Ford E-350 battery questions

[CodyClassB]

My Ford 2015 E-350 battery will need to be charged every 2-3 weeks. The battery is brand new so I assume something in the truck is using the battery while it is off.

Questions:

1. Is it safe to install a battery switch and turn off the battery when not in used? I was told that "newer trucks require power to keep the electrical components/sensors to be active". If the battery is disconnected for a long time, it will damage there components? True or false? My truck model year is 2015

2. Is it safe to connect a battery maintainer through cigarette lighter ? The cigarette lighter is always on.

Thanks

[Grit_dog]

Funny dead battery story. Bought a new (old) truck this weekend, squarebody Chevy in good shape.
Seller put a battery disconnect on it, said the cargo light stuck on, wouldn't turn off, killing battery, so solution was to turn off the battery.
Gots me another $100 off the purchase price for the mystery battery draining device. Turned off the cargo lamp switch after I bought it!

[klutchdust]

Grit dog wrote:
klutchdust, you're not imagining things and anecdotal evidence about someone's batteries that last 2 years in a pump station is laughable, at best.
What's better is the OP never even came back and explained squat. Much less which battery or ....pretty much anything.

When a statement starts off with "a friend of a friend".

[Grit_dog]

bobndot is correct, and good suggestion, with the exception that auto light shutoff "switch" won't drain the battery, unless it's failed and the lights stay on.
Which, actually was an issue on a 2015 F250 I had a few years ago. There's no "button" to activate and kill the dome light on newer vehicles, obviously. It's computer controlled.
And the interior lights would randomly get stuck on, on that truck. Dunno the fix. It didn't do it all the time and was literally driven 5-7 days a week. It had other electrical gremlins too that one trip to the dealer "could not replicate" and was a company truck so didn't care really.

But this thread is done since CodyB is Mia.

[pnichols]

theoldwizard1 wrote:

Beverley&Ken wrote:
June 2019, 12yr old Motorcraft battery becoming unreliable, even with maintainer hooked up. Finally had to replace with new battery (from Costco).

I would like to know who makes Motorcraft batteries ?!!!

The original battery in my 1998 E150 lasted 12+ years. No battery tender, but it was a daily driver. I did clean the outside once or twice a year. Even though it was considered "maintenance free", I pried the caps off and topped off each cell at the same time (very little water required).

The second battery did not last as long. Probably because I left the interior lights on 3 or 4 time and it was no longer a true daily driver any more (couple of times a week).

20 yo vehicle on 3rd battery ! :C

With COVID-19, it gets driven once every 2+ weeks. It starts, but I don't know about next winter.

Here's a link where you can find out who makes Motorcraft batteries:
https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&as_q=&as_epq=Motorcraft+batteries&as_oq=&as_eq=&as_nlo=&as_nhi=&...

[bobndot]

Most vehicles have interior light switches on the dash. If you leave that switch ON and allow the vehicle to 'auto turn off' the interior light after you lock the door, then that switch could create a significant amp draw while a vehicle is parked. Make sure that switch is OFF.

If you are experiencing a battery drain situation, the first thing you should do is make sure you have a good battery and not be assuming its good because its relatively new. I have had floating shorts in batteries.
P.S. my DW has already hammered me with floating short jokes , she beat you to it :B .

A 20-50milliamp draw is normal, a 1 or 2 amp draw is not.

The next thing to do, put a multi-meter on the battery to see exactly how many amps or milliamps are flowing with the engine off , vehicle parked with no key in the ignition , remove the key ! and make sure the vehicles door is closed !!

Pull fuses one at a time from the multiple panels in your vehicle so you can isolate the circuit.
*Remember to keep the vehicles door closed or tape off the door switch to make it inoperative.
* Once you hook up the multi-tester to test amp flow, all your vehicles 12v power is going thru that meter.
You might want to disconnected it from the battery when you open the vehicle door so you don't flood your meter with a sudden burst of amps and burn it out.

[Grit_dog]

theoldwizard1 wrote:

Grit dog wrote:
More importantly, figure out the issue because it's likely not normal.

It IS normal in modern cars for an engine starting battery to go dead after about 2 weeks of sitting unused in the vehicle. Many "computer" things (engine computer for sure) consume a tiny bit of power, continuously.

well, for starters, CodyB hasn't even told the class which battery is going dead, house or start, or if his rig even has more than one battery.
But it's not normal for batteries ion new or newer vehicles to go dead after 2 weeks or double or triple that. "Anecdotally", I have vehicles, either personal or company vehicles, new, newish, or 10-20 years old that don't just go dead sitting a few weeks.

But less than anecdotally and on a large scale, like millions or however many new cars sit on car lots for months or whatever and don't go dead?
Answer? The vast majority of them.
If that were not the case, vehicles would have battery disconnects and built in maintainers or dealers and everyone who owns a new car that doesn't get driven weekly would be buying batteries by the pallet load and chargers by the case.

