So I got into my truck at work this morning, turned the key and nothing happened no lights, no bells, no gauges, nothing except the red security light on the dash flashed very quickly and I could hear a noise coming from the fuel pump(I think). First thought, dead battery. So I use my friends portable battery booster and it starts right up. The battery guage shows normal and I turned it off right away to see if I would have the same problem and it started again no problem. Radio presets are still there, just the tripometer reset. Could it be something with the ignition? What happens if you have a key without the chip and try to start? Anyone with any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Bill

 

I don't know about the 04+ trucks, but in the previous series trucks if you used a key without the chip the truck would start and run for a brief time then shut down, then you had to have the truck towed to a dealer so they could reset the computer.

 

Bring it to the local shop that can test your battery and alternator while it in the truck.
Check the terminals makes sure they are super clean. I Know these fords are super picky on the terminals being dirty. There have been many guys through here with starting issues that were solved be loose terminals or Dirty ones. let us know how it goes..

 

Sounds like a battery to me.

First of all, the "battery gauge" does not show anything meaningful about the battery, rather the current battery voltage, which is more affected by a properly running alternator than anything else. You could have a totally dead battery, and that gauge will always read normal if your alternator is functioning correctly. It shows NOTHING about your battery's health.

If it were a bad connection, you'd not only see no bells, lights, etc., but you would see and hear nothing at all, since there would be no connection to the battery to supply voltage to the red light and fuel pump. When you jump start a car, you are most often charging your battery just enough to get the thing to start...and even bad batteries will hold a small amount of charge. Often enough to restart the engine shortly after it was shut off.

btacarlton has the right idea...go get it tested!!!

 

I checked the battery and alternator myself. Both are good. Battery terminals are clean and tight. I checked inthe truck this morning when it happend and nothing was left on. Why when I initially turned the key on, why did I hear a noise coming from the fuel pump? Not the normal noise of the pump when you first turn the key on, but a more sickly noise. Sorry, not very good at describing noises.

 

I've been following your thread...

How did you check the battery and alternator?

The sickly sound of the fuel pump and your first post indicate a battery problem or a severe battery drain..

 

I checked the battery just now after the truck has been sitting about 11 hours(it had been sitting about 7 hours before the initial problem) and with the truck off, I have 12.77 volts. With the truck running, the alternator is putting out about 14.75 volts. I checked the battery with my voltmeter across the terminals and the alternator at the Pos(+) lug on the alternator and to a ground in the engine compartment and across the battery terminals and the reading was the same, 14.75.

 

Good thinking, but meaningless.

To test a battery, you do not read voltage, you read amps. To check amps, you need a battery tester, which is the type of device any service shop, parts store, or even wal-mart would have. The device puts a very large load on the battery, akin to trying to start an engine, and measures voltage drop. Not the kind of thing that's easy or safe do do without the equipment! Most should test it for free, although some service shops may want to charge...I highly recommend walmart.

Same thing with the alternator. When they test an alternator, they are testing for current output, NOT voltage! Your voltage numbers look good...but are meaningless!

Take it to wal-mart, or the parts store and have them test it!

 

Meaningless? Wouldn't the voltage readings be bad if the battery or alternator was bad and not putting out enough amps?

If the battery or alternator was bad, I think I would still be having problems. I just went out and started the truck with no issues. If there was a battery drain problem this morning, there should still be a battery drain problem now. Don't you agree?

I can check amps with my meter as well. What are the acceptable limits for amps during cranking?

 

Should get 9.6 volts or greater on cranking.

 

Thanks BillC. I will check amps, but I really don't think the battery or the alternator are the problem. Still confused though.

 

Current = Voltage/Resistence

There is a very high resistance in your multimeter, thus is drawing very little current. Therefore, you would get nearly the same reading from a small, hypothetical 5 cca battery than you would a large, automotive 600 CCA battery. There would be no difference until you try and draw more than 5 amps...the larger battery would have 120 times the power, but still give you the same voltage on your meter.

 

Will check the amps to see what I get.

 

You can get a good indication of your battery from voltage readings. There is a procedure to follow, and if you search aound the web, you will probably find it.

First, it involves getting your battery properly charged and then using your lights, heater, etc (with the engine off) to remove what is called the 'surface charge'.

Then you take your voltage reading. I think that it should be at around 12.5 --- but I don't remember. I usually surf around to get the exact procedure. Someday I'll be smart and save it.

That test tells you if your batt is holding a charge.

Also, quick equivalent of the load test involves reading your battery voltage while you start the engine. If it dips below 9v, you've got problems. I personally like to see it near or over 10.

The battery load test is valid, but I don't know that I'd do it at Wally. No offense to the other poster, but I don't really trust them. You may get good results at one store, but not another. I'm not saying that there are no good techs at Wally, I'm just saying that don't think that sevice center excellence is a big priority. Feel free to correct m e if you have evidence to the contrary.

 

Well I am not able to check amps with my multimeter because it only goes up to 10A. So I will check the voltage during cranking, but I still don't think that is the problem. Since then the truck hasn't had any issues.