Johnson Controls builds most of the automotive batteries out there; Optimas are built on the same assembly line as Motorcrafts are, and Optimas don't like parasitic draws any better than a Motorcraft battery does.

 

True, actually around 14-18... but... gotta go with specs since that's my job.

As far as the little black piece that the above post stated on page 1... I always like to advise people to remove the trim pieces so that they don't go blindly poking at things... that on occasion can turn into an unhappy person if they manage to short an airbag wire or something else gets bent/cut/damaged in some way...

 

So i got my truck out of park rolled it back and jumped it off. Let it idle for 20 minutes shut it off. Attempted to crank it up and it cranked right up 3 times.


Fast forward 24 hours and I go to crank it up and what do you know the battery is dead. I monitor the battery voltage with my edge and at idle it is only registering 13.8-13.9 volts.

Is the edge accurate in that aspect? If it is what could the problem be? First thought would be an alternator.

2005 5.4 4x4 with about 32K

 

My bet is that you have a bad cell in the battery. Like I stated above I went through this a few times. Sometimes after a boost it would be good for a couple of months and then bang, so dead I couldn't even pop my power locks. Within 2 months of getting my Ford replacement battery I started having problems again The battery would die if I left the stock stereo on for more then 15-20 minutes. Then when it was -40 out she quit for good. At that point I had enough and went and bought an after market battery, 8 months later and it is working better than any of my 3 ford batteries ever did. I can leave my radio on for hours at a time now.

 

Ideally you want to see at least 14.5 but nothing higher then 15. Resting voltage after sitting for 24 hours should be about 12.5 to around 12.8 volts. I'd imagine that the Edge would be accurate enough to give you ballpark readings that will alert you to a problem. The only sure fire way to properly check a battery though is to do a load test.

 

OK, before I say anything... Quentin, I always respect your opinion and everything you contribute here.
But, I'm not sure this statement is accurate.
Optimas, while manufactured by Johnson Controls, are not anywhere near the same battery as die hard, international, etc. There would be some serious assembly line modifications to build both of these batteries on the same assembly line. (I work in manufacturing, albeit a totally unrelated product category)
We're talking about not only different footprints, but different guts and different energy storage methods.
Also, there is a difference with the Optima batteries and regular batteries with regards to parasitic draws. Optimas (at least yellow-tops) are designed to maintain a constant voltage until near fully discharged where other batteries will lose voltage prior to being fully discharged.

That's my $.02 ... that's worth about $.0002

 

20 minutes of run time won't recharge a dead battery. I revive dead Motorcraft batteries all the time at work. It can take more then 8 hours on a battery charger to fully charge one.
Did you ever recheck the draw with the extra stuff disconnected?

 

The new Micro warranty battery tester can bring back a really dead battery in about 2 hours...

 

The yellow top is a deep cycle battery and it's no different then any other deep cycle out there. They're all designed to provide power for long periods of time without recharging. The major advantage to the Optima is their ability to survive harsh vibration and general abuse without shorting out.

 

Alternators are not battery chargers...Once a car/truck/etc... has been jumped, and taken to the safety of home, the battery should be placed on an automatic trickle charger. This is best bet for longer life for the battery, and reduced frustration. Any battery that cannot start the truck faithfully after a trickle charge should be replaced. I'm sure someone will argue with me (it wouldn't be F150online if someone didn't), but that's my professionally educated opinion.

 

I'm going to shock you and completely agree, trickle charging is the only way to properly charge a battery. Quick charging is OK to get a vehicle going but it dramatically shortens battery life.

 

If I may add my 2 cents, deep cycle batteries are designed to be completely discharged and charged. This promotes longer deep cycle life. I'm not sure why anyone would want to use a deep cycle battery for cranking applications (I know many do) because not only are deep cycles generally more money, but they're not being used for what they're intended purpose is.

 

Or it can take two hours to tell you the battery's bad and needs to be replaced.

I hate that freaking thing.

 

Yeah, me too... but I just drive the thing into the pen, pull the battery, and set it right next to the box and wait till I hear the oh so joyful sound of the beeping letting me know it's done...

Now I would never do this... but I seem to have a battery under my box with a dead cell sitting around 8V with 54 CCA... I really should throw it out but I just can't bring myself to get rid of such a useful battery...

 

I'd have to agree.