F-150 5.4L battery issues

[mike rousseau]

Just wondering if anyone else experiences what I am and if they know of a solution....

 

All spring summer and fall all is good.... But come December I have to put my truck on the charger once a week untill February or I run the risk of running out of juice... My truck hardly warms up on the drive to work (5-10 minutes) and I only use it for work and fishing.... But I don't know anyone else that has to charge their vehicle... That deive less then I do...

 

Anyone else experience this?

 

Any solutions?

 

Anyone know (ballpark) how long it takes to charge what you lose while starting?

 

I've had this issue since I got my truck 4-5 years ago... And have replaced the battery twice...

 

Thanks for any help

 

Mike...

[moose]

sounds like you have a short some wear in truck that is draining

fang on here had a similar problem and it was a wire shorting out in his truck

[misfish]

I know when I had an issue with a short,it was due to a bad/broken, ground. The ground was in the rocker panel on the passangers side.

Edited December 24, 2012 by Misfish

[Billy Bob]

Mike here's what you need to do to find the DRAIN on your battery..

 

With the help of someone else as it a lot easier to do that way....hook up a VOLT METER on the battery......write down the volts...it should read somewhere between 12.8 and 13.5 volts just sitting there without ANY THING running...including dome light, hood light etc..if you have to remove those bulbs during this procedure......

 

Now while your little helper is WATCHING the volt meter....take out one fuse at a time and have your help let you know if the volt meter starts reading a higher reading....so for example you are showing a even 12.8 volts but as you removed the fuse for the radio it jumped up to 13.3 volts...there one drain on your battery that should be corrected....now actually you will have a VERY small drain on the battery from the radio because it keeps the time of day on it, but that will be maybe a tenth of a volt...I just used the radio here for convenience...but you can see where I'm going with this....RIGHT

 

Now repairing the drain is a whole another story depending on what it is...maybe it's something you can leave the fuse out for the winter...bottom line is you first MUST find the drain on the battery before you or someone else can fix it.

 

GOOD LUCK and MERRY CHRISTMAS,

Bob

[mike rousseau]

Thanks guys...

Maybe ill get my brother to help me out then... He's an electrician....

 

Hopefully it's a simple system we can require ourselves.... Or something I don't need untill its warmer out like A/C....

[Skipper D]

Sounds like to many walleye in the wiper fluid ........

[mike rousseau]

Sounds like to many walleye in the wiper fluid ........

 

I didn't even consider that... There might be some scales plugging up the pump... I guess I should stop using my washer fluid reservoir as an ice fishing live well... Frozen fish from now on... Thanks a million skip....

 

 

 

...........

[Skipper D]

Sorry Mike , but it sounds like a problem i've had here before with a vehicle in the past , some thing to do with the cold weather and moisture getting in , if i remember right it was like the master plug in on the fire wall that brought the wireing harness from the engine into the cab , mine was behind the left front wheel in the wheel well , over time in the cold weather it was just a matter of time before it would start to act up , many of the wires in the master plug at the fire wall had corrodited and fused them selves together and shorted things out periodically

[JamesG]

 

 

 

heres how to do a parasitic draw test. easier to watch the video than trying to explain

 

 

most problems i've seen is aftermarket stuff including rust protection modules. had one drawing 60mA due to a bad connection.

good luck

[Skipper D]

 

 

 

heres how to do a parasitic draw test. easier to watch the video than trying to explain

 

 

most problems i've seen is aftermarket stuff including rust protection modules. had one drawing 60mA due to a bad connection.

good luck

 

 

Thats a good video James , one thing you can do Mike til you find the problem that will gaurentee your truck will always start when you need it is to disconnect the poisitive cable from the battery when the truck is parked .......

[aplumma]

Mike I would start with something simpler that is load test the battery and check the alternator output. If it passes both then put an inline amp meter to see if you have any amp draw with the key off and the truck door closed, radio off etc. If so then start pulling fuses but cold weather might be more than the battery can overcome due to age.

 

 

 

 

Art

[DRIFTER_016]

Thats a good video James , one thing you can do Mike til you find the problem that will gaurentee your truck will always start when you need it is to disconnect the poisitive cable from the battery when the truck is parked .......

 

Or even easier is to get one of These and just turn the juice off when not using the vehicle.

