04 Taurus battery dying when not in use

Hi guys! Newcomer here in need of help!

My problem is that my battery in my car has spontaneously died on me twice within a month now, when the car is not in use. The times I started up the car previous to discovering my battery died seemed perfectly fine, it starts right up, but I'll leave the car in my driveway for a day or two and go back, and the battery doesn't even have enough juice to turn the motor over. I am absolutely, 100% positive I'm not accidentally leaving the headlights on or anything like that.

I've had the car for a few months now and this problem only appeared within this last month. The only different thing that I have done with the car in this 1 month problem period is use the car's stock CD player instead of listening to the radio (if it matters, the car is equipped with the factory 6 disc changer, but I don't have the cartridge for the other 5 discs so I only use the slot loader).

The car has ~60k miles on it, and I replaced the first dead battery with a brand new one figuring it may just be time for a new one after so many miles. However, today I went to start my car up and I had the same problem, no juice. The new battery is still under warrantee so i'm not too concerned about that, but is there a problem with my car or did I just win the cruddy battery lotto here? If I didn't include enough information please let me know what you need to identify (or at least narrow down) the problem. Help is GREATLY appreciated, thanks in advance! :smile:

Did the no start occur the day after the battery replacement or was the new battery ok for a while?

fully charge your battery and then check for parasitic draw.

Its unlikely that 2 batteries are bad but it is possible. New batteries aren't fully charged and may have not been fully charged by just driving.

slow charge the battery for 8hrs. Conductance test the battery if a jobber in your area provides this service for free...maybe where you bought it. This rules out the battery.

If battery ok, check for parasitic draw. Any draw over 50 miliamps is considered excessive.

If draw ok, check alternator output.

Thanks for replying! The new battery worked perfectly for about a week.

I don't actually own a battery charger so I will take it back to the store I got it from to have it tested and charged tomorrow morning for free (its just about closing time right now).

I don't expect its the alternator because when the car works, everything works great (strong motor, bright lights, loud music), plus the car isn't even on when the battery is dying, so if the battery isn't the problem I'm expecting some sort of parasitic draw. Of course I'm no expert so feel free to correct me here.

Since I have to wait to test the battery, how should I test for (and locate) a parasitic draw?

with any volt meter ,test light ect.. put in series with battery WITH NEGATIVE BATTERY CABLE DISCONNECTED(neg from meter to neg post on battery & positive ON METER to NEGATIVE BATTERY CABLE) no more than 1/2v- 1v
Good Luck

use a dvom set to amps as you want to measure current draw. You want a reading 50 milliamps or less after all the modules power down; which could take as long as 20min on some vehicles. Anything higher will drain the battery.

An inductive amp clamp is best as it won't wake up all the modules which is what will happen when you disconnect then reconnect the negative battery terminal.

using a dvom set to amps (make sure the red lead is in the amp terminal of your dvom), disconnect the negative battery terminal and connect the black lead of your dvom to the battery post and the red lead of the dvom to the negative battery cable terminal. Make sure everything is off as a key on or open door will draw enough to blow your meter fuse.

As you make the final connection all the modules will wake up and create a draw; this is normal. The modules should power down and go to sleep in maybe 5min. This is the reading you want.

Post your results and if needed will isolate where the draw is coming from

When the car gives the appearance of a dead battery do you get any sound from under the hood such as a single click of a relay or a rapid clicking? What doe the indicators in the dash do? Do they all come on and perform a bulb test? With the key in the run position does the radio work? If you try starting the car with the driver's door open what do the interior lights do when trying to start? Do they change much in brightness or go out completely? Have you checked the condition of the battery cable connection to the main power distribution box? Before checking the current draw on the battery I'd suggest hanging the multimeter across the battery and monitor the battery voltage with the key off, with the key in Run, and finally while the key is held to the Start position. If the battery is around 11V or higher in Run and doesn't drop below 10V when trying to start the car, the issue would seem to be something other than the battery, more likely a bad connection somewhere. If you need to move on to measure current, be sure to reposition the meter leads as mentioned by consultII above.

If using a current meter in series, use the highest current scale on your meter (probably 10A or 20A). Even though you are looking for something less than 100mA, the inrush current may be several amps. Using the mA setting of your meter will likely blow the fuse as soon as it's placed in series with the battery. It may take 45 minutes or better before all the modules in your 2004 go in to sleep mode, 5 minutes certainly won't be enough and 20 minutes may not be.