But nice theory.

I will add that you're partly right, newer vehicles do have a parasitic draw. All of them. And that will exploit other conditions. Weak batteries, short infrequent trips or long periods of not being charged, etc.
And FLA batteries lose charge over time, of course. More so in a new vehicle? A little, but if your newer vehicle is chewing through batteries, the greatest likelihood is something else is wrong.

But off topic, but CodyB ain't looking for answers, so may as well expound on the other false theories presented.

[Grit_dog]

klutchdust, you're not imagining things and anecdotal evidence about someone's batteries that last 2 years in a pump station is laughable, at best.
What's better is the OP never even came back and explained squat. Much less which battery or ....pretty much anything.

[klutchdust]

I would like to know who makes Motorcraft batteries ?!!!

Well that's a good question. There are about 3 major battery manufacturers left. Wherever you choose to purchase a battery, it's most likely they came from the same builder, just a different label.

Battery price is based on the plate content, more lead plates higher cost. The new gel batteries are pricy but effective, like home-brewed or starbucks, same effect but costs are different.

I have AAA as a road service provider, I purchase all my batteries from them, all 6 vehicles. Price wise they are fair, they install them, warranty them, check them replace them ,whatever is needed. I am tired of lugging batteries and turning them in for a core charge, that's for youngsters.

I know this. My batteries on my off road vehicles have lasted far longer with a battery tender on them, not a charger on a trickle charge but a "smart " charger.

Wifes Toyota Tacoma will kill the battery in 2 weeks with the driver's door not closed properly, even with the interior light off. Battery is fine. There are parasitic draws that occur as soon as the door pin extends, you know the one that triggers the interior light. yup.

[Dusty_R]

I have an '89 E-150 that was my goto work ride and furnace repair vehicle. Now it seldom gets driven, fact is it sat all winter, 4 or 5 months, and when I used it a couple of weeks ago it started right up, no outside help.

Dusty

[theoldwizard1]

Grit dog wrote:
More importantly, figure out the issue because it's likely not normal.

It IS normal in modern cars for an engine starting battery to go dead after about 2 weeks of sitting unused in the vehicle. Many "computer" things (engine computer for sure) consume a tiny bit of power, continuously.

[theoldwizard1]

Beverley&Ken wrote:
June 2019, 12yr old Motorcraft battery becoming unreliable, even with maintainer hooked up. Finally had to replace with new battery (from Costco).

I would like to know who makes Motorcraft batteries ?!!!

The original battery in my 1998 E150 lasted 12+ years. No battery tender, but it was a daily driver. I did clean the outside once or twice a year. Even though it was considered "maintenance free", I pried the caps off and topped off each cell at the same time (very little water required).

The second battery did not last as long. Probably because I left the interior lights on 3 or 4 time and it was no longer a true daily driver any more (couple of times a week).

20 yo vehicle on 3rd battery ! :C

With COVID-19, it gets driven once every 2+ weeks. It starts, but I don't know about next winter.

[theoldwizard1]

klutchdust wrote:
Interesting, I would like to know why.

Not sure why, but I have anecdotal evidence. A friend of a friend maintains sewage pump station in a small community. Each has it own generator that starts when there is a power outage. Typical battery was lasting around 2 years. These were full size car batteries and were connected to some kind of "battery tender" 24/7.

After inserting the lamp timer in between the tender and the battery, the life of the battery more than doubled.

[Beverley_Ken]

Yes, the chassis battery will lose the charge in a couple of weeks. I found mine would be dead in a week or so. Our Winnebago c-class is parked beside the house, plugged in when not being used. Biggest draw I had was the key fob unlocking coach door which also turned on cab courtesy lights for a minute each time. All powered by the chassis battery. Another draw was the step going in and out, unless I locked it out.
About 10 years ago, I installed a 'battery maintainer' on the chassis battery and plugged the maintainer into a coach 120 vac outlet, always on when RV is plugged into shore power, 98% of the time.
Chassis battery history, 2006 MH built on 2006 chassis in Feb 06. We purchased coach new in May 2007, had been sitting on dealers lot over winter with a dead battery.
June 2007, Ford dealer replaced with new Motorcraft battery under WARRANTY.
~2010, installed battery maintainer, to resolve same problems that OP is having.
June 2019, 12yr old Motorcraft battery becoming unreliable, even with maintainer hooked up. Finally had to replace with new battery (from Costco).

Ken

[klutchdust]

""Despite what others will tell you, no battery likes to be on a charger/maintainer, 24/7, weeks on end."

Interesting, I would like to know why. It reminds me of the thought that rubber batteries lose their charge sitting on a concrete floor.

Anyway, my coach is plugged to ground power, I plug a battery maintainer into a wall plug and it goes into the "cigarette lighter" port. This eliminated my dead battery problem.