Dead battery on 2004 F150

Sounds odd. My 2003 has set for 2 weeks while I was away with no battery problems at all. Heck, they set on the lot longer than a week between being started.

Charles Perry P.E.

I agree that does seem odd. My 2000 model with the factory battery, DEI alarm,digital brake controller (LEDs always on) and other battery draining goodies has sat up to 3 weeks and never drained the battery. It always starts right up without a hint of low battery power.

Your service rep is an idiot! No reputable car company would design an electrical system to discharge the battery in 3 days. I could see, maybeee, 2 months.

There is probably a bad diode in the alternator that is bleeding power off to ground. Insist they replace the alternator or go to another dealer.

Tony

I have a 2001 F150 with a Duralast and has sat for a week at a time while I drive my older truck and have never had any starting problems. Sometime people like that are taught to say things like that when they get in a jam and hope that your a bigger idiot then they are, same holds thuth for sales people at elecrtronics stores. He's trying to get out of having to pay for warranty parts and or defects with truck and making you belive what you did was bad. You nned to get your moneys worth

He's no idiot. (Just doesn't want to bother with the repair as warranty work is a pain in the dealer's butt! But I agree that is no excuse.)

Sounds like either you have defective battery, a bad alternator, or you have some type of high drain occuring you aren't aware of. (Underhood or glovebox light that doesn't go out, etc.) When the truck is running, what is your voltmeter showing? Maybe compare your reading with another new truck on the dealer's lot.

Good luck.

Matt

I agree, just have to watch it and if it happens again I will have to get in his face, but since it was in the shop yesterday no problems, I have driven it a couple of times today.

not the alternator, it was one of the first things they checked out.

it shows a good charge, I'll give it a few more days and if it happens again it will be fixed. He did find the problem with discharging battery from Ford and it instructed them to recharge the battery and if it didn't hold it overnight to exchange the battery. It is holding the charge so far and I was told if it happens again they will put in a new one. I think he was just following guidance from Ford. I'm going to let it sit all weekend and not start it until Monday and see what happens.

My vote is for a bad battery. And if the battery is bad, it isn't done messing with you no matter what the battery expert sez either.

The battery can be bad as anything and fool them because they rely on their fancy battery gadgets etc, the information out of that stuff is just a crap shoot. No kidding, mechanics believe in it up until after I've proven it to them otherwise. I've done that over and over too it can't cover all situations.

It's just the difference between theory and practice, the equiptment is based on theory/assumtions. Like- "if the battery was made right to begin with, then..."

Ex-professional battery maintainer here. :)

"I've forgotten more about -pouring water- than most people will ever know!" ;)

Alvin in AZ ps- if they really do find something else, for sure, make sure and get back on here and tell me i'm "all wet", ok? ;)

i guess you did not see the smoke coming out of your ears. by his explanation,the dealers charge the batterys on every car on their lot every week??my parents crown vic sits for 3-5 months in the winter when they take the grand marquis to florida, and i never had to charge the battery in that,and that car has every option ,including the kitchen sink in it.

The alternator will still put out full power with a diode that is breaking down and leaking current back through it the wrong direction. I've seen it dozens of times.

Tony

Don't forget that voltage and charge are two separate properties of an electrical system. Charge is indirectly measured with a hydrometer, voltage is measured with a voltmeter.

One other thing to consider - before the battery died, did you drive the truck for many short trips? If you don't run the engine long enough (say, you drive to the store or to class 1 mile away and back several times but don't go anywhere else that week (or several weeks)) then drain of starting the engine won't be recharged. I've had a couple friends at school with this problem in the winter. (mabye you already know this, though)

-D

I think that is what happened, Since I have had the battery charged it hasn't been a problem, Thanks.