Battery Drain 2005 T-Bird

[irands]

Did anyone ever find the cause of this problem? Thanks

[George]

In the 2002, it was the hardtop connection. The rear window defroster stayed on, after ignition was off.
I did hear that there were some 'just bad batteries' in the later years. Not sure what if any symtoms you had, other than just going dead

[irands]

I wonder if the battery problems experienced on these Birds is the battery negative ground connection to the side well of the spare tire compartment. Idea: If that "bolt screwed into the metal side of the compartment" connection developed rust or corrosion or looseness, then the indication of a drained/low battery would be the result. Right???

[George]

I think you are correct, but have never heard of that occuring in the past 9 years on the forum

[irands]

Wouldn't hurt to disconnect ground cable from wheel-well and give the threaded hole and all metal connecting part/portions a good wire brushing to insure a good, substantial ground connection. A friend's Bird had a fully charged battery but needed to be jumped. A good wire brushing of the ground connection seemed to solve that problem.

[irands]

I had this problem on a riding lawnmower once. The negative battery cable lost it's ground due to a painted surface and a bit of rust/corrosion. The painted surfaces of the wheel-well being used as ground reminds me of the problem with the mower.

[DiegoThundy]

Another solution is to simply charge the battery and remove it from the car to see whether or not the battery is holding a charge. If it is, then you know you can start diagnosing things such as battery terminals, faulty connections, and the alternator. Just so we're not getting ahead of ourselves...

[irands]

Good idea! I have a friend who charged his battery on his 2005 Bird, disconnected the hot cable from the battery and went on a vacation in his motor home. It's going to be interesting to see if his battery is still charged when he returns. I have mine on a battery Minder (1 amp), desulfating type, at this time. I disconnedted it before this and let it sit for about a day, checked it and it was about 12.7 volts; then, the following day I believe it was about 12.4 volts. That seemed like a little too much drain to me, so it's back on the battery Minder.

[jimbeck]

My 03 that I bought new only has 4000 miles on it and I had the battery go dead a couple of times before I bought a battery tender. It is my understanding that all cars experience a "parasitic drain" and the battery will die if not constantly recharged. I have had 0 problems in the 5 years I have been using the maintenance charger. I have hardwired it to the battery and leave it in the trunk permanently and simply unplug when I leave and plugin when I return.

Just my 2 cents worth.

Jim

[George]

Exactly what I do Jim. And I've used battery tenders for over 30 years on my antique cars and it really pays off.

[yrbamje]

Pardon my ignorance. What the heck is a battery tender?
Jim

[George]

Jim:
It maintains your battery at all times. Goggle it and you'll find sites or buy one from Griots Garage on line. It is not a charger or and trickle charger. How's it different? Found on line:

How is the Battery Tender Plus battery charger different from a trickle charger?
The Battery Tender Plus battery charger delivers 1.25 amperes during bulk charge mode, holds the battery charge voltage constant at 14.4 VDC during absorption charge mode until the battery charge current drops to 0.1 amperes at which time it then automatically switches to a float charge mode. During float charge mode, the output voltage of the Battery Tender Plus battery charger is 13.2 VDC, which is well below the gassing voltage of a lead acid battery. This keeps the battery topped off, while minimizing any detrimental effects to do gassing. The Battery Tender Plus battery charger is able to perform these complex switching functions because its electronic circuitry is controlled by an on board microprocessor.
Although they often appear to be a better economic choice for the typical consumer, trickle chargers do not have the advantage of sophisticated electronic control. Therefore, as they allow the value of charge current to trickle down to what appears to be safe levels, the output voltage of the charger rises well above 15 VDC, sometimes even going higher that 16 VDC depending on the charger type and the battery that is connected to it. Either voltage is well above the gassing voltage of a lead acid battery. If the battery remains connected to this high level of voltage for an extended period of time, even less than 1 day, extreme damage can be done to the battery. What appears to be a cost savings for the charger may actually cost several times the charger price in replacement batteries.

[yrbamje]

Boy, that's a complete thesis on this gadget!
Thanks.
I'll look into getting one.
Jim