2017+ Super Duty The 2017+ Ford F250, F350, F450 and F550 Super Duty Pickup and Chassis Cab

Dead battery

  #1  
Old 09-03-2019 | 06:19 AM
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2018f250stx
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From: Norwalk ohio
Dead battery

My 2018 battery was dead 12.06 volts , I haven't drove the truck for a couple weeks is there enough draw to kill a battery if you don't start it for awhile?? Had the same thing happen once on my 2014 f150
 
  #2  
Old 09-03-2019 | 08:31 AM
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seville009
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It’s possible.

It’s also possible that your battery wasn’t at 100% from the start, even though it was a new truck.

You can charge up the existing battery and have it load tested, and then test for parasitic draw. If there isn’t any, and the battery is still fading, if it were me I’d throw in a new battery with the highest cca’s available
 
  #3  
Old 09-03-2019 | 08:49 AM
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Any idea how long the truck sat on the lot before you bought it? The battery may have had a rough life before you even got your hands on the truck. Motorcraft battery warranty is good so just take it in and have them test it.
 
  #4  
Old 09-03-2019 | 11:08 AM
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HRTKD
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My 2017 F-350 has sat for a month at a time without any battery issues. I did this several times. After that, I started connecting it to a battery tender to keep the batteries topped up.

Look for things plugged in that shouldn't be. Normally the cigarette lighter and USB ports provide power only for a few minutes after the ignition is shut off. Do you have other aftermarket accessories installed?
 
  #5  
Old 09-03-2019 | 01:04 PM
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seventyseven250
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Lots of factors, but you can save yourself a lot of heartache if you plug in a battery tender or other smart charger any time you let a vehicle sit for a week or more. It'll extend the life of the battery as well. As was mentioned, some trucks come from the dealer with damaged batteries, and other batteries get damaged without the owners knowledge sometime before a no-start situation like yours.
 
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Old 09-03-2019 | 06:11 PM
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tibadoe
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That was the first thing I did when I got home with my new truck (all my new vehicles/motorcycles) - attach the tender/desulfator to the batteries for a good saturation charge. Shortly after I attached the tender plug to one of the batteries - now it's a easy plug in. Almost two years and the truck batteries are just fine.

My theory: unknown battery age & charge condition when installed, hard to tell how many times a vehicle is started after it rolls off the manufacturing line, loaded on car carriers, moved around dealer lots. Then couple that to little driving for a recharge = a short life battery. A handful of vehicle batteries will make it without issue but why take the chance.

Anyway, charge it up and check voltage and load test it -- or have dealer do it.
 
  #7  
Old 09-03-2019 | 06:39 PM
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Been on the charger for a few hours , the eye is still red even though it read 13 volts.. I pulled the battery and have it charging in the garage I think it has a bad cell.. any chance it's would be prorated at the dealer?? I bought it in June of 2018
 
  #8  
Old 09-03-2019 | 06:48 PM
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Originally Posted by 2018f250stx
Been on the charger for a few hours , the eye is still red even though it read 13 volts.. I pulled the battery and have it charging in the garage I think it has a bad cell.. any chance it's would be prorated at the dealer?? I bought it in June of 2018
It can take days on a charger to turn the eye green, That is normal.

If the battery reads 13 volts off the charger then you don't have a bad cell. You would be reading 11 volts or less after being charged. Each of the 6 cells produces 2.1 volts when resting after being charged.
 
  #9  
Old 09-03-2019 | 08:41 PM
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fordman19762003
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Originally Posted by 2018f250stx
Been on the charger for a few hours , the eye is still red even though it read 13 volts.. I pulled the battery and have it charging in the garage I think it has a bad cell.. any chance it's would be prorated at the dealer?? I bought it in June of 2018
It should be covered under warranty. I had my old truck in once for another issue and they replaced the year old battery because the truck cranked slow for them and it failed the test.
 
  #10  
Old 09-03-2019 | 08:43 PM
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Originally Posted by 2018f250stx
Been on the charger for a few hours , the eye is still red even though it read 13 volts.. I pulled the battery and have it charging in the garage I think it has a bad cell.. any chance it's would be prorated at the dealer?? I bought it in June of 2018
If your battery is bad the battery is covered 100% under the 3yr/36k mile warranty. No prorated.
 
  #11  
Old 09-03-2019 | 08:50 PM
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HRTKD
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Have you checked the water level in each cell?
 
  #12  
Old 09-04-2019 | 04:59 AM
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2018f250stx
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Originally Posted by HRTKD
Have you checked the water level in each cell?
Yeah, topped them off last night , pulled the battery rocked it to mix it up a little. Ill put it back on the charger when I get home..
 
  #13  
Old 09-04-2019 | 09:32 AM
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As I mentioned earlier, the battery warranty is great. Pop into the dealer and ask them to check it. You paid for the warranty, might as well use it!
 
  #14  
Old 09-04-2019 | 02:43 PM
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GABAR
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Originally Posted by 2018f250stx
My 2018 battery was dead 12.06 volts , I haven't drove the truck for a couple weeks is there enough draw to kill a battery if you don't start it for awhile?? Had the same thing happen once on my 2014 f150
Go with Northstar.
 
  #15  
Old 09-09-2019 | 08:46 AM
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Larrymac52
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Upon consulting with forum member Flyct, I purchased a Deltran Battery tender for my F350 6.7.
I have rotator cuff surgery in three days, so I won’t be driving for three weeks. After reading this thread ( and with a dash cam that will turn on with motion while in park), I decided to add a battery tender hopefully to extend battery life and to prevent parasitic draw from having dead batteries because of the layoff. I also bought a battery harness to the passenger side battery so I just need to connect an extension cable to the harness. Quick and easy connect/disconnect..
I got the 12v, 5 amp water resistant model. Amazon was $40 cheaper than Deltran direct online btw.
 

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