I have an 05 F250 Super Duty 6.0L and I had noticed the past few days it cranking a little weaker than normal and this morning it finally would not turn over. I was able to remove the batteries, clean and brush and retried them and still would not turn on.

It's an 05, I got it used but it's the same Motorcrafts 750 cold cranking amps that it came with from the factory. Doesnt that seem like short lived batteries......only 2 1/2 years?? The glow plug light and surrounding lights flicker a bit so I'm assuming it's gotta be the battery. Anyhow I'll replace them.

Second question: Is there simple ways to conserve battery power?? I don't operate many devices out of the cigarette plug maybe a radar detec every now and then or spotlight. I do have a viper alarm I set maybe a couple of times at most daily.

I should know this and I may have seen it done before, but can you leave the engine running while fueling up to conserve battery life?

 

I have found my truck doesn't charge when idling while driving in traffic.

 

You can leave it running while fueling up. I have heard of this happening on big trucks with the cylinder shaped tanks, and that is if it is really low, the fuel from the nozzle can push the fuel away from the intake line and allow it to suck air and basically run out of fuel while filling up. I've never heard of that happening to a pickup though.
As for the batteries, since it's an 05, it was probably made sometime in 04 or early 05. The batteries could be at best, 3 years old. That does seem like a short life for them either way. You may want to have the alternator checked just to be safe.

 

you can idle while fueling,I do it all the time to keep truck cool but not sure how much battery life it would give you






you have an alternator problem

 

You should shut off any vehicle when filling with fuel... just like the signs say at the gas station.

I'm not sure why your batteries failed but here are a couple possibilities:

1. Alternator has lost a phase and is undercharging.

2. You have added electronics exceeding the capability of the alternator. In this case you need to install a higher output alternator with a more favorable low speed performance curve. This problem would be most evident when engine is idling because that corresponds with the lowest alternator output.

3. High parasitic loads on batteries when engine is off. If you have added electronics that require power with the key switch off then this could be discharging your batteries. Discharged batteries result in sluggish cranking and startup. A frequent state of discharge will eventually damage the batteries and result in a short service life.

4. High ambient temperature. Batteries don't like heat. In general, the life of batteries is reduced 50% for every +10F above 70F.

5. You have a high resistance short somewhere in the electrical system. This will drain the batteries but the short isn't severe enough to just burn up the cables or cause serious damage. Although, it will eventually.

6. Poor connetions somewhere in the charging circuit. Remove and clean ring terminals and posts. It doesn't take hardly any corrosion to cause 0.5V drop or more. This can have a big effect on the capability of the alternator to charge the batteries.

 

Food for thought.

Friend of mine with an 05 Dmax has replaced both batteries. he has over 120k on the truck. He does have some accessories, but nothing to drain them. He has A LOT of starts on the batteries.

My June 02 (so that is over 5 years) Trans Am has the original battery and no problems. Only 23k.

To illustrate, there are a lot of things that can lead to battery failure. You should check the systems as suggested, but I wouldn't be surprised if you don't find anything. One battery could of had a dead cell causing internal resistance drop and draining both batteries. Things break, and batteries are no different.

I've also seen 5 year OEM batts last 7 or 8 years!

 

I run dual Optima batteries and have always had great luck!!!! These batteries will hold up to ANY abuse you can throw at them! They are sealed, no maintenence required. It sounds like to me that you might have an alternator problem. It should be able to charge your batteries EASILY between starts and have tons of juice to fire them up. I would start by testing the alternator, and then move onto hooking the batteries up to a charger while they are unhooked completely from the truck, and watch and see how many amps they pull on the charger.....once they are fully charged, they should pull well below 2 amps, if they continue to draw 6-8 amps after several hours.....time for replacement!

 

I agree, you may have a charging system problem.

Have your alternator checked. Make sure your cables are all good, corrosion free and clean. Make sure all the ground straps on your engine are hooked up and have good connections.

Wearing the batteries out on 3 years isn't unheard of. Diesel engines put a lot of strain on batteries. You should replace them with the biggest, badest battery you can find. Optimas are very good, but expensive. Always replace the batteries in sets. Also, use the stupid little green and red felt washers on your battery terminals. They really do work.

 

Get the system checked out at your local auto parts store. I replaced my OEM batteries 2 years ago, I had starting issues recently, the test revealed a bad battery.

Since the batteries had a 3 year warranty I went to Sam's Club, $8+ later (battery had a price increase) the new battery was in so now no dead battery in the AM and starts with ease.

 

guess sams warranty ain't as good as wallys,just had 2 batteries replaced after two years didn't cost a dime

 

Yeah, what all those other guys said.

So you've either got battery problems or charging system problems. Are your batteries maintenance free or do you need to add distilled water to them? When was the last time you check the water level in them? I would start there.

As for your alternator. One of the more common problems is the voltage regulator. Good news, they are a small part. Bad news, almost all newer alternators have them incorporated in the alternator itself.

Here's how you check to see if your system works okay. Get a multimeter, one that reads out in volts dc (VDC). If you don't have one I'm sure one of your friends does. If not, you can buy one for less than $10. It's a good tool to have anyway (or possible Autozone loans them out too). Before starting your truck take a reading across the positive and negative terminals of your battery (check each one and write down the voltage reading). Start your truck and let it idle for a few minutes. Take a reading on VDC across the positive and negative terminals of your battery. It should read around 14 VDC (something higher than 12 VDC). If it reads that high then your charging system is okay and your battery is junk (check the other battery too to make sure it's charging okay too). If only 1 is charging and the other isn't then you have a wiring problem to 1 of your batteries. If neither has a higher voltage after you start the truck you either have alternator issues or a common wire/cable between the alternator and batteries is the culprit. But that opens a whole new avenue of troubleshooting (continuity checks).

I hope this helps get you started and gives you an idea what's wrong before you throw money at it.

 

Well, not to jump on the bandwagon here, but I have to agree with the majority of previous posters and say that it sounds like you have a small charging system failure or a slight drain somewhere. I agree with checking and cleaning all connections, especially the grounds. Look closely as there are a couple of them I think. From the sounds of your accessories, they should not be giving you any trouble at all. Hell, look in my gallery and see how many accessories i have going! The only word of wisdom I will offer on electronic accessories (as I do have some experience in this field) is this.....If you shut the truck off for an extended period of time (longer than running in to the local stop & rob), then you should unplug from the cigar lighter/aux outlet. With many devices, even if the device is "off" they are still drawing a low level amperage. Over time, this can cause the demise of your battery.

 

filling your tank will force the fuel away from the fuel feed line? do you guys stay up nights dreaming this stuff up? i have seen batterys die in 2 or 3 years. replace the batterys and drive it. have your alternater checked for out put. you chould be gatting about 14.70 volts to the batterys when charging. replace both batts at the same time.

 

Thanks for all your insightful responses. I traded it in for a Chevy...................yeah, I'm kiddin.

I replaced both batteries and it fired up like a rocket. So far all is good.

Brian42: I'll try and find one of those "multimeters" to read the dc volts and keep it around for similar problems in the future.

 

Well I guess I should pipe in here, although I have a V10 and not a diesel. My 02 still uses the factory issued battery and after sitting overnight the battery is reading 12.85 volts using a digital multimeter. By using a meter you can easily see how strong your battery or batteries are . 12.9 is tops, and about 12.0 is 10-15% charged. Btw I had a 95 mercury grand marquis and the oem ford battery lasted 10 1/2 years before failing, which is the most I have ever seen on a battery.