CA Traveler wrote:
Mnewbill wrote:
Hi I have a 2019 f150 5.0 with the same symptoms. It struggles to crank after hauling the travel trailer. I dont know if the battery is low as it will start fine after it cools off. It may be bad battery but it's fairly new in terms of years and low miles. It should have at least 2 more good years. Any luck finding your issue?
I'm wondering if it could be related to higher engine area temperatures due to hauling?
Have the battery load checked - free, new batteries fail. Buy a $20 digital voltmeter and check the battery voltage including while trying to start. Better buy a clamp on ammeter for DC amps and volts and also check the trailer draw.
Won't hurt to have the battery load checked, but I suspect that the battery is most likely OK. But the key info is what I put into bold type..
Heat related..
So unless the battery is failing under high temps, it most likely is the starter..
Guess where the starter is mounted?
Right above/beside the exhaust pipe from the engine exhaust manifold which in some engine configurations may have the cat converter mounted near the starter also (some configurations use a cat on each bank of the engine).
Fair chance the starter is getting heat soaked under heavy towing and may be failing under those conditions.
