drained battery
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Freshman User
Joined: Feb 2004
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drained battery
It's been a while since I posted but I have a question. When my 04 f-150 sits under the carport and is not started for 10 days, when I do go to start the battery is dead. It's happened 2 times over the last year. No lights are left on. 5 or 6 days and it will start but 10 or so days it will not. I have an old 78 f-150 with a seven year old sears die hard battery in it and it will start anytime. It's happened when the weather was cold and it just happened yesterday. Voltage check is 6.9 volts. Give it a 10 amp charge for about 4 hours and it comes right back. Anybody have any suggestions? Is the motorcraft battery that bad of a battery. I wouldn't think the blinking red light would pull the battery down
Senior User
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 412
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It can either be a bad battery or you could have a ground somewhere in the system that is draining your battery.
Best thing I could suggest would be to take it to your local mechanic and have them do a load test on the battery and electrical system...Its a rather simple thing and shouldn't cost you too much because they could probably do it while you wait if they are not busy.
If you are a do it yourselfer type then I can suggest you try the following.
Regardless...Check the battery first because that could most likely be your culprit
Best thing I could suggest would be to take it to your local mechanic and have them do a load test on the battery and electrical system...Its a rather simple thing and shouldn't cost you too much because they could probably do it while you wait if they are not busy.
If you are a do it yourselfer type then I can suggest you try the following.
- Next time you plan on letting the truck sit for awhile...disconnect the battery...If the Cells in the battery are damaged then it will discharge regardless if it is hooked up or not...And if that is the case then you will need a new battery
- Disconnect the Negative battery Terminal and then slowly touch it back onto the terminal. If you see a spark with everything turned off then you know you have a ground and you will have to try and troubleshoot it(c below)
- If you dont see any sparks you can try to get yourself a decent cheap multimeter like this one at Radio Shack . It Isn't no Fluke 189 but it should do the trick for you. Plus its a good tool to have anyway. Make sure you can measure Current on the meter (10 amps minimum) and then follow the directions on the meter on how to hook it up. your connection to the battery will be (after disconnect the positive terminal)...Place one ltest lead on the + Battery Terminal and the other lead on the + Battery cable...You will have some current draw because of auxillary systems such as securilock, Alarms if installed and stuff...but it should be too much. (Maybe someone else can add to this to see what the standard dead draw on the Ford should be) I would assume it should be no more then an amp but I wouldn't know that much...I am an Electrician By trade...not a mechanic
Regardless...Check the battery first because that could most likely be your culprit
