F350 Turbo Diesel Killing Batteries
 

I bought this 2003 Ford F350 Turbo Diesel truck from a dealer a little over a month ago; it worked fine up until one day last week. I got home from work I turned off the truck to open my gate and it would not start. It cranked a few times then it seemed like the batteries (2) started to go down. I checked the oil level and it was ok. I check all the fuses and they were all ok also. I have a BullyDog Programmer installed and set to tow/economy, so set the truck back to its stock settings and tried to start it and it started. I pulled into the yard and restarted it and it again started ok. I left it overnight and the next morning when I tried to start it, it seemed like the batteries did not have enough power to start it. I checked the Voltage which read 11.48 volts. I charged 1 battery and I noticed that the terminal was dirty so I cleaned it. When I reinstalled the battery it started ok. I didn’t drive it for about a week. When I got in yesterday afternoon it started ok I drove it around all afternoon turning it on and off with no problem (no weak starts or weak batteries). I activated the alarm and went to bed. This morning when I tried to start it, it was almost unable to crank. Batteries seem to be week again. Seems like something is draining the battery when it is parked. Does anyone have an idea what could be the problem?<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

No lights or any other accessories were left on.

<o:p></o:p>

This is becoming a pain… any help would be greatly appreciated.

<o:p></o:p>

if they are the factory batteries then its probably time for some new ones. when you are cranking the engine look at the volt gauge, what does it read? if it drops down to the bottom of the gauge thats a good sign you need new batts.

You say "No lights or any other accessories were left on" but you also say you set the alarm, which takes current to run.

Yes, diesels in general are harder on batteries. This is why you have two. Relace them as a pair, otherwise you'll have other problems.

Inspect your entire charging system. Batteries are just one part of it. A weak alternator, bad cables. loose connections or an unknown current drain will also cause problems.

Most Volt Meters will measure current. To do it, lift the positive lead to the battery and connect the meter leads between the battery & cable. Since there are two batteries, you'll have to take the other positive terminal off, so you're only measuring drain from one source. I'm not sure what the "normal" current is though. I can measure mine when I get home. I wouldn't expect more than maybe 100 mA (.1 A). Like Redford said, there are other parts of the system that can cause this, but if you're sure the batts & alt are good, then there must be something pulling extra current from them.

FWIW, when one of mine got weak, it acted similar. I let it set over night and it seemed to start slow. I let it set about 5 days, and it almost didn't turn over (thankfully it did -- I was in an airport parking lot 2 hours from home). I ended up replacing the batteries (but only one was bad), then the alternator two months later. I think the bad battery put a serious strain on the alt.

Alternator
 

I agree with some of what the others said. You may have bad batteries, but I think that it is more likely an alternator problem. What voltage do you read across the battery, either one, when the engine is running at idle with all accessories off. It should be 14.1 or better, up to about 14.7max. If it is outside of that range, then the alternator has a problem. More bad alternators have caused good batteries to go bad than the other way around. Turn on the A/C fan/blower to max and re-read the voltage across the battery. If the alternator is working properly, the voltage should not drop much. A little is OK. If the alternator checks out and you do not have something shorted draining the batteries, then the battery(s) is/are bad. You know that if you are unsure about the alternator, you can take it to most auto parts stores for a free test?

Yup, most parts stores will test alternators for free. I believe that they will also test batteries for free too.

I think there should be a regulator that brings the voltage down to max of 14.1 ... mine usually runs about 13.7 to 14.1 and it is brand new..


You could have one bad battery that kills everything else...which will kill the alternator too..

So just like everybody said get some new batteries.

You could try giving them a real good charge with a charger...out side of the truck and then test them. ??

Hey Guys,
Thanks for all that valuable information. I really appreciate it. I know this might be silly but the batteries "Look new". They do not have the date purchased punched out, but both are the exact same Chrysler batteries. On an average, can you tell me about how long batteries should last? I also would not think that the alarm would use that much current. I'll check the alternator. I also find it strange that the batteries run down when the truck is off, which again leads me to believe that something is draining them. i'll try all your suggestions and let you know. Thanks Again ...Peace

if you want to do it the lazy way take it to wally they have free battery check

Usually 4-5 years is about average in my experience. A shorted cell in a battery will kill them just sitting, too. Remember, they're in parallel, so if one gets weak, it will pull the other one down. That's what happened to mine. The PO replaced only one (it was only about a year or so old in April of this year) and the other was original. I went ahead and put in two DuraLast Golds from AutoZoo. So far, so good...

Looks can be deceiving. You have to start ruling things out somewhere and this seems like a good spot to start. Take the batteries and alternator up to your local parts store and have them test it out. That way there is no speculation.

It will not start with bad batteries... so get those guys checked...

in az batterys seem to last 1-2 years

I had the batteries checked at NAPA and found out that they both where bad. they were not holding the charge. i also saw i sticker on them that said 6/07...not sure if that's when they were installed. In any event, they are bad. A local Mechanic told me that the only thing that would cause the batteries to go bad like that was if they went completley dead (which they didn't) or if they were overcharged and i had not charged them before the problem started. This laeds me to believe that the altenator overcharge the batteries. Does the 2003 ford f350 turbo diesel carry a external voltage regulator? If it does, can you tell me where it's located and how to test it?
Thanks

if it was a little round sticker that would be production date
think voltage reg is internal