What Is Pulling Power From Battery

[gordizmom]

Hi everyone. This is a bit long but I need your opinions on this issue.
I have a 2000 Expedition, Eddie Bauer Edition. Bought it used years ago. It's a good running vehicle.
Before I moved from Florida in the Spring of 2019 I had a triple A battery installed in my truck and was under warranty for a year. The Fall comes along and my truck began having starting issues. I have AAA so I had the local garage come over and jump start it. I used up the rest of my service calls on this so I had my truck tested to see what the problem was. A diagnostic machine was put on it (or so I was told), fuses were checked, etc. and I was told that 'something' was pulling from the battery but nothing was found. ~sigh~
I drove to the triple A garage in the nearby city and found that the battery was bad. I'm sure it happens. Battery switched out for a brand new one, this one under warranty also.
More problems. Truck wouldn't start, everything dead. This was the beginning of 2020 so I had four service calls I could use and I used two. I didn't want to use any more calls so I purchased a small jump starter device called a Gooloo. It works very very well and I had to use it each and every time I needed to drive my truck. It's bigger than an iPhone but smaller than a tablet. Great little device.
Last week I decided to take my truck back to AAA and find out what exactly is going on with my truck. I drove 40 minutes on the Interstate in the rain, stayed at the place from 10 until 3 pm.
I also had an oil change done while I was there. This should not have taken so long but it did.
The mechanic charged the battery to its full capacity then let it drain. He also drove my truck around which I don't understand why but he did. After a very long and boring wait I took a walk to the grocery store and bought something to eat. I was told that the battery "wouldn't die" so the mechanic had to charge it up once again, let it drain and drive it around again. I was totally confused but whatever. I just wanted them to replace the battery and let me go home.
After sitting there for another seemingly forever hour I was told that the battery "finally died" and they replaced the battery with a new one. ~another sigh~
It was explained to me by the guy at the counter who was actually there last year when I took my truck in that I needed to drive my truck more often. I only leave my house once a week and where I go is about four miles to and from. He said that if I'm not going to drive much I should either disconnect the terminals or put a trickle charger on the battery.
I asked him to explain to me how is a battery able to drain if it's just sitting. He told me but it sounded confusing. I don't know much about vehicles.
I really do not understand how a battery loses power just by sitting and being connected to the vehicle. Oh and I was also told that they (AAA) would not replace another battery. This is something I intend to take up with the corporate office because their batteries are under warranty for a year.
I would appreciate any opinions, thoughts and advise any of you can offer. By the way, I live in South Carolina and it gets down below freezing in the winter.

 

[Trainmaster]

Batteries do lose some power just laying around, but no good battery should become dead in a week of non-use. Each time you start the car, some power is used by the starter and as you drive, that battery is recharged by the alternator (a generator) usually with ten minutes' driving.

No good battery will go dead in a week from non-use, unless the car is sucking power from it while it's turned off. That's called a "parasitic drain". You can have a mechanic who is good in electrical work easily check for this.

All modern cars use a small amount of power when off. The radio and computer have memories that require tiny amounts of power, but not enough to drain a battery this quickly. Other possible "drain" can be from a rear wiper that's jammed and trying to park itself, lights that remain on or a malfunctioned radio/tape player.

Another problem can be that the alternator is not sufficiently charging the battery. This could be caused by a defective alternator or corroded wiring. You drain it each time you start the car and your short rides aren't enough to charge it with a defective alternator. That too is easy for a mechanic to check.

Lastly, you could have had a bad battery. There are some Chinese ones that simply are no good. In any case, the proper diagnostic work has to be performed before another $80 battery is installed to rule out problems that will continue to eat up batteries.

I hope my explanation is better than the ones you received from your "battery salesmen". Your next stop is to a mechanic is is well versed in electrical system diagnostics. He will be able to quickly diagnose your problem.

The biggest mistake folks make is to rely on inexperienced, cheap mechanics and parts stores who simply sell and replace parts without doing a proper diagnostic work. They are sold part after part without the problem being solved as good parts are removed in their hit-and-miss hunt for a solution.

 

[Plati]

Second on the "rear wiper" possibility. I've had that twice. If the rear wiper is started and does not return to the home position (because it's gummed up and sticking) when done it will drain the battery as the vehicle sits in the driveway. Common problem with Expy's.

One way to check for that is to look at the rear wiper. If it's partway up (not down at the bottom) then bingo. If you release the rear tailgate glass and lift the glass up a bit (free'ing it from being latched and closed) you should be able to easily move the rear wiper through the full range by hand.

Another thing people have mentioned is if a CD is stuck in the player, that can drain the battery too I've heard. Sometimes people leave a charger plugged in is another.