-Rod

ok Rod i understand but can 1 install meter in series the ''old school'' way
just have to wait for modules to go to bed????
Thanks mike

Ok I'm getting ready to go out and get my battery tested, but here's some answers for Rod-

Yesterday (when I discovered the dead battery for the second time) I got rapid clicking and Some lights on in the dash (I don't remember which ones, just that some lit up). I went out today to see exactly which lights lit up and I did not get ANY clicking, and absolutely no lights. The radio display doesn't even light up with the time, does not work. Today with door open while starting it doesn't do anything different than door closed because NOTHING works.

I have not checked the condition of the battery cable connection the the main power distribution box.

I'm gonna go get my battery tested and charged then start fiddling with the multimeter and get some more answers here right now.

Testing the parasitic drain is very simple.

1) Close the doors and wait until the indoor lights turn off.
2) Disconnect positive terminal of the battery.
3) Put the + plug of the multimeter to the 10A fused input of the meter.
5) Select the knob to DC amp or 10 DC amps (straignt line symbol)
4) Plug the + wire of the multimeter to the + of battery and the - of the meter to the red positive cable.
6) read the value
7) reconnect the terminal.

Next day, test also battery voltage. You should have at least 12.2V.

Update- I took the battery in to have it tested and they told me something was internally wrong with the battery and I got a free replacement. They still weren't sure if it was caused by the car or the battery, and they told me to bring the car back when I put the new battery in to test the alternator. Do you guys think I should still test for a parasitic draw after I test the alternator or just call it good?

Also, you guys are awesome! Thank you so much for the advice!

Yes do the test. It may save your 3rd battery.

Alright the alternator tested fine, the guy said there wasn't any codes being thrown or anything else. I'll work on testing for a draw (if I'm understanding these instructions correctly) right now and post back on how it ends up.

Okay this took way too long for me to figure out, but my multimeter is a cheap piece of junk and doesn't have a 10A fuse capacity (I didn't exactly understand step 3 of serge's neat instructions until now)... I went to test my battery and blew the multimeter fuse twice. Right now I'm working on borrowing a better multimeter from somebody but that could take a day or two to make happen.

At this point, the blown fuses tell us there is indeed a draw of some sort and just can't measure it, right? Should I reconnect the battery terminal just to see what happens (I don't have anywhere important to drive anytime soon, and the newest battery is still covered under warrantee)?

If the fuse blew, it means that you have a very important draw.

In your meter, it should writed the current capacity. I never seen a digital multimeter with less than 10A of capacity.

This one is analog, uses a 0.5A fuse

Oh.... analog. Yes analog usually have 0.5-1A fuse. If the draw is 600mA, the fuse blews.

Don't reconnect back the battery the night, you'll discharge it. You can also remove the 60 amp batt fuse of your car rather that disconnect the terminal each time.

About the warranty question, yes it's under waranty, since the shop can't know that you have a parasitic draw or it's the battery.

Okay this took way too long for me to figure out, but my multimeter is a cheap piece of junk and doesn't have a 10A fuse capacity (I didn't exactly understand step 3 of serge's neat instructions until now)... I went to test my battery and blew the multimeter fuse twice. Right now I'm working on borrowing a better multimeter from somebody but that could take a day or two to make happen.

At this point, the blown fuses tell us there is indeed a draw of some sort and just can't measure it, right? Should I reconnect the battery terminal just to see what happens (I don't have anywhere important to drive anytime soon, and the newest battery is still covered under warrantee)?

doesn't necessarily mean there is a bad draw. I've gone to an inductive amp clamp for just this reason. The trucks I test can have 28 modules; guess what happens when you reconnect the battery terminal....so many modules waking draws more than 10amps and pop goes the fuse. If you car had a 10amp draw that can blow the meter fuse the battery would go dead very fast.

Consult is exactly correct above, the inrush current will easily exceed half an amp. You need a meter with larger current capability or a clamp on DC current probe. Clamp on AC current probes are easy to find, clamp on DC current probes are less common and more expensive, but worth it if you do a lot of troubleshooting.

Inafogg, I'm not sure what you mean by "old school." You can connect a test light in series with the battery cable or a voltmeter, but to get a good reading you need to wait for all the modules to go in to standby/sleep mode. One of the problems with using a test light for this though is some test lights will limit the current so much that a module or two may go in to reset due to the current limit and never go to sleep, giving a constant or pulsing test light glow that will also give the indication of a parasitic draw when that may not be the case under normal operation. This is rare, but I have seen it.

