Battery keeps dying

[Notey]

New guy without a profile yet. Had a 97 ranger PU for the airport. Always started even when it was -20F. Sometimes a month or more between starts. So unbelievable it became the family joke! Everything else started to go after 235K so I upgraded to a 2005 Explorer. Two weeks after I got the X, I returned to get it and it was stone dead. Keyless dead, had to slim Jim the door and jump it. Called the dealer to check it out. Battery/Charging Checked OK. "Must have left a light on". Second time...two weeks, stone dead as before. So much for reliability!
So my question is...Why would Ford design a vehicle that will drain itself down to a completely dead state unless it's driven every day? Lots of bells and whistles, computers, are fun, but if the vehicle can't start when you really need it, ie. middle of the night when it's pouring rain and the parking lot is dark...what good is that.
The only thing the dealer has to offer is a battery disconnect switch so you can get under the hood (on a dark, wet, cold night) and re connect the battery to use your car. Oooo yeah, then you can reset your clock, and all your radio presets again.
Are they serious?
Any ideas????

I'm working on my profile..it'll be up soon. Thanks

 

[peterk9]

Your post has been moved to the correct sub forum.

Peter
2011 - 2015 Ford Explorer Forum moderator

 

[lincolnshibuya]

what kind of battery you have? you might consider upgrading your battery if you are not using it often. There are AGM/Gel batteries that has a slow drain rate such as Optima that you could try.

 

[jp450]

Is there any aftermarket accessories installed? Look under the dash for any oddly placed wires. How old is the battery. I know they "tested" it but that does not always mean it is a good battery. If it is older than 5 years definitely replace it. There should be a date on it somewhere.

I have left my mostly stock 05 sit for 10 days in bitterly cold weather at the airport last winter and had no problem starting it when we returned. The only "aftermarket" things are the Silver Remote Start and a 12v outlet in the cargo area.

 

[Notey]

Good idea ...thanks.

The dealer checked a block heater and said it was just fine. This is the second trip back to the dealer, so they have gone over everything pretty well, I hope. My next action was to do just what was suggested and if the battery is older than 2 or 3...I'll change that too.
I'm thinking about a solar battery maintainer, the dealer suggested a battery disconnect, and I wonder if pulling a few fuses to turn off the alarm system to stop some of the draw when the vehicle is parked.

 

[DjDom]

Do a parasitic draw test.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KF1gijj03_0

I feel like it's something drawing power. A battery normally won't die from being left over night if there's no major draw on it.

I've had a 7 year old battery sit for 2 freezing nights and still start the truck right up 2 days later. It's all about what's draining it. Batteries don't just lose their charge over night.

 

[xnhra]

Battery Issue

I have a 2013 Explorer XLT with just 10K miles. If it sits for more than three days the battery drops to 4.8v. The dealer replaced the battery within the first year and eleven months later it's doing the same thing. I have never been able to put it in the accessory mode because I get the battery saver mode message. Dealer says the charging system and battery check ok and at idle I get 14.6v

 

[Sock Puppet]

I have a 2013 Explorer XLT with just 10K miles. If it sits for more than three days the battery drops to 4.8v. The dealer replaced the battery within the first year and eleven months later it's doing the same thing. I have never been able to put it in the accessory mode because I get the battery saver mode message. Dealer says the charging system and battery check ok and at idle I get 14.6v

I think I would escalate that inside Ford Motor Co. You should definitely not be having that problem.

 

[Notey]

OK, Here is an update since my last post in September.

I replaced the 4 year old battery. After replacement, O'Reilly's Auto tested the old battery for me just out of curiosity and said it had maybe 1/4 life left, tested OK, but that may be why it has difficulty holding a charge for long periods of time. Since then I had a 3 week period of not being started, and several 2 week periods. After 2 weeks the vehicle seems to start OK. After the 3 week period with daily temps in the 10-20 degree range, I was unable to start the vehicle, but the door locks/horn/radio etc, still had enough juice to work.

It was getting expensive to have the wrecking company come out to jump me each time ($40 per call), so I purchased a portable Battery Pack (900 CCA, $89). This thing works great!
I also bought a solar powered battery maintainer (24m/amp) to plug into the cigarette lighter.

Unfortunately, I still have to get under the hood, and still have to lug around the battery pack. Even with a new battery... this can't be good for the battery if it gets fully discharged from time to time, can it?

What Now? I'm out of ideas!

 

[lincolnshibuya]

you probably need one of those blue optima battery, they are good for cranking and is a deep cycle (doesn't discharge that fast). quite pricey but since you are not recharging you car often enough that might help.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Connect an ammeter in series with the battery then start pulling fuses to see which circuit is pulling the most amount of current.

