was mixed, sometimes only 5-6 miles, sometimes 15-25 miles. Most of the time these miles are at highway speed. It may sit for 2-3 days at time but is garaged and not subject to the overnight cold or daytime heat.

The SA said 'the only thing we can recommend right now is to drive it more the sync/mft system takes a lot of power and it's not getting charged up completely with those short trips.'



and your thoughts on that would be?

RLXXI

That's a load of bull****. Sounds to me like you have a parasitic draw or a weak alternator. My commute is 1.7 miles each way, truck barely gets warmed up good and I bought it Feb of this year (8 months) and no problems at all, print my reply if you like and go back and tell them they are idiots.

Then find a dealer that actually want's to fix your truck.

,

Doubleg71

He is an idiot!! I would guess a short that is not allowing your accessories to use the stored power. Maybe a flaw in the head unit...these are just guesses of course. You can get roasted on this site if you give someone incorrect info...so this is my guess!

Carnac

I had a battery replaced in a Corvette a few years ago. Top of the line battery from Sears. Worked great for about a month, then started going bad again. Took it in, told it must be my charging system. They did a complet check, and found that the battery was bad (only a month old). Put another new one in and no problem for several years.

Bottom line; could very well be a second bad battery. If not, then something is wrong with your charging system.

Jim

sullyman

Doesn't sound right to me. Bad battery, alternator is weak, or parasitic loss. That's the order I would trouble shoot this in.

H-60 Electrician

I may only drive my truck once or twice a month when I'm on the road for work and I drive the Mustang daily otherwise. It's just over a year old now, garaged as well, and I have NEVER had any electrical issues, all works as advertised. There must be a draw from something.

lariut

Electrical gremlins suck but are simple to diagnose if you are willing to dedicate the time to properly diagnose it (hint: most dealers will not do it right because they just want to give you a jump and send you on your way).

Here is a go-by from the gto forum I am on and get you on the right track if you want to invest in some basic tools and some reading.

http://www.ls1gto.com/forums/showthread.php?t=350205

Stu Cazzo

Go to costco and pick up the biggest battery they have and drop it in...or swap one out of another vehicle. just cause its new doesnt mean its not defective. I'm betting my money on the battery...9 out of 10 times thats the problem.

KP Texan

This is kind of funny, because I got this same message on my mft screen for the first time with my truck today. I attributed it to the fact that I left my radar detector on all weekend, so hopefully that was just the case with mine.

Damn Dirty Ape

iTrader: (1)

well, so far they have tested the charging system and found no problem, and I even (FWIW) had Advance Auto (know the mgr there) run their test just as a backup. Said it looked good as well.

The SA did remark as well about it could be a bad replacement battery.

I guess what is really getting to me is basically they 'cut me loose' and told me the problem is on my end. I think they don't want to get involved in any testing.

I've never really had a conflict like this with a dealer and not sure how to start. I now I can't say 'you're full of it, now find the problem'.