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Posted: 5/11/2021 1:21:37 PM EDT
[#1]
Quoted: 2005 F150 225k miles 5.4 triton Battery died in February Replaced it in March Worked great until April. Go to start it and I have to hold the key and it’ll slowly start turning over getting faster and faster as long as I hold it and then it fires up and runs great. Lights, AC, Radio, all work great. Drive truck for 45 minutes and it does it all over again when I go to start it. Battery and alternator are @ ~13-14 volts Could it be the starter or solenoid going out? You can have a weak cell that allows the battery to show 12.7 volts at no load (which is where a fully charged battery should be after a 12 hour rest after being charged), but then when a load is applied show a significant voltage drop. So I would not rule out the battery. My question is - does it do this every single time? Like start it first thing in the morning, then kill it 5 minutes later, then immediately restart it - does it behave the same? If so, the most likely cause is bad connection at the starter, bad connection at the battery, bad starter/solenoid, bad starter relay, bad battery, bad fusebox. I'd start with the cheapest options: 1. Check and ensure the battery cable connections are clean and in good condition from the battery to the starter. 2. Check the passenger side fusebox, ensure it is not corroded/wet, well grounded at the nearby grounds to the body near the fusebox, and pull the starter relay. Look for corrosion under the relay, and where it plugs in. Swap the relay with its neighbor, as these are the same, and re-test. Here is a vid:  2007 F150 Starter Fuse, Starter Relay, Starter Circuit Explained My gut tells me you have a failing starter. But you might get lucky. |
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Posted: 5/11/2021 1:31:50 PM EDT
[#2]
Not many variables for the issue you describe. Your volts when running should be above 14v Cables - battery and starter Battery - not holding charge (Autozone free check) Alternator - not charging battery (Autozone free check) Starter - usually they work, or they don't |
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Posted: 5/11/2021 1:50:10 PM EDT
[#3]
I have had bad ground cables do that as well.
for older cars you can see if the lights go out when cranking. means it is drawing more amps than the battery can supply. or just get it tested again. starters too can be tested, but most parts houses don't know how anymore. |
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Posted: 5/11/2021 2:23:56 PM EDT
[#4]
Quote HistoryQuoted: You can have a weak cell that allows the battery to show 12.7 volts at no load (which is where a fully charged battery should be after a 12 hour rest after being charged), but then when a load is applied show a significant voltage drop. So I would not rule out the battery. My question is - does it do this every single time? Like start it first thing in the morning, then kill it 5 minutes later, then immediately restart it - does it behave the same? If so, the most likely cause is bad connection at the starter, bad connection at the battery, bad starter/solenoid, bad starter relay, bad battery, bad fusebox. I'd start with the cheapest options: 1. Check and ensure the battery cable connections are clean and in good condition from the battery to the starter. 2. Check the passenger side fusebox, ensure it is not corroded/wet, well grounded at the nearby grounds to the body near the fusebox, and pull the starter relay. Look for corrosion under the relay, and where it plugs in. Swap the relay with its neighbor, as these are the same, and re-test. Here is a vid:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcOKH_TK6WcMy gut tells me you have a failing starter. But you might get lucky. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: 2005 F150 225k miles 5.4 triton Battery died in February Replaced it in March Worked great until April. Go to start it and I have to hold the key and it’ll slowly start turning over getting faster and faster as long as I hold it and then it fires up and runs great. Lights, AC, Radio, all work great. Drive truck for 45 minutes and it does it all over again when I go to start it. Battery and alternator are @ ~13-14 volts Could it be the starter or solenoid going out? You can have a weak cell that allows the battery to show 12.7 volts at no load (which is where a fully charged battery should be after a 12 hour rest after being charged), but then when a load is applied show a significant voltage drop. So I would not rule out the battery. My question is - does it do this every single time? Like start it first thing in the morning, then kill it 5 minutes later, then immediately restart it - does it behave the same? If so, the most likely cause is bad connection at the starter, bad connection at the battery, bad starter/solenoid, bad starter relay, bad battery, bad fusebox. I'd start with the cheapest options: 1. Check and ensure the battery cable connections are clean and in good condition from the battery to the starter. 2. Check the passenger side fusebox, ensure it is not corroded/wet, well grounded at the nearby grounds to the body near the fusebox, and pull the starter relay. Look for corrosion under the relay, and where it plugs in. Swap the relay with its neighbor, as these are the same, and re-test. Here is a vid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcOKH_TK6WcMy gut tells me you have a failing starter. But you might get lucky. Every single time I can run it for 45 minutes, kill engine, immediately try to start again and it does it all over again |
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Posted: 5/12/2021 9:11:23 AM EDT
[#5]
Do you know why the battery died in Feb? Did you find a light switch left on or some other 'oops' that killed that battery, or did you replace it without figuring out what killed it?
