Here is what i have aftermarket for electrical. a Kennwood 4-channel power amp KAC-745, a pioneer stereo, an Auto meter tachometer, set of 2 fog lights and a set of 2 aux lamps. the only things that has constant power is the amp and the radio memory. all the rest are hooked into the fuse box under the dash and spliced into fuses that only have power when you turn the ignition on. here is what i just did tonight; I replaced the battery that goes from 12v to 2.8v with the battery i had in it before, the cab light stays on(Franklin2) and doesnt fizzle out even when i put it under load. it reads 12.03v and it turns the engine over but only once then the silinoid starts clicking and buzzing so i cleaned the ground on the engine block. i hooked the jumppack up to it, same thing. i charged it for 30min on fast charge, same thing. so no the ignition switch is not bad,the ground isnt bad, and the battery i have in it is not bad. but when i go to start it something is taking a lot of the battery load

 

Either the starter cable is chafed through and shorting to the engine somewhere or the starter itself is bad.

But neither of these will drain the battery that low over time not cranking.

Why not use the test light with each of the wires connected to the same stud as the +battery cable?

This is the beginning of battery drain troubleshooting.

 

How old are your battery cables? I have seen them get corroded under the plastic coating so they wouldn't work even though everything looked fine. Also, did you check the ground from the intake manifold to the firewall?

 

I'd like to further muddy the waters (it's one of my skills) by suggesting a voltage drop test UNDER LOAD in addition to the battery drain test suggested. As previously mentioned, you would have to have a huge drain somewhere to deplete a battery as quickly as it seems to be happening. Feel the alternator when the engine has been off a while. If hot, it's a failed diode in the alternator.

You mentioned reinstalling the old battery and it was slightly better. Did you take that voltage reading under load, or was that after the start attempt? A battery voltage reading at rest really doesn't mean much, so don't put too much faith in that. Battery voltage under load is what really matters.

Notice I've mentioned 'under load' several times already? It's that important. Run this test:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...w-starter.html

Yeah, I know, it's a bit long-winded. Skip to the bottom if you'd like, where I give step by step instructions of how to connect your meter and what readings you should see. Please note you must disable the ignition for this test. You don't want the engine to actually start. Instead, you want to crank the engine to put a load on the battery, and also measure the ability of the starter circuit to deliver all those pesky electrons in a big, happy loop from the battery to the starter and back.

With any luck, this test will find the fault quickly. Three meter connections, super quick. Could be you have a marginal connection that is both preventing the battery from taking a full charge (this is why it drains down so quickly) and from delivering the massive electron flow needed to spin the starter (this is why the starter is so slow).

 

Like mentioned, it is unlikely that the ignition switch is the cause of the problem unless it is sloppy enough to question a short. If the battery is new, return it for an exchange regardless if you think you discharged it. There are only four battery manufacturers in the U.S. that "case" batteries for distributors/retailers. Most retailers have a 3 year full replacement warranty with pro-ration after that . Start fresh. I realize that the distributor's true turn over time stock may be questionable but I would give it a shot. Depending on the distributor's sales history, the battery could have been on the shelf for awhile. Distributors do not check shelf stock for voltage output on batteries, nor do they charge them. Quick turn over retailers such as Walmart tend to not worry so much as they turn their stock over rather quickly due to their lower prices given the quantity buying power. It is not uncommon for big box retailers (Walmart, Auto Zone, Advance, O'Reilly's, NAPA to take back 2 and sometimes 3 batteries before the consumer is satisfied. That profit/loss turn over cost is built in to the retail price from both the manufacturer at the time of manufacture as well as by the retailer. Start fresh.

 

^ yeah, what he said! Undersize or really old battery cables can cause the solenoid to fry. If there is a NAPA autoparts nearby, go in and get replacement cables when you can, their heavy duty (Gold) line, which is 1 Gage. I swapped all my trucks over to them years ago. They are EXPENSIVE, but a dang good investment. My local Carquest has custom built 0 gage cables...but they are the primary heavy equipment supplier in the area. This might not apply in all areas. The Napa Gold cables should be available everywhere.

 

How do I know if my ignition switch is bad nothing comes on at all when I turn the key an the battery is fully charged

 

Is this the original poster, the same person with two screen names? If not, you'd get better responses by starting a new topic with your question. A thread can quickly turn into a mass of confusion if dealing with more than one person asking questions, even if very similar.

 

PM sent. Drop me a line.