I'm experiencing a slow starting battery after the car sits for a few days. The battery was "just" replaced 3 days ago so it's not the issue. The stereo is custom but professionally installed. Had it checked to be sure...no drain. The ground on the battery is tight as well. The alternator is charging correctly so where should I go look next? 2000 model with the 3.9 engine.
Slow Battery Drain
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luttersj
Well-Known LVC Member
I had a similar problem not too long ago. The battery was less than 6 months old and tested just fine. In fact the entire electrical system tested just fine. But they couldn't explain why every 3 weeks my battery was totally dead. To the point that I couldn't even unlock the doors with the key fob. They replaced my 6 month old battery and it's been perfect ever since.
What brand of battery did you put in? Apparently only a Motocraft one will hold up.
What brand of battery did you put in? Apparently only a Motocraft one will hold up.
It's a Motorcraft. I forgot that part...I just put a Motorcraft in it 2 years ago and it went bad. Luckily it's free replacement within the first 36 months. I'm willing to put a new alternator on it just to be safe. Anyone else have the same issue?
luttersj
Well-Known LVC Member
Personally, I'd start with a new battery. Especially since it's free. This is almost exactly the same thing that happened to me! Out of frustration the dealership took out that battery that had tested good on previous stops and replaced it with a brand new one. Problem solved.
Think about it....
Think about it....
joegr
Dedicated LVC Member
You could test for a current drain, rather than just guess at it.
Attach a DMM set to the DC amps range between the positive terminal of the battery and the positive battery cable. Close all the doors, but you can leave the trunk open. After a few minutes, the trunk light will go off, and the current will go down by almost 1 amp. Wait about thirty minutes (you must leave the meter connected and on the whole time). The current should now read 50 mA or less (that is 0.05 A or less). If it doesn't, you have an excess drain somewhere. You can start pulling fuses in the trunk to look for it. If one of the fuses you pull stops the drain, then check and see if that fuse goes to another fuse panel, if so, put the fuse back in (and open the door or hood and wait 30 minutes again). Now you can check the fuses at the sub-panels.
If you find that you don't have a high drain, then it might be an internal battery fault, or it could still be a load that just doesn't always show up. The best way to tell is to leave the battery disconnected. Wait the number of days it normally takes for the battery to go dead, and reconnect it. If it's dead, then the battery has an internal short and is draining itself. If it's still good, then the problem is in the car.
Attach a DMM set to the DC amps range between the positive terminal of the battery and the positive battery cable. Close all the doors, but you can leave the trunk open. After a few minutes, the trunk light will go off, and the current will go down by almost 1 amp. Wait about thirty minutes (you must leave the meter connected and on the whole time). The current should now read 50 mA or less (that is 0.05 A or less). If it doesn't, you have an excess drain somewhere. You can start pulling fuses in the trunk to look for it. If one of the fuses you pull stops the drain, then check and see if that fuse goes to another fuse panel, if so, put the fuse back in (and open the door or hood and wait 30 minutes again). Now you can check the fuses at the sub-panels.
If you find that you don't have a high drain, then it might be an internal battery fault, or it could still be a load that just doesn't always show up. The best way to tell is to leave the battery disconnected. Wait the number of days it normally takes for the battery to go dead, and reconnect it. If it's dead, then the battery has an internal short and is draining itself. If it's still good, then the problem is in the car.
I didn't communicate effectively in my last post. I did change the 2 year old battery for a new one and it too went down within 3 days. Never drove the car once. Just connected the battery, started the car one time to make sure it worked and put the cover on it. 3 days later...slow start when I went to drive it. I'm going to try the take the battery terminals off and let it sit for a few days and see what it does. I'll also try the electrical test recommended before I go the alternator route. I'll keep everyone posted.
nittanylion64
Active LVC Member
My brother had a problem similar to this before- He had to take it to the dealer multiple times before they finally said it was a connector on the firewall on the passenger side that had become partially unclipped. They pushed it back in and hasn't had a problem in over 2 years.
Yep check these threads out:
http://www.lincolnvscadillac.com/showthread.php?t=21622
http://www.lincolnvscadillac.com/showthread.php?t=20242
They first diagnosed it as a bad battery (original), after that didn't work it took them about six months to find the problem. Post number 11 on the second link is what the problem was. It clicked, which sounded like the starter but I assume it was the connection not tight and sounding like it was not able to be completed.
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