Batteries do die mysteriously, mostly due to age or damage, but it's helpful to find out what killed the old one so you don't kill the new one. Anyway, figuring out what killed the battery is helpful for troubleshooting. |
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Posted: 5/12/2021 9:34:03 AM EDT
[#6]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Do you know why the battery died in Feb? Did you find a light switch left on or some other 'oops' that killed that battery, or did you replace it without figuring out what killed it? Batteries do die mysteriously, mostly due to age or damage, but it's helpful to find out what killed the old one so you don't kill the new one. Anyway, figuring out what killed the battery is helpful for troubleshooting. The vehicle was parked for ~8 weeks without use and we had a week of freezing weather. Was completely fine prior to that. |
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Posted: 5/12/2021 10:52:45 AM EDT
[#7]
What brand of battery? Have you had it load tested?
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Posted: 5/12/2021 11:40:13 AM EDT
[#8]
Duracell from Sam’s
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Posted: 5/12/2021 1:08:20 PM EDT
[#9]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Duracell from Sam’s Until you have it load tested, we are just guessing. That said, those are good batteries so the odds are on new starter time. |
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Posted: 5/12/2021 1:32:57 PM EDT
[#10]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Until you have it load tested, we are just guessing. That said, those are good batteries so the odds are on new starter time. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Duracell from Sam’s Until you have it load tested, we are just guessing. That said, those are good batteries so the odds are on new starter time. Getting that done tomorrow |
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Posted: 5/12/2021 2:20:54 PM EDT
[#11]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Getting that done tomorrow Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Quoted: Duracell from Sam’s Until you have it load tested, we are just guessing. That said, those are good batteries so the odds are on new starter time. Getting that done tomorrow Load testing or new starter? Did you try any of the troubleshooting steps provided? |
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Posted: 5/12/2021 2:21:09 PM EDT
[#12]
Shitty battery cables may do that.
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Posted: 5/12/2021 2:27:13 PM EDT
[#13]
Said above but:
Connections: Cables at battery Cables at starter Grounding Cables (Ground to frame , Ground to engine) Look for cables that look they have been hot. |
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Posted: 5/12/2021 3:07:38 PM EDT
[#14]
Given the miles on the truck, the starter is worn. The brushes and commutator are likely worn, as are the motor bearings/bushings. It may be having a hard time getting moving. The "it works or it doesn't" is flat wrong.
A local farm whose equipment I do repair work on has a tractor that I just recently talked the owner into replacing the starter. Was cranking slow and sometimes not fast enough to start. He's thrown battery after battery at it. Been telling him for three years the starter is worn out and needs to be replaced, but he kept balking because the starter (even a cheap one) is over $300. After the second $150 battery in three years, he agreed. New starter spins the engine so fast it doesn't even need starting aids in the cold any more (diesel). Even if the starter turns out to not be the problem (I doubt that), at 225k and nearly two decades it ain't long for this world anyway. Also, my brother has almost the same truck. Had the same symptoms. Kept throwing batteries at it too. Was the starter. |
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Posted: 5/12/2021 3:08:45 PM EDT
[#15]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Load testing or new starter? Did you try any of the troubleshooting steps provided? Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Duracell from Sam’s Until you have it load tested, we are just guessing. That said, those are good batteries so the odds are on new starter time. Getting that done tomorrow Load testing or new starter? Did you try any of the troubleshooting steps provided? Getting battery load tested I already cleaned cables and terminals I’ll try and get to test voltage at starter While truck was running it was putting out ~13-14 volts Shut engine off and tried to restart it and it wouldn’t turn at all. Checked battery and got 9.8 volts I haven’t had the time to really dig into it. Hopefully Sunday I can dedicate a couple hours to it |
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Posted: 5/12/2021 3:53:16 PM EDT
[#16]
9.8 volts????
