| Draining Battery on a 97 Ford Expedition I have a 97 Ford Expedition and we can't pin point why the battery keeps draining. In November it broke down. We replaced the fuel pump, then the alternator went out, then we had to get a new battery cause the old one went bad. Now the battery keeps draining. We charge the battery and it does fine for a day or two and then it starts rapidly draining. My husband has checked everything he thinks it might be but nothing is working! Please help! |
|
 JuggernautIrreverent or irrelevant?Premium
join:2006-09-05
Kelowna, BC
kudos:2 | The first thing I would do is check the alternator output. Even new or remans can be bad. Secondly, I'd do a load test on the battery and make sure it's fine as well.
--
"I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots." ~ Albert Einstein |
|
| Thanks. We've done that and it was good. |
|
 mattmagPremium,ExMod 2000-03
join:2000-04-09
NW Illinois
kudos:3 |
How fast does it go down? Have you disconnected the battery for a day or two to see if it drains by itself?
|
|
 Doctor OldsI Need A Remedy For What's Ailing Me.Premium,VIP
join:2001-04-19
1970 442 W30
kudos:18 | reply to karlaijklm
said by karlaijklm:I have a 97 Ford Expedition and we can't pin point why the battery keeps draining. In November it broke down. We replaced the fuel pump, then the alternator went out, then we had to get a new battery cause the old one went bad. Now the battery keeps draining. We charge the battery and it does fine for a day or two and then it starts rapidly draining. My husband has checked everything he thinks it might be but nothing is working! Please help!
Draining a battery all the way dead damages the plates and reduces the batteries reserves and shortens its life dramatically. » www.phoenixchargers.com/Benefits.html quote:
4. At what voltage is a battery ‘dead’?
· It’s important to understand that, although batteries are described as 12-volt, in reality a fully charged battery measures 12.6 volts after 24 hours of rest. A battery with a voltage of about 12.2 volt is only 50% charged and one reading 11.7 volts is, to all intents and purposes, fully discharged or dead.
6. Do I need to completely discharge my lead acid battery before recharging it?
· No, in fact you should never discharge your lead acid battery below 80% of its rated capacity. Discharging below 10.5 volts can damage the battery and cause the battery to die.
Or you can test it if you have a DMM - Digital Multimeter (or Analog voltmeter) by looking at the voltage with the engine running. If it shows 12.6 to 12.9 then the alternator is not charging, but if it shows 13 to 14 volts then it is charging and you have a parasitic drain to find instead. » What's Killing my Batteries?Parasitic Current Drain » flashoffroad.com/electrical/Curr···rain.pdfThexton Manufacturing T431 Parasitic Battery Drain Test Adapter »» www.amazon.com/Thexton-431-Batte···00P9IGC0»www.youtube.com/watch?v=KumxM3tiwwg--
What’s the point of owning a supercar if you can’t scare yourself stupid from time to time? |
|
Reviews:
 ·AT&T U-Verse
 ·Insight Communic..
| reply to karlaijklm
I had a similar issue on a old dodge caravan. It was winter and every morning my battery was dead and I would have to jump it. After a few days I started unhooking the positive cable before going in. When I plugged it up the next morning I heard a "Clunk" and touched the positive pole a few more times till I found out the air conditoner compressor had locked up and was draining the battery. The van had individual belts so I just cut the belt to the AC and unplugged the power wire for it. No more dead battery.
There is probably something stuck on after the vehicle is shut off. it may take some testing to find it. |
|
| reply to karlaijklm
The battery is draining even while the truck is on. It'll start at about 12 and then start draining. |
|
|
|
| said by Juggernaut:The first thing I would do is check the alternator output. Even new or remans can be bad. Secondly, I'd do a load test on the battery and make sure it's fine as well.
said by karlaijklm:Thanks. We've done that and it was good.
said by karlaijklm:The battery is draining even while the truck is on. It'll start at about 12 and then start draining.
Then the alternator is not good, or something came loose. Where are you getting 12 from? Do you have a handheld voltmeter? |
|
mattmagPremium,ExMod 2000-03
join:2000-04-09
NW Illinois
kudos:3 | reply to karlaijklm
said by karlaijklm:The battery is draining even while the truck is on. It'll start at about 12 and then start draining.
Well let's look at some basics. First, where are you reading '12' at, and with what device? And by 'on' do you mean the truck is running? It's pointing heavily at the alternator at this moment.
Use a basic voltmeter at the battery terminals and read DC volts with the truck shut off, and with it running. |
|
Doctor OldsI Need A Remedy For What's Ailing Me.Premium,VIP
join:2001-04-19
1970 442 W30
kudos:18 | reply to karlaijklm
said by karlaijklm:Thanks. We've done that and it was good.
said by karlaijklm:the battery is draining even while the truck is on. It'll start at about 12 and then start draining. What was good? 12.0V is not good when the engine is running. The voltage should be in the 13.6V to 14.4V range with the engine running and 12.6V to 12.9V range with the engine off.
Are you sure the alternator is turning? Is the drive belt present and under tension?
--
What’s the point of owning a supercar if you can’t scare yourself stupid from time to time? |
|