-Rod

doesn't necessarily mean there is a bad draw. I've gone to an inductive amp clamp for just this reason. The trucks I test can have 28 modules; guess what happens when you reconnect the battery terminal....so many modules waking draws more than 10amps and pop goes the fuse. If you car had a 10amp draw that can blow the meter fuse the battery would go dead very fast.

Yes in sophisticated trucks... but not in a simple Taurus. The wake up current is about 3 amps, then it should stabilizes to 50-55 mA if everything is normal. 60-100 mA if it has aftermarket remote starter and alarms.

But you're right... not necessary a draw if the 0.5 amp fuse blow.

Consult is exactly correct above, the inrush current will easily exceed half an amp. You need a meter with larger current capability or a clamp on DC current probe. Clamp on AC current probes are easy to find, clamp on DC current probes are less common and more expensive, but worth it if you do a lot of troubleshooting.

I measured parasitic draw many times with my 10A digital meter. The DC clamps is not necessary for this appication and costs too much.

Hey everyone, I was in the middle of moving and took my sweet time getting my hands on a decent multimeter, but I finally bought one that works for this job.

After leaving the positive terminal disconnected overnight, I tested it today and got a reading of 1.300 amps (yes full amps, not milliamps) for the first 10 or 15 seconds, and then it settled around 0.680 amps. I guess my question now becomes how do I track down the parasitic draw? Thanks again in advance

How long did you let it sit with the 680 mA draw? It might take 45 minutes for the modules to go in to standby mode (likely more like 20 minutes). Be careful not to open doors with the meter in series as it could blow the meter fuse if you get too many lights turning on, plus that would reset the standby mode timer. Once you are sure that the car is in standby mode and you still have a significant draw, pull fuses one at a time to see which one causes the draw to drop to 70mA or so (0.070 A). I suggest leaving the fuses out as you remove them (make sure you have a fuse map first so you can get the correct fuses back in the correct circuits). If you were to replace them after removal and before pulling the next fuse, you might grab a circuit that will wake everything back up and you'd need to start the waiting process over again.

-Rod

Ah ok, I'll do it again tomorrow and leave it hooked up for an hour and report back with those results.

How long did you let it sit with the 680 mA draw? It might take 45 minutes for the modules to go in to standby mode (likely more like 20 minutes).

I don't agree with that. In my Windstar 98 all equipped, it takes like 5-10 sec to stabilize. Maybe 10 more seconds for this Taurus because of the longer dome light delay.


680 mA is an important draw. It might be an active module that power many relays like the interior light module. You can start by removing the interior light or accessory delay fuse.

If it's not that, remove only the fuse hot all the time (like power seat/mirror, horn, stop lamps...) as suggested.

It may only take 10 seconds, and yes, 680 mA is significant, but I'd hate to spend a bunch of time chasing a 680 mA draw that goes away after the battery saver relay times out and all modules are in standby mode. There are a lot of opportunities for electronics to change in the 6 years between your Windstar and the poster's 2004 Taurus. I had monitored the current draw in my 1998 Taurus SHO using a DC current probe and the draw changes after several minutes as all the modules go to "sleep." I understand you like to disagree, but what does it hurt to put the current meter on the car, then go in and eat dinner, to make sure that the current draw being measured is the current draw loading the system overnight?

-Rod

For what it's worth, pasted below is the Ford battery drain test procedure. Notice the amount of time that Ford suggests monitoring the current for. Also note that contrary to something I typed above, Ford does not recommend using a test light.

-Rod
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BATTERY (http://www.alldatadiy.com/alldata/AFI%7EV21547677%7EC38456%7ER0%7EOD%7EN/0/101825161/102960126/102960127/102960129/34853741/34863246/34863247) - DRAIN TEST

WARNING: Do not attempt this test on a lead-acid battery (http://www.alldatadiy.com/alldata/AFI%7EV21547677%7EC38456%7ER0%7EOD%7EN/0/101825161/102960126/102960127/102960129/34853741/34863246/34863247) that has recently been recharged. Explosive gases may cause personal injury. Failure to follow these instructions may result in personal injury.

CAUTION: To prevent damage to the meter, do not crank the engine or operate accessories that draw more than 10A.

NOTE: No factory-equipped vehicle should have more than a 50 mA (0.050 amp) draw.