 

[bigbuck]

Disconnect the battery when not in use. Running down an automotive battery till its flat is REAL hard on it. When you have time and a helper, find the parasitic draw and fix it. Chances are its a bad ground. Check your ground straps, any loose ones should be repaired/replaced. I had the same issue with my Aurora, the body to engine block strap was badly corroded, a trip to West Marine for some tinned 4ga and lugs, a scuffed knuckle and a half hour was all it took me. Good luck, hopefully its just a bad contact somewhere. It shouldn't be too difficult to diagnose.

[davey buoy]

Or even easier is to get one of These and just turn the juice off when not using the vehicle.

 

Well I'll be damned,just when you thought you almost saw it all. Nice idea Dave!!,temporarily I mean.

[DRIFTER_016]

Or even easier is to get one of These and just turn the juice off when not using the vehicle.

 

Well I'll be damned,just when you thought you almost saw it all. Nice idea Dave!!,temporarily I mean.

 

They are perfect for seasonal vehicles and those that you don't drive too often.

There are even automatic switches that will shut off if the battery drains to a certain point so that you don't end up with a dead battery.

 

I.E. if you happen to leave your lights on. Once the battery gets down to a certain voltage it will automatically shut off power. You come back and find you have now power, hit the brakes, start your car and drive away.

 

Automatic Battery Disconnect Switch

 

[Bernie]

Hello Mike.

 

Arts suggestion to check alternator output is a good one to begin.

Also make sure the drive belt is in good condition and not slipping.

Alternators take a lot of energy to turn when energized. If the belt slips, low power output.

One of the 3 fields in the alternator not functioning can cause your symptoms as well. Especially if you only drive it for 10 minutes.

 

Next is a battery parasitic drain.

Use an ammeter. This will tell you if there is a drain on the system.

You will need to let it sit for 15 to 20 minutes after shutting it off and closing all the doors. It takes this long for all the computer systems to shut down.

It should not be over 30 milliamps.

If it is, like the guys said, start pulling fuses until it's gone. Then you will have eliminated a lot of the circuits and home in on the culprit.

 

You did not mention the year of your Ford. Early 2000 models had issues with windshield leaks on to the body control computer under the left side of the dash. Lots of weird symptoms.

 

If you have a 7 pin trailer plug, there is one that is always positive hot. Make sure there is no corrosion around or inside the plug.

 

I have one at my shop right now that has been driving me nuts. Similar symptoms to yours.

If it sits for a week it kills the battery. Had it for 2 weeks and it just acted up last Friday when I noticed the park lights blinking. I could hear a relay inside the cab. Of course it was locked. When I unlocked the door, the symptoms went away and I'm almost back to square one. Gives me a clue though.

[mike rousseau]

It's a 2005 F-150 FX4 5.4L

 

Thank for all this info...

 

At least there's some things I can try....

 

Gunna start with pulling fuses because that sounds easy enough and might show us where the possible short is...

 

Also ill check the alternator... Do I just see how many volts its putting out while running??? If so How many should I have???

 

I know this is one of those "could be 100 different things"...things... That's why I wanna try to figure it out or ill end up spending a $1000 bucks at a shop for the mechanic to take a guess....

[DRIFTER_016]

Running voltage should be between 13.8 and 14.2 volts.

[mike rousseau]

So stuck died today...lol...been using the wife's car for holiday visiting...

 

So I charged it up and got it started....

 

When running I was getting 14.7 volts...

 

Does that mean my alternator is good... I'm thinking so....

[davey buoy]

So stuck died today...lol...been using the wife's car for holiday visiting...

 

So I charged it up and got it started....

 

When running I was getting 14.7 volts...

 

Does that mean my alternator is good... I'm thinking so....

 

Alternator good!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[davey buoy]

Mike you don't have a extra battery to put in for a few days?(boat battery}.I have been running a deep cycle battery for two years in my truck. Yours would be for test purpose only.

[mike rousseau]

Alternator good!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Check... Lol

[davey buoy]

Check... Lol

 

14.7 is great,I'd still try another battery for a few days.That warm weather ok,cold not,trying another battery will confirm if there is a short or not.

Edited December 26, 2012 by davey buoy

[ecmilley]

I find many of these later model fords have sub standard batterys if its a 2005 and a oem battery i would really be looking there first before driving yourself nuts looking for phantom loads

[mike rousseau]

It's not the original

 

I replaced the battery a couple years ago....