Blk04LS
Well-Known LVC Member
The Question: This is mostly for the members here that have LS's that sit for extended periods of time. How long can your car sit without having issues starting?
The Story: Prior to a mid-July, I was driving the LS daily. As of mid-July I have been driving a company vehicle home every night. As a result, the LS now sits untouched for an average of 6 days. I have noticed that about day 5 the battery is weak, but will start it. Day 7 it almost always needs assistance. Day 6 is a neutral day, sometimes it will start unassisted, sometimes not. To prevent the battery from being drained to much, I have taken to starting it on day 3 or 4 and letting it run to recharge the battery. The battery passes all tests done by Ford during regular oil changes/services.
I replaced the battery in my SUV 7-8 months ago for similar reasons. It was good enough to pass all tests, but not good enough to be considered reliable any longer. In this case it started out not being able to make it 2 weeks, then eventually dropped to this same 5-7 day mark. Since then, no problems at all for it.
I know the excepted procedure is to replace both the battery and alternator together and I am in no way disputing that. I am simply trying to figure out just how long the average LS can sit, without battery related starting problems. My SUV can go 3-4wks on average, the Gen1 Taurus I had could go about 3 weeks without issue, while my old Toyota pickup could make it well over a month.
The Story: Prior to a mid-July, I was driving the LS daily. As of mid-July I have been driving a company vehicle home every night. As a result, the LS now sits untouched for an average of 6 days. I have noticed that about day 5 the battery is weak, but will start it. Day 7 it almost always needs assistance. Day 6 is a neutral day, sometimes it will start unassisted, sometimes not. To prevent the battery from being drained to much, I have taken to starting it on day 3 or 4 and letting it run to recharge the battery. The battery passes all tests done by Ford during regular oil changes/services.
I replaced the battery in my SUV 7-8 months ago for similar reasons. It was good enough to pass all tests, but not good enough to be considered reliable any longer. In this case it started out not being able to make it 2 weeks, then eventually dropped to this same 5-7 day mark. Since then, no problems at all for it.
I know the excepted procedure is to replace both the battery and alternator together and I am in no way disputing that. I am simply trying to figure out just how long the average LS can sit, without battery related starting problems. My SUV can go 3-4wks on average, the Gen1 Taurus I had could go about 3 weeks without issue, while my old Toyota pickup could make it well over a month.