Of course you can have the odd light that stays on for whatever reason. Some people say there can be one under the hood. I've never seen one of those but a possibility.

MrTrain is right on. A good mechanic should be able to diagnose any current drain thats not sposed to be there. If I had to guess I would say something is draining the battery and there is no reason Interstate should pay for that.

 

[gordizmom]

Thank you both for your responses. The drain could very well be the rear wiper and I will certainly check it. There is no light under the hood or at least there isn't a bulb. I don't play CDs so that isn't the issue and I doubt the charger plugs (there are two) is the issue either. I've never been able to charge my phone with either of these chargers. They simply don't work.

I don't know what a AAA battery costs but any other battery for my truck can be anywhere from little over $100 to $300. Insanely expensive.
The alternator (allegedly) was checked by the diagnostic machine but no issues were found. I sometimes wonder if the diagnostic checks were even done. I wasn't charged for it because nothing was found and I think that's weird.

The local mechanic told me I should take my truck to a garage in the city that specializes in Fords. I am retired and don't want to be 'nickel and dimed' to death trying to find the problem.
Should I take my truck to a Ford dealership where they have better diagnostic machines?

Edit: I feel that I'm damned if I do and damned if I don't. If I drive my truck a lot, I'm putting extra unnecessary wear and tear on it. If I don't drive it then my battery will die.

 

[Trainmaster]

I understand your dilemma. You're driving a 21 year old truck. The laws of science don't take a backseat to the laws of economics, so it's time to part with a few bucks to solve your problem.

All of us have faced the challenge of finding a competent, reliable mechanic, which is why many of us do our own work and are here.

Look for word-of-mouth recommendations, read on-line reviews. At least one person in every Ford dealership knows what he is doing, and it's a challenge to find him. The second challenge is not being nickeled and dimed or outright ripped off.

Just my opinion here: I'd find an independent garage that specializes in auto electric. That's not easy, it's a dying craft. Otherwise, I'd go to a rural dealership with good on-line reviews. The places that deal exclusively with ignorant city-folks are more likely to be rip offs. You want a dealer who does work for farmers and blue-collar guys who know their stuff. Those people don't throw their money away and don't let anyone steal from them.

Just my thoughts here. See what others have to say too.

 

[Jim Brown]

As Trainmaster said, you need a mechanic who is good with electrical repairs. The Ford dealer may find the problem but they may also be very expensive, and it doesn't take special tools to diagnose a parasitic draw. You might want to learn a bit more about the diagnostic process, then shop around for a mechanic to confirm they can do the diagnostic work.

Here's a link to an article that's pretty easy to understand, about how to find a parasitic draw.

https://www.wikihow.com/Find-a-Parasitic-Battery-Drain

If you're prepared with knowledge, you can interview prospective mechanics with open questions, how they will diagnose the problem, and it should be very similar to the steps outlined in the article.

 

[gordizmom]

Thanks guys!
I just got off the phone with a garage not too far from me but not in the 'big' city. He said they work on a lot of Fords. After I explained the issue to him he said Fords seem to have this particular problem with something draining the battery. The basic diagnostic test is $75 then goes up from there to look at electrical issues. I knew this would be the case no matter where I went.
He advised me to keep a trickle charger on my battery or have a switch installed so it would 'disconnect' the terminals without me having to do it. He also said I could disconnect the terminals myself and I already knew that.
All I see in my head are $$$$$$$$$$$$$ signs.

Update: I looked at some trickle chargers and watched a video on YouTube about three of them. Apparently the very best one is the Deltran 5. Amazon has them for about $80. I just placed my order and will have it in a couple of days. Not sure how I will plug in my extension cord for it but I'll figure it out.
I figure this is less expensive than having a garage figure it out.

 

[Plati]

First step is to check the rear wiper like I advised.
Takes a few steps and a few seconds. Rule that out.

Leaving a trickle charger on it is a band-aid.
OK for a temp workaround but the problem needs to be diagnosed & resolved.
IMHO

 

[Trainmaster]

Should have invested the "trickle charger" money and time in fixing the problem.

 

[gordizmom]

The trickle charger is much less expensive than paying to find out what's wrong. The basic diagnostic test is $75 then charges are added after that for as long as it takes to run the electrical diagnosis. The mechanic said it could take hours. I am retired and on a fixed income. I don't have that kind of money to spend for hours of diagnosis. I know you are right and if I was still working I would do this.
The ball joints on my truck need to be replaced because one is 'wiggly' and both have to be replaced at the same time. Plus, it's $100 for the alignment. One of the shocks is leaking.
I read that Americans are supposed to be receiving another $1200 by the end of this month and if we do, I will use that money to have the things done on my truck that need it.