hey all new to the forums and think this is the best one for my truck , im hoping to get some advice from you guys , i have a 86 ford 150 302FI AOD , ok this probably has been brought up before but.... i have something draining my battery and i feel like pulling my hair out.. after about a day of not starting it the battery dies and charge it on the charger and repeat all the time... so i tried replacing the starter soleniod apperently its a common problem , the i read more and test for and electrical draw by disconnecting the negative terminal and putting my electrical tester between the post and connector... supposedly anything over a draw of .5 amps is too much. but the trcuk only draws .46 amps ... i dont know what else to check next and its driving me nuts... if its not drawing more than .5 amps does that mean that anything that is hooked up to fuse panel not causing the draw? sorry if i sound like a dumb *** but this is the best i could explain it...

thanks in advance. joe.

 

maybe your battery is weak.i would take it out and get it load tested.also your alternator is going bad,unhook it and see if the draw disappears.if not pull your fuses one at a time and check to see if the draw disappears.if your truck is fuel injected your ecm might be pulling that draw as well.let us know what you find. BTW welcome to the site.

 

First, let me welcome you to FTE. Second, asking questions does not make you dumb. It's a known fact that wiring is one of the biggest headscratchers of this hobby. :P

Newer vehicles with a PCM or other electronic controls are most likely going to draw a little power to retain their memory. Your radio will also draw a little power to keep its clock setting and presets. Neither should cause enough battery drain to run it out overnight.

A rule of thumb I learned from facing my own electrical issues is that you want to start at the battery clamps and work your way along from there. I would check these things:


- Battery. Have it tested at an auto parts store and make sure it's in good condition.

- Battery cables. Make sure they're all in good condition, and replace them if they're not. I assume the 86 EFI trucks have the same battery cable setup as the non-EFI models, if it is in fact the same then replacing the cables should be super-easy.

- Alternator. Bigred summed it up exactly.

- Battery clamps. Loose or corroded clamps can keep your vehicle from starting. Cleaning them is easy using a battery brush (has an open end with metal wire bristles inside for cleaning the posts, and you open it up to reveal a narrow wire brush for cleaning inside clamps).

You could also try pulling one fuse per day, to see if it keeps your battery from being drained; if it makes a difference, you know where to start looking for your problem, if there's no difference you'd just put the fuse back in. But you'd want to be sure you didn't pull the fuse for your PCM or brake lights or something. :P

Here's a diagram of the fusebox in the 80-86 trucks, also:

 

That's almost 6 watts, are you sure the interior light isn't stuck on or something?
You can hook the tester up and pull fuses one at a time checking to see if the draw goes away.
Given that it's an '86 I'd ask if you have the 2G alternator. The harness plug on the back of mine shorted internally and drove me crazy like this for a couple of days until I found the problem.

 

I'd also check your door contacts as they like to wear out(the ones that turn your interior lights on, usualy in a rubber boot on the door frame). Found that one out the hard way when I had my '88 Aero EB.

 

This is a "HOBBY"???

I've been thinking of it as a "way of LIFE"!!!

 

it's both for me.i like to tinker with them,but also depend on them as well.don't like the new trucks,and refuse to pay what they want for them..IMO these are the best looking trucks ford made,next to the late 40's early 50's pick up's

 

hey thanks everybody for the fast and helpful responses .. i will start doing what you guys all said and give my results tommorow... i hope i can fix this soon or the next thing im gonna look up online is how to make a noose..

joe.

 

Let me save you some time.

http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0geurrAAL...nots/noose.htm

Just in case things do not work.

 

ok so with out even getting my battery fully charged i noticed a couple things... one is when i put the charger on it it started making this noise from under the engine and then it stopped after like a minute, sounded like it was comming from the starter... another thing was that the alternator harness is covered in grease and has electrical tape on it thats comming off.. before it connects to the alternator there is a single connector unplugged can find where it connects? and where the bottom connection to the alternator is it was covered in grease from leaky valve covers , topside connection looked ok...so i cleaned that out with di-electric cleaner the best i could and replugged... where the engines ground goes to the frame there is the wire from engine to frame and from there is another wire that is the same gauge and cut at about 8 inches... also my door contacts.. have no rubber pieces whatsoever.... just a little piece of metal that sticks out from the door and i cant find anything else on the door frame on the cab that it would set into.... sorry for the long message any input is greatly appreciated...

 

1st) Change the connector on your alternator before it starts a fire.
These are readily available at most auto parts stores.

2nd) Install a new continuous ground cable from battery to block.
(if there is resistance or failure here, power will find some other way back through your harness, possibly causing components to fail)

3rd) The switch is on the door and not the jamb???
I'm not sure what you're talking about.
There should be a hex nut with a little plastic 'mushroom' visible near the door hinge.
This is always powered and if shorting would explain the draw.

Electrical diagnosis is hard enough over the internet. Could you post some pictures of what you've found so far?

Oh and since I failed to mention it, Welcome to the FTE forums 86ford302

 

 

That is why I got rid of the 2g in my truck.

 

Me too!
I replaced that plug twice .

When working in winter I'm always driving in the dark with the headlights on and the heater blasting.
I got sick of my headlights flashing with my turn signals....