electrical short

[Sledpuller]

I got one somewhere. Just wondered if anyone else ever had the same problem. Drove home from work one night then went out the next afternoon and had nothing. Hooked the battery charger up, Started the truck and let it run. Shut it off and it started right back up. Left it at home and checked it the next morning and nothing again. Something is draining power or I got a short. Any ideas?

 

[fordtrucker4life!]

first verify that the batteries are not bad with a load tester. Then start with the charging system. Need to verify the simple things first.

 

[bushpilot]

youll probably need to put an
ammeter on the batteries and
then start pulling fuses & relays
one at a time to see which circuit
is pulling current.

 

[HowieE]

I'll go with "Fordtrucker4life". Test the batteries separately from each other. If they test good. Without starting the truck read the voltage on the large terminal of the alternator, should be battery voltage. This checks the fusible link. With the truck running read the voltage on the small terminal and large terminals of the alternator, it also should be 13.5. The small terminal only is hot when the ign. is on. This tests the alternator.

If all these check out, and I assume you are driving the truck at least 20 miles per trip, you do have a load somewhere in the truck that is pulling down the batteries. If you are driving less per trip you are not driving enough to charge the batteries and they are just being drained by the starter over time.

 

[gatorpak]

Re: Battery Drainage

Hi! I'm new to the forum.

Thanks so much to all that post here. The knowledge base on here puts me at ease with future questions or wrenching situations.

I just purchased an '01 'X' w/7.3...140k...very happy. Will get some pics up soon!

I had same problem as you described...battery drainage.

Load tested both batteries with a tester from the local parts store for free...and they were bad. Ended up being the original batteries, and when I took one out, it was swollen, corroded, and ready for a core exchange. Before buying new, I tried replacing only one battery with one I had in the garage, but over the weekend they drained to nothing as well.

Then three people told to replace both batteries at the same time. I did so and haven't looked back. Seems the weaker one will drain the stronger one.

Thankfully my problem happened at the car lot and again at my house when I test drove it for a day (had to jump it), so in the end I ended up getting a check to pay for one new battery...better than nothing. Now I have two batteries w/1050CCA each @32 degrees, 880 at 0. At first the sellers tried to tell me the programmer takes so much battery that it drains them to nothing. One call to the programmer manufacturer and that myth was busted.

After getting your new batteries, shine up the posts and the inside of your clamps for good connections with a battery post brush, place a bit of synthetic oil or lithium grease on the posts to help against corrosion, and hopefully you'll be golden.

If you still have drainage, go through the charging system...even new alternators can be junk from the get-go. Also check to make sure battery cables aren't touching the body or other parts on your rig.

Oh, measure your battery size BEFORE getting new ones...I left the cores at the front of the store, just guessed the size, got them home, modified the cases a bit to hold the batteries in because they were an inch too narrow. Guess what... They were also an inch or so too tall and I couldn't shut the hood! DUH! , &. Swapped them the next day and all is well.

 

[Sledpuller]

Well, My batteries were under warranty so I swapped them out and put all new terminals on also. I was good for two days then the next morning they were dead again. I hooked up a test light and found that something running off the inside fuse box was pulling voltage. Found further that when I take out the fuses that run the GEM the draw goes away so it is either the GEM or one of the curcuits that run power from the GEM like anti theft or accessory lights or keyless entry and the list goes on so it is at the shop now and I am going over in the morning so we can start cancelling out systems that run off of the GEM or find that the GEM is bad itself. If I leave the fuses out for it and put them in the next morning it is fine and starts right up. Gremlins.

 

[HowieE]

Well, My batteries were under warranty so I swapped them out and put all new terminals on also. I was good for two days then the next morning they were dead again. I hooked up a test light and found that something running off the inside fuse box was pulling voltage. Found further that when I take out the fuses that run the GEM the draw goes away so it is either the GEM or one of the curcuits that run power from the GEM like anti theft or accessory lights or keyless entry and the list goes on so it is at the shop now and I am going over in the morning so we can start cancelling out systems that run off of the GEM or find that the GEM is bad itself. If I leave the fuses out for it and put them in the next morning it is fine and starts right up. Gremlins.

The security system and radio memory draw current All the time. They do not draw enough to cause a problem.

Get a clip on amp meter and measure the current in the line you have pulled the fuse out of. Put a short piece of wire in in place of the fuse and measure the current in the wire. If the circuit is OK I would be surprised you could even read the current draw since it is normally so small.

To kill your batteries overnight you are looking for a current draw of several amps

 

[Dogman]

Check the lights. Like under the hood light, glove box light thing like that there small but they can kill batteries to. Check your ignition too, if it's not going to the lock position it can leave things on that you think are off. On your ignition, can you pull the key out with the truck running? If so there could be your problem.

 

[Sledpuller]

It is the GEM. It is bad and allowing all the systems to draw power. Say if the doors are closed the truck doesn't know it or if they are locked the truck doesn't know it and it keeps feeding power to these systems after the timer delay or what not goes out. Either way it's a ford only part at a cost of $400 plus the shop labor so far.

 

[Sledpuller]

Well after 30 hours of labor I now have a the ole ex in the driveway and it is still broke. Though the batteries were holding some volts this morning they still couldn't put there finger on the problem. I still need to get a new stock radio put in it because it is pulling more volts than it should but will it be the problem, No one knows but it will keep some more volts in the batteries. For now I am pulling out the two fuses for the GEM every night when I get home from work until I win a bid on ebay on one of those fancy dancy 6 disc in-dash jobs. Hopefully I won't have to play wiring games to get it to work.