Check for current drains on the battery (http://www.alldatadiy.com/alldata/AFI%7EV21547677%7EC38456%7ER0%7EOD%7EN/0/101825161/102960126/102960127/102960129/34853741/34863246/34863247) in excess of 50 milliamps (0.050 amp) with all the electrical accessories off and the vehicle at rest for at least 40 minutes . Current drains can be tested with the following procedure:

NOTE:



Many electronic modules draw 10 mA (0.010 amp) or more continuously.
Use an in-line ammeter between the negative battery (http://www.alldatadiy.com/alldata/AFI%7EV21547677%7EC38456%7ER0%7EOD%7EN/0/101825161/102960126/102960127/102960129/34853741/34863246/34863247) post and its respective cable.
Typically, a drain of approximately one amp can be attributed to an engine compartment lamp, glove compartment lamp, or interior lamp staying on continually. Other component failures or wiring shorts may be located by selectively pulling fuses to pinpoint the location of the current drain. When the current drain is found, the meter reading will fall to an acceptable level. If the drain is still not located after checking all the fuses, it may be due to the generator.
To accurately test the drain on a battery (http://www.alldatadiy.com/alldata/AFI%7EV21547677%7EC38456%7ER0%7EOD%7EN/0/101825161/102960126/102960127/102960129/34853741/34863246/34863247), an in-line digital ammeter must be used. Use of a test lamp or voltmeter is not an accurate method due to the number of electronic modules.
When the battery (http://www.alldatadiy.com/alldata/AFI%7EV21547677%7EC38456%7ER0%7EOD%7EN/0/101825161/102960126/102960127/102960129/34853741/34863246/34863247) has been disconnected and reconnected, some abnormal drive symptoms may occur while the powertrain control module (PCM) relearns its fuel trim. The vehicle may need to be driven to relearn the strategy.



Make sure the junction box(es)/fuse panel(s) is accessible without turning on interior or underhood lights.
Drive the vehicle at least 5 minutes and over 48 km/h (30 mph) to turn on and activate the vehicle systems.
Allow the vehicle to sit with the key OFF for at least 40 minutes to allow modules to time out/power down.
Connect a fused jumper wire between the negative battery cable (http://www.alldatadiy.com/alldata/AFI%7EV21547677%7EC38456%7ER0%7EOD%7EN/0/101825161/102960126/102960127/102960129/34853741/34863246/34863247/34863248) and the negative battery (http://www.alldatadiy.com/alldata/AFI%7EV21547677%7EC38456%7ER0%7EOD%7EN/0/101825161/102960126/102960127/102960129/34853741/34863246/34863247) post to prevent modules from resetting and to catch capacitive drains.
Disconnect the negative battery cable (http://www.alldatadiy.com/alldata/AFI%7EV21547677%7EC38456%7ER0%7EOD%7EN/0/101825161/102960126/102960127/102960129/34853741/34863246/34863247/34863248) from the negative battery (http://www.alldatadiy.com/alldata/AFI%7EV21547677%7EC38456%7ER0%7EOD%7EN/0/101825161/102960126/102960127/102960129/34853741/34863246/34863247) post without breaking the connection of the jumper wire.
NOTE: It is very important that continuity is not broken between the negative battery (http://www.alldatadiy.com/alldata/AFI%7EV21547677%7EC38456%7ER0%7EOD%7EN/0/101825161/102960126/102960127/102960129/34853741/34863246/34863247) post and the negative battery cable (http://www.alldatadiy.com/alldata/AFI%7EV21547677%7EC38456%7ER0%7EOD%7EN/0/101825161/102960126/102960127/102960129/34853741/34863246/34863247/34863248) when connecting the meter. If this happens, the entire procedure must be repeated. Connect the tester between the negative battery cable (http://www.alldatadiy.com/alldata/AFI%7EV21547677%7EC38456%7ER0%7EOD%7EN/0/101825161/102960126/102960127/102960129/34853741/34863246/34863247/34863248) and the post. The meter must be capable of reading milliamps and should have a 10 amp capability.
NOTE:





If the meter settings need to be switched or the test leads need to be moved to another jack, the jumper wire must be reinstalled to avoid breaking continuity.
Amperage draw will vary from vehicle to vehicle depending on the equipment package. Compare to a similar vehicle for reference.
No factory-equipped vehicle should have more than a 50 mA (0.050 amp) draw.



Remove the jumper wire.