 

[rocket22]

sounds like the dealer isnt doing the job

the dealer should be able to isolate the draw, but it sounds like they are no better than autozone and testing battery. Some great ideas posted here. The easy work around (not fix) is the battery disconnect. That way it is just a quick spin of the switch and the battery will stop taking the abuse of a slow draw. I had this in a ford mustang convert. I found the offending circuit (top motor) but went with the $12.00 battery disconnect.

I would rather flip a switch than constantly go to jumpers. it is also a theft deterrent.

 

[Notey]

Well...here I am again folks. Three months after changing the battery (Dec 2014). I've had to Jump Start the Vehicle all but once in 5 trips. Last use was after 2 weeks, had to use the Jump Starter to get the vehicle started. Temps had been fairly mild for Minnesota (generally 20's during the days and 5-10 over nights). Yesterday, (-20 deg.) after a 3 week absence, stone dead. Had to use Jump Starter (900CA) and it barely started. Drove around in town for 1/2 an hour and on the highway for awhile to get the battery charged up a little. Vehicle worked great (lights on, heater on full, radio, etc.) Pulled up in the driveway and shut it off and the car was stone dead. Seems like the alternator must be working fine since I ran the vehicle all over creation using all the accessories with no problem. Got home...turned the car off and tried to start it again...DEAD (not even the door chimes worked. Frustrated, I put a charger on the battery and called it a day. This morning it won't even work the door locks. Pulled the battery out of the case and the battery sides were bulged out...FROZEN. Does all that driving around not confirm that my alternator is putting our plenty of juice? Dealer told me before that the draw when the car is off is "about 40ma, which is normal for the vehicle because of the security system and computer". (If it were't for the security system, maybe someone would have stolen the $*&$#% by now!)
I agree with you Rocket22, I'm pretty tired of the dealership just passing this whole thing off as a normal operation. I'm almost to the point of using the disconnect idea myself, but that still doesn't address the cause. It's like giving up on a finding a fix. I hate that thought.

 

[jp450]

It would seem to me that the alternator is ok. With the car sitting for 3 weeks in the cold and then the -20 temps it is no surprise to me that the battery froze. I do not really think there is anything wrong other than the time in between starts along with the cold.

 

[D Hook]

Well...here I am again folks. Three months after changing the battery (Dec 2014). I've had to Jump Start the Vehicle all but once in 5 trips. Last use was after 2 weeks, had to use the Jump Starter to get the vehicle started. Temps had been fairly mild for Minnesota (generally 20's during the days and 5-10 over nights). Yesterday, (-20 deg.) after a 3 week absence, stone dead. Had to use Jump Starter (900CA) and it barely started. Drove around in town for 1/2 an hour and on the highway for awhile to get the battery charged up a little. Vehicle worked great (lights on, heater on full, radio, etc.) Pulled up in the driveway and shut it off and the car was stone dead. Seems like the alternator must be working fine since I ran the vehicle all over creation using all the accessories with no problem. Got home...turned the car off and tried to start it again...DEAD (not even the door chimes worked. Frustrated, I put a charger on the battery and called it a day. This morning it won't even work the door locks. Pulled the battery out of the case and the battery sides were bulged out...FROZEN. Does all that driving around not confirm that my alternator is putting our plenty of juice? Dealer told me before that the draw when the car is off is "about 40ma, which is normal for the vehicle because of the security system and computer". (If it were't for the security system, maybe someone would have stolen the $*&$#% by now!)
I agree with you Rocket22, I'm pretty tired of the dealership just passing this whole thing off as a normal operation. I'm almost to the point of using the disconnect idea myself, but that still doesn't address the cause. It's like giving up on a finding a fix. I hate that thought.

Just curious; what brand battery?

 

[Donystoy]

I agree that this is most likely caused by the long periods of time sitting in freezing temperatures. I have frequently not used my vehicle for long periods of time and find it is best to hook up a battery tender if it sits for more than a couple of weeks. This is while it is sitting in a garage that never goes below freezing. This is hard to do if the vehicle is sitting in a parking lot. The solar cell idea might be the best solution. This will not work very well though if everything is covered in snow.

 

[2Trux]

On my 05 I have had the battery go dead enough for a no start in as little as 3 days. This even happened with a new battery. The problem seems to be erratic. We don't often have ours sit for more than a couple days at a time.
If I was consistantly leaving it for a week at a time I would get the disconnect. Although it is a hassle it's less hassle than a tow call.

 

[Stimpy911]

My battery was dying as well. Turned out the back windshield wiper motor was stuck on even though I was not using the wipers. Open the back latch and pull off the plastic moulding and you will see the motor. If it's hot and the wipersnhave not bbeen running disconnect the power to the wiper motor. When you do this your front washer motor will quit but my mechanic had a bypass for that and I am able to use washer fluid again.

 

[DragonD80]

Batteries

I really like to use an optima battery, yes they are pricey but they last longer.
On a side note though, has anyone had to clean your fuse box. And how did you do it.