Traking down a battery drain?
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Mountain Pass
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 119
Likes: 3
Traking down a battery drain?
Had a no start on my 78 f150 351m when it was warm, started when it was cold. Thinking it might b the starter solenoid put on a new one, same issue. Fully charged the battery drove it all day shutting it off a few times here and there at stops. Started right back up every time. Next day wouldnt even turn over. Interstate battery is only 2 years old but will no longer hold a charge. Put a new battery in and tested the load between the negative terminal and the negative cable while it was disconnected. It measured about 100 mil amps on the 50 setting. Pulled each fuse one at a time and retested with each. No change. My question is where do i go from here?
Logistics Pro
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 4,217
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If it's digital, yes. It most likely has a "constant" power lead in order to save the station presets, the clock, and other settings.
Not sure on the numbers, but 100 mA is high for a stereo's memory? Phone charger left plugged into the lighter jack?
Inspect from your battery's + terminal to the Fender Mounted Starter Relay, and see if anything is tapped in. Try pulling all of the fuses and see if anything still works.
Not sure if the voltage regulator could cause this, but if it's the original, it might not be fully electronic in the sense that it has moving parts? Not sure when they changed.
Another remote possibility is the DuraSpark ignition box. The wiring between that box, the coil, and the dizzy, has somewhat of a reputation for the insulation going bad, and exposing the copper strands, possibly leading to shorted circuits. Not sure if the ignition box itself could cause this, but try leaving the fuses in and unplugging the ignition box, and see if the drain is still present.
Not sure on the numbers, but 100 mA is high for a stereo's memory? Phone charger left plugged into the lighter jack?
Inspect from your battery's + terminal to the Fender Mounted Starter Relay, and see if anything is tapped in. Try pulling all of the fuses and see if anything still works.
Not sure if the voltage regulator could cause this, but if it's the original, it might not be fully electronic in the sense that it has moving parts? Not sure when they changed.
Another remote possibility is the DuraSpark ignition box. The wiring between that box, the coil, and the dizzy, has somewhat of a reputation for the insulation going bad, and exposing the copper strands, possibly leading to shorted circuits. Not sure if the ignition box itself could cause this, but try leaving the fuses in and unplugging the ignition box, and see if the drain is still present.
Cargo Master
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 2,311
Likes: 366
From: Kansas
you didn't mention what the voltage was at the battery with then engine running...need to make sure the charging system is actually working...the lack of charge will also cause the symptoms you described.
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Mountain Pass
Joined: Dec 2017
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Just put a new alternator on last week.
I have been disconnecting the battery cable at night and reconnect in the morning. Starts up fine everytime i do that.
I have been disconnecting the battery cable at night and reconnect in the morning. Starts up fine everytime i do that.
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Cargo Master
Joined: Sep 2005
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With a good battery you could probably run the radio for a week without killing the battery. Try disconnection the radio so you have no draw there, then pull fuses one at a time and see if you can lose the draw.
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Postmaster
Joined: Mar 2011
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From: Taxachusetts
Had a similar situation with my boy's '86....battery would drain overnight. Charged it up, went to re-connect the cables...when attaching the NEG (-) cable I noticed a small spark and the telltale faint "bbrrrrrr" sound of the solenoid trying to click in. Gave the solenoid a few whacks with the handle of a screwdriver. Went to re-connect the NEG (-) cable again, no spark, no "bbrrrrr."
Ran it like that for a while, no problems, but I told him to get a quality Motorcraft solenoid to replace it. He did. No further problems.
Sometimes the contacts in the solenoid will fuse together enough to drain the battery but not engage the starter as it pulls a lot of amps to start the engine.
In your case, take a peek at the NEG (-) cable whilst re-connecting it - notice a small spark? Whack the solenoid a few times and see what happens. Replace it with a quality solenoid....mebbe you did replace it with a Motorcraft one and still have the problem.
Check your cables for corrosion - not just on the ends, but along the whole cable....you'll find some hard spots along the cable if it's corroded there....and check for good cable connections and grounds.
Just sayin' this could be a possibility.
Ran it like that for a while, no problems, but I told him to get a quality Motorcraft solenoid to replace it. He did. No further problems.
Sometimes the contacts in the solenoid will fuse together enough to drain the battery but not engage the starter as it pulls a lot of amps to start the engine.
In your case, take a peek at the NEG (-) cable whilst re-connecting it - notice a small spark? Whack the solenoid a few times and see what happens. Replace it with a quality solenoid....mebbe you did replace it with a Motorcraft one and still have the problem.
Check your cables for corrosion - not just on the ends, but along the whole cable....you'll find some hard spots along the cable if it's corroded there....and check for good cable connections and grounds.
Just sayin' this could be a possibility.
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 1,311
Likes: 31
From: Nevada
Disconnect
I know a band-aid isn't the answer to a broken bone, but I had a very slow drain on my battery that took 2 months to kill it, dont ask me why i waited to find this out.... But anyhow, I put a decent disconnect switch behind the grill thru the Rad support and I love it... also piece of mind that no one is going to jump in it and take off...
New User
Joined: Jan 2017
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I had a similar problem recently. It turned out to be the voltage regulator. But before you throw parts at it I would suggest running the same test with a multimeter and disconnecting anything else that could draw power. I have also seen this caused by the fuse block itself. You could try disconnecting the entire fuse block and see if there is still a draw. In the meantime, I agree that a disconnect switch is a good quick fix. I got a cheap one from the parts store that worked well until I fixed my problem.
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Mountain Pass
Joined: Dec 2017
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Here is a pic of the connector that goes to the transmission and ignition solenoid. It was jumped when i bought the truck and if hook it up to the connector for the trans, it wont even turn over. New transmission, old wiring. What is wrong here?
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