If the draw is found to be excessive, remove fuses from the central junction box one at a time and note the current drop. Do not reinstall the fuses until you are finished testing. To properly isolate each of the circuits, all of the fuses may need to be removed and install one fuse, note the amperage draw, then remove the fuse and install the next fuse, etc.
If the current draw is still excessive, remove the fuses from the battery junction box (BJB) one at a time and note the current drop. Do not reinstall the fuses until you have finished testing. To properly isolate each of the circuits, all of the fuses may need to be removed. After removal of all of the fuses, install one fuse, note the amperage draw, then remove the fuse and install the next fuse until each circuit has been tested. When the current level drops to an acceptable level after removing a fuse, the circuit containing the excessive draw has been located.
Check the wiring schematic in the wiring diagram for any circuits that run from the battery (http://www.alldatadiy.com/alldata/AFI%7EV21547677%7EC38456%7ER0%7EOD%7EN/0/101825161/102960126/102960127/102960129/34853741/34863246/34863247) without passing through the junction boxes. If the current draw is still excessive, disconnect these circuits until the draw is found. Also disconnect the generator electrical connections if the draw can not be located. The generator may be internally shorted, causing the current drain.

I have 2 suggestions to give to the OP about this test:

1) I suggest to do steps 4,5,6 before step 3. So that if you break the connection by mistake you don't need to wait another 40 minutes but only restart step 2.

Because it's very hard to disconnect a battery cable w/o breaking the connection w/ the jumper trick. A bad contact can occur or the jumper can slip of the post.

2) Turn off all the interior lights with the dashboard light dimmer. Cause it's impossible to access the fuse panel on a Taurus w/o opening a door.

I agree, I'm not sure why Ford suggests waiting first, then attempting to connect a series current meter.

The feed circuits will be available under the hood which can be used to start the circuit isolation, but once the feed circuit is identified it is likely that an interior fuse panel will be the next step. If taking the approach of turning off the interior lights (not sure if in the 2004 this is done at the dimmer switch or on the dome light itself) be sure to open the appropriate door and leave it open before waiting the 40 minutes. Opening the door will wake the GEM module even if the interior lights are switched off.

-Rod

Wow thanks for all this info, let me see if I have this straight before I go out and get flawed results.

Right now, I've disconnected the negative battery terminal and attached a jumper cable to recomplete that circuit. I drove around with that setup for like 8 minutes going over 35mph and I am starting my 40 minute wait now.

After my 40 mins, I should hook up my multimeter and detach the jumper cables without breaking the circuit, and that should give me the proper reading, correct?

Also in regard to serge's advice, there is no option to turn off all dash and interior lights. The dome light turns on when I open the door regardless of how my dimmer is set, and there is no switch on the dome light itself that lights up. Additionally, when the door is open, there is a dash light "Theft" that blinks at regular intervals that also does not respond to the dimmer switch.

Edit: If I do indeed have a draw after all of this, I will probably wait until tomorrow to get a hold of the proper fuse diagrams to start tinkering with them.

Update: I followed through with my above post and my multimeter is now giving me a reading of 0.015 to 0.017 amps, which you're telling me is acceptable (as far as I can tell).

I'll wait until one (or more) of you guys confirm this is an accurate reading before drawing conclusions alone, but either way I will have another question or two about why this may have happened.

15mA is very low. Are you sure you've plugged the multimeter in the 10A settings and not in the 200mA plug? Just to be sure.

I am certain I had it plugged in the 10 amp because 1- it says 10 amps right there, and 2- this multimeter lights up the sockets you should plug the probe-things into based on what setting you set it to read. Although, I did leave it hooked up while I went inside to post my results, and when I went back out to reattach the battery terminal the reading was between 19 and 20 mA, but I didn't think it was a significant change.

So eveything is normal. I'm surprised how much the standby current is low compared to older car model. In the Windstar 98 it was 55mA. And I didn't have an anti-theft.

So there is nothing that could possibly wreck a battery like I had happen that wouldn't take fuses and whatnot out with it? The way the batteries died in such similar ways in such a small time frame is somewhat uncomfortable to brush off as coincidence, but I suppose its good news for me. Anyways, thank you again to everyone for the help you gave me!

Yeah, 15-17 mA does seem quite low, are you certain you aren't off by a decimal point? With that question on the table, the first battery, based on age, was due to fail. You can typically expect a sealed lead acid battery to last about 5 years. Since the store indicated an internal fault in the battery, about the only way your car could have caused that would be in you did not properly bolt the battery in place and it was allowed to bounce around. If the battery had an internal open or internal low resistance "short" there's really nothing your car could have done to cause that.

-Rod

Yeah, I even brought a pen and scratch paper out to my car and wrote the measurement directly off the multimeter to avoid goofing up the number before posting back here.