battery issue? Need advice.

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jerrym3

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I replaced the original bettery on my 03 TBird in Jan, 2013.

Dec, 2013, new battery goes dead. (No lights or anything else were left on. Car's not a daily driver (I do try to use her at least once per week), but when in the garage, she's not even locked.

Dealer replaces the battery, and checks the charging system. Everything passes.

Haven't used the car much this winter due to the snow/salt, but I did have it out about two weeks ago. Started right up.

Today, went to start her.

Cranked a while, didn't start, and then the lights started flashing and the horn started honking.

Turned the key off, tried again, started right up.

Ideas??

Thanks.
 
Check your grounds, maybe corrosion causing the intermitent....

logically if it cranked, the battery good.

so if it cranked without starting then its either gas or spark right?

could be just loss of gas pressure from being idle for some time.

try to not let the car sit for too long without running the engine for a few minutes.
 
There is some kind of parasitic drag. I had that on both my '06's. I replaced the starter relay and all has been well since. I would also get a battery charger and keep it hooked-up. Modern cars have a very stressful electronic system.
 
Right, remove relays and check for corroded terminals. clean and replace.
 
Since my days of doing my own repairs are way behind me and the car would have to go back to the dealer, would there be a code showing why the car went into "beeping/light flashing/restart" mode?

Also, when they replaced the first battery after less than a year, wouldn't they have checked to see if it was any of the suggestions posted above, or am I being too optimistic when it comes to trusting a Ford dealer? (You would think that they would do some testing rather than just replacing the battery and sending me on my way without a bill.)

As for running her, yes, there was a big time gap between Jan/early March, but she ran/started fine about two weeks ago. (Car only has original 22K miles.)
 
jerrym3 said:
Since my days of doing my own repairs are way behind me and the car would have to go back to the dealer, would there be a code showing why the car went into "beeping/light flashing/restart" mode?...
Click to expand...

It's not "beeping/light flashing/restart" mode. It's voltage so low that microcontrollers are crashing and resetting mode.
Yes, there will be at least a few B1676 codes, one from each electronic module having a problem. They won't really help, because you already know that your battery is low or drained.

They didn't do any parasitic drain testing if they didn't keep it several hours. Even then, they may not have detected anything because from your description, it sounds like it is a problem that shows up at random, instead of always being there.
 
LS4me said:
I would also get a battery charger and keep it hooked-up.
Click to expand...

jerry, this is the solution to your problems^ ^ ^
its difficult to figure out the source of the problem with these cars. a trickle charger cures it real easy in your case though.
 
Looks like I need an obsolete Ford part 3W6Z 19980 AC (AC control head)

1) can't find the part new anywhere; sent out email to nationwide auto wreckers; any other suggestions?
2) Lincoln LS part should fit, true?
3) anybody have a diagram as to what this part even looks like?

Thanks
 
It's the part with the temperature display and the buttons that you use to set the temperature and airflow and such.
I would think that an LS part would fit your T-bird.
 
I'm kind of clutching at straws here.

If the source of my TBird's battery drain is the HVAC control module, ensuring that the switch is "off" when I park the car, could that possibly eliminate the problem?

Thanks
 
Another question.

If my only option is to install a battery tender, any suggestions on brand/model/specs etc?

I've read that a battery tender/manager is a better choice than a trickle charger (over charging issue?).

I'm running the car every 5-6 days now. No problems, but I'm concerned about the upcoming winter.
 
jerrym3 said:
Another question.

If my only option is to install a battery tender, any suggestions on brand/model/specs etc?

I've read that a battery tender/manager is a better choice than a trickle charger (over charging issue?).
Click to expand...
I always use Battery Tenders

http://batterytender.com/

used to have a few of the small ones but now I just have one large 4 bank model that I hook up to everything over the winter (LS, boat, mower, quad) all parked right in a row!

even have quick connectors wired up to the batteries so that I can just park and plug right in.

also have one that plugs into the cig socket when the LS is not parked in the barn in case its not a bad winter and it might get driven.
 
jerrym3 said:
I'm kind of clutching at straws here.

If the source of my TBird's battery drain is the HVAC control module, ensuring that the switch is "off" when I park the car, could that possibly eliminate the problem?

Thanks
Click to expand...
I doubt it would make any difference.
 
Update

After they finally found an AC Control Head last September, my dealer installed it, and I drove home.

After five days of sitting in a warm garage, battery started to sound weak. This kept happening until about six weeks ago when she cranked slow and then died.

I let the car sit in the garage, since I wasn't taking her out in the snowy/salty/cold winter.

Last week, I bought a new battery, hooked it up this morning, and the car went into the dealer for testing. They said they don't see a problem, but they are keeping the car overnight to see if something weird happens after the car sits for a while.
 
Dealer said that the overnight battery draw was well within specs. He thinks that it's possible that the old battery, being constantly drained/charged/drained/charged, could no longer hold a charge.

We'll see.

One tech says that a ten day layover should not affect the battery, while another tech said that 30 days would be ok.

I know that when I first bought the car, there were times in the winter when the car sat for 30 days. I'll start with a seven day layover and see what happens.

Dealer didn't bill me for the testing.
 
G
joegr said:
Why "thinks?" He could have done a load test on the battery and he would "knows."
Click to expand...

I thought load tests on the LS battery tended to be inconclusive(within acceptable limits) with a marginal battery combined with a marginal alternator
 
LSFrank said:
G

I thought load tests on the LS battery tended to be inconclusive(within acceptable limits) with a marginal battery combined with a marginal alternator
Click to expand...

That's the first I've heard of that.

Load tests determine the peak current output of the battery, the capacity of the battery, and the internal resistance of the battery. If the battery meets all the minimums for those figures (maximum for the resistance), then it is good. I don't think there is a lot of gray area, unless the tests aren't done fully or correctly. If the tests are done correctly, then the alternator isn't a factor at all. (To do the test correctly, the battery has to first be fully charged if it isn't already.) At the end of the test, it will be fully discharged and will have to be fully charged again before it is returned to you.
 
joegr said:
Why "thinks?" He could have done a load test on the battery and he would "knows."
Click to expand...

When I brought the car in for testing, I had already installed a new battery.

I brought the old battery to an independent shop who charged it, tested it, and said it needed to be replaced. I immediately bought a new battery from a Motorcraft distributor. I installed it, but didn't hook up the cables until the salt and snow were gone off the roads.

Is it possible that the old AC Control head kept draining the battery to the point where it wouldn't hold a charge even when a new AC control head was installed?

Don't know. I hope so, but I will find out in about a week.
 
Started the car yesterday after sitting six days in my garage.

Battery cranked over solid and strong, no hint of any drain, and the car started right up.

Fingers crossed.
 
Car sat for a full week and cranked/started perfect.

Hopefully, that's the end of the battery drain issue.
 
Another full week and a strong start.

I guess the A/C Control Head drain and a bad battery teamed up to cause my problems, but I'm still nervous about pushing the limit to over seven days.

The Ford service advisor said that, based on the overnight draw they saw, the car should go 30 days without a weak battery issue. But, since I bought the car in 2004, I've never pushed it that long, even in the worst winters.

He also said that if I rely on occasional winter starts to keep the battery charged, a ten mile run would be the minimum to bring the battery back up to snuff.
 
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