Windstar Battery problems PLEASE HELP!!

[michaelh503]

Our 2000 Ford Windstar runs great. Then one day in the morning the car wouldnt start. Jumped it and it ran fine all day. Stopped and started up fine. Drove all the way from Toledo, Ohio back to Charleston SC with no problem stopped engine at gas stations and started right back up. Got home. In the morning it wouldnt start, same scenario jumped it and ran fine all day. long story short. the past four days every morning the battery is dead. Nothing is left on inside or outside. Charging system and battery are fine. What could be draining the battery over night???? PLEASE HELP.

[mark v]

How did you come to the conclusion the Battery and Charging system are fine, did you have them tested?

An Alternator is not designed to charge a battery, it is designed to maintain the charge. Trying to charge a Dead Battery with an Alternator can lead to a permanently damaged Alternator.

I didnt read in your post about you charging your Battery, I just read you jumped it every time.

Sounds like a bad Battery to me!

[GraybeardAv]

To find out if something is draining the battery, remove the negative terminal and leave it overnight.

GB

[michaelh503]

I checked the charge of the battery and it seems to be fine. Also when I get the van started I can disconnect the negative cable and the car doesn't turn off. I will disconnect the negative cable tonight and see what happens in the morning.

[mark v]

12.6V or higher: 100% charge
12.4V - 12.6V: 75-100%
12.2V - 12.4V: 50-75%
12.0V - 12.2V: 25-50%
11.7V - 12.0V: 0-25%
11.7V or less: 0% (and probably not capable of being recharged).

It doesn't take much to discharge a battery - a few milliamps drain over time can do it. If you have a very small drain, you will not see it by measuring voltage.

You need to measure *amperage* being drawn, not voltage.

You could place your multimeter in current mode, disconnect the negative lead to your battery, then place the multimeter in series between the battery and the negative battery cable. You will then be able to see exactly how much current is being drawn. Then start pulling fuses to determine the circuit with the greatest current draw. That will help you troubleshoot the system.

[michaelh503]

I am not the biggest guru when it comes to electrical. which setting on my multi meter is current mode?
And what should the amperage/current be? And I should place one lead on the positive terminal of the battery and one on the disconnected negative cable correct?

[jonmark1985]

You have to put the multimeter in line of the flow of current, just putting the multimeter across both terminals of the batter will create a short and run a very large amount of amperage through the multimeter and blow the fuse. If you have a auto ranging multimeter set it to DC amps.

[michaelh503]

So i disconnect the negative terminal and place on lead from the multi meter on the positive terminal and the other lead from the multi meter on the disconnected cable. and what setting (picture) is the DC amps.

[philkb]

As mentioned above, you may have a bad battery, even though it will hold enough charge to restart your car soon after shutting it off, but the charge will bleed down over a few hours. If you perform the ammeter test, the measured current should only be a few milliamps, for your various on-board "computers", as well as your radio's memory. These would take a long time to discharge a decent battery, in fact a battery, even a good one will lose more charge just sitting due to chemical reactions than it would from supplying your on-board memory systems.
In any case, if your not sure, it's best to have the system evaluated by someone with the correct equipment and experience.

Phil

[michaelh503]

I have placed a meter in line on the negative side of battery in dc amps and it was 2.67