Strange problems - Diesel Forum

gsxr68 · 05-10-2005, 09:15 AM

No warrenty need some help. I have an 03 6.0 with 37000 miles. At 36200 I left the radio on while I worked in the yard. I started it and it turned over really slow but it did start. Let it run in the yard for an hour and the next day it started but seemed to turn over slower than normal. The next day the same thing turned over slow but started, let off the e-brake and it released hard and the CD stopped and the lights on the radio were very dim and the ABS lights cam on. the radio looked like it was cycling from off to on and I turned off the truck and restarted it and a few seconds after the radio came on and the ABS light went out. Drove 3 hours with the radio, AC and lights on and stopped for 30 min and it would not even turn over just click. Came back an hour and half later and it started fine maybe turning over slower. Drive back home radio, AC and for the last half hour home I ran the lights. Let it sit for an hour and checked it several times and it turns over like normal and starts up. The lights never went dim or nothing on the truck was unusual. Nothing on the truck has been changed in over a year.

Thanks

FamilyRide · 05-10-2005, 10:29 AM

Bad batteries. They're what, about 2, maybe 3 years old and they've been near fully discharged at least once and recently? That will kill a regular wet battery quick and the 6.0 needs good batteries.

Look for posts in the Excurtion forum about 2-3 people in the last 1-2 months that had weird problems including no starts, or crank but no start. Bad batteries in each case.

PoppaSmurf · 05-10-2005, 10:33 AM

Also check for corroded battery leads. Should it be a bad battery, change BOTH. If you don't, you'll kill the new battery (shortly) with the old battery. Odds are though, you have one battery that is sick and is dragging down the other.

Good luck,
Brian.

jbdawson · 05-10-2005, 10:40 AM

What poppasmurf said with special attention to ground. A seemingly good ground connection can sometimes not be good and cause really strange behavior of the type you describe.

njmjc · 05-11-2005, 03:42 PM

What everybody else said and check your radio ground as well. If I remember right there was a concern a while back.

To help battery live check them regularly. Also, I disconnect the truck and charge the batteries with a battery charger once every six months. I seem to get almost twice the life that I hear other people get.

SeanBH · 05-11-2005, 07:04 PM

This is an easy one....batteries! Every single Ford I've owned (on my 3rd SuperDuty and about my 6th Taurus [Company Car]), the battery(s) take a dump just DAYS after the warranty's up. I would bet good money that's what your problem is. When I saw 37k, then I knew it!