It measured that voltage while someone was actively cranking it.... with a meter, or at rest after attempting to crank it? If your battery is 9.8v at rest, it's dead Jim. You will burn up your alternator if you keep driving it like that. A battery that is reading 9.8V has no chance of ever starting a vehicle. A battery that was just being charged (like from a running vehicle) will generally be between 13 and 13.5V. After an overnight rest, it will settle back down to 12.6-12.7V (fully charged).  |
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Posted: 5/12/2021 4:35:44 PM EDT
[#17]
Quote HistoryQuoted: 9.8 volts???? It measured that voltage while someone was actively cranking it.... with a meter, or at rest after attempting to crank it? If your battery is 9.8v at rest, it's dead Jim. You will burn up your alternator if you keep driving it like that. A battery that is reading 9.8V has no chance of ever starting a vehicle. A battery that was just being charged (like from a running vehicle) will generally be between 13 and 13.5V. After an overnight rest, it will settle back down to 12.6-12.7V (fully charged). https://i.stack.imgur.com/clBVt.gif I’ve also seen and read that a bad alternator can drain a battery while the ignition is off It is a remanufactured alternator that I install ~4 years ago |
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Posted: 5/12/2021 4:37:21 PM EDT
[#18]
I’m gonna use all the info provided here to help figure out what is going on.
Thanks for all the input. |
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Posted: 5/23/2021 12:54:23 PM EDT
[#19]
So... What was it?
@ARS24-7 |
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Posted: 5/23/2021 3:14:27 PM EDT
[#20]
Quote HistoryQuoted: So... What was it? @ARS24-7 You spying on me? Talk about coincidence LOL. Today is the first day I get to work on the truck since making the thread  The battery is on a charger as I type this Below is a photo of the volts being put out while truck is running  This is prior to jumping it of  This is after letting it idle for about 20 minutes then shutting off engine. Immediately after killing engine it was at 11.9 then settled in here, pretty much where it was prior to jumping it off. Starter spun the engine over no problem hook up to my Corolla  Trying to find my receipt from Sam’s as this battery is only a few months old. |
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Posted: 5/23/2021 3:17:59 PM EDT
[#21]
Side note, I scored that multimeter at the local radio shack on clearance for $10 prior to them shutting the doors.
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Posted: 5/23/2021 7:20:26 PM EDT
[#22]
Each cell in a 12V auto battery puts out 2.1V and 6 cells = 12.6V
a single dead cell (it happens) = 10.5V and that appears to be what you have..... or just a fubar battery with cells that will not fully charge. Either way, that's your issue. |
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Posted: 5/23/2021 8:56:14 PM EDT
[#23]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Each cell in a 12V auto battery puts out 2.1V and 6 cells = 12.6V a single dead cell (it happens) = 10.5V and that appears to be what you have..... or just a fubar battery with cells that will not fully charge. Either way, that's your issue. Battery has been on my porch charging for 6 hours. It got to 11.4 volts and immediately started losing voltage the instant I took it off the charger. It settled at -10.7 volts. Hopefully Sam’s can look up my purchase using my membership number since I lost the receipt. |
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Posted: 5/24/2021 11:55:00 AM EDT
[#24]
I have a 2001 that I ended up making a new Ground Cable (battery to engine) that cured a lot of electrical woes....not too much later I made a new Positive Cable for it too; notorious for burning/corroding at the Starter, oh and twice replaced the Autozone rebuilt that the previous owner replaced (warranted them) AND two "New" units from Amazon, so that's four starters for the same Truck in four years.
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Posted: 5/24/2021 12:35:02 PM EDT
[#25]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I have a 2001 that I ended up making a new Ground Cable (battery to engine) that cured a lot of electrical woes....not too much later I made a new Positive Cable for it too; notorious for burning/corroding at the Starter, oh and twice replaced the Autozone rebuilt that the previous owner replaced (warranted them) AND two "New" units from Amazon, so that's four starters for the same Truck in four years. I just want it “fixed” enough to trade it in
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