This 2007 Acura MDX came in with the complaint that the battery would go dead. Usually after sitting a day or more. I checked and sure enough there was a small drain present most of the time and sometimes it would spike higher. Since I was already familiar with a common drain on the TL … Continue reading “2007 Acura MDX Battery Goes Dead”
This 1988 Ford F250 Came in with the complaint that the battery would go dead while sitting overnight. As soon as the truck was dropped off I checked the alternator and confirmed that it was not charging properly. It had excessive ac ripple voltage. This would not explain the battery going dead overnight but it … Continue reading “1988 Ford F250 Pickup, Battery Goes Dead While Parked”
This 1997 Ford Explorer came in with the complaint that the dome lights would stay on with all of the doors closed. I tried using one of my scan tools to look at data for the door ajar switches but was only able to see the information for the driver’s door and the passenger front … Continue reading “1997 Ford Explorer, The Interior Lights Stay On”
This 2002 Ford F150 came in with the complaint that the battery would go dead overnight. After the basics of checking the battery and alternator, I disconnected the negative battery cable and installed my Fluke multimeter in series between the negative battery post and the negative battery cable. I set the meter to read DC … Continue reading “2002 Ford F150, Battery Goes Dead Overnight”
This 2004 Buick Century came in with the complaint that the battery would go dead overnight. I disconnected the battery negative cable and connected my trusty Fluke multimeter in series between the negative battery post and a good chassis ground. I had already set the meter up to read DC amps. One lead was in … Continue reading “2004 Buick Century, Battery Goes Dead”
This 2004 Volvo XC 90 T6 AWD came in with the complaint that the battery would go dead overnight. Sometimes it would go dead while the customer was at work. The battery is located in the rear of the vehicle under the floor. At the tailgate there is a removable floor panel that covers this … Continue reading “2004 Volvo XC90, Battery Goes Dead Overnight”
This 2006 Acura TL came in with the complaint that the battery would go dead while the car was parked and not being used. The first thing that I found was a dead cell in the battery but I wanted to cover all the bases and checked for a drain condition. I installed my trusty … Continue reading “2006 Acura TL, Battery Goes Dead”
This 2005 Chevrolet Tahoe came in with multiple complaints. Radiator cooling fans on with key off, dash warning lights on, gauges not working, door locks cycling, power windows not working and of course the battery will go dead if left sitting for any length of time. I had checked this Tahoe out a few weeks … Continue reading “2005 Chevrolet Tahoe, Multiple Complaints, Communication Faults”
This 2008 Ford E350 van belongs to one of the local utility companies and the battery will go completely dead if it sits for more that two days. The standard routine, I connected my trusty Fluke meter in series with the battery negative post and terminal. There is a significant drain present as you can … Continue reading “2008 E350 Ford Van, Battery Drain”
This 1996 Ford F350 had multiple problems. One of which was low battery voltage while the engine was running. The owner complained that the battery would go down If he ran at night with the lights and a/c on. Go figure. At some point the ring terminal at the alternator was damaged and instead of … Continue reading “1996 Ford F350, Battery Voltage Low”