To start this thread off, I'm going to give y'all a little background info on the rig. It's a 2006 F-150 XLT with a 5.4 V8 that has a little over 129,000 miles. I bought the pickup on December 18th, 2013 with 108,000 miles on it. With that said, the battery has not been changed since, nor do I know how old it was when I bought it.
Last week, I was cleaning my truck out in my driveway and I had some music playing, not too loud, but loud enough. I have a 1000 watt amp powering two 12" subs under my backseat that are connected to some beat-responsive LED strips, I assume they put a decent load on the battery. Well, when I was finished, my battery gauge read just under half. Went to start it and it cranked a tiny bit then clicked, indicating it was dead. Keep in mind, it was dark but I had my automatic lights off so all that I could think of really causing a battery draw would be my radio, the amp/subs, and my dome lights. Every time my pickup goes in for regular maintenance, I'm told that my battery checks out a-okay. So, asking you guys, should my battery be dying like that?

 

Also, whenever I've been listening to music with the truck off for a prolonged time and the battery is NOT dead, however is slightly below normal charge,it will chime and flash check gauges really quickly before starting, but my gauges work fine.

 

A LOT MORE background of the truck would have been better. Click this & read the caption:

http://www.supermotors.net/registry/media/72354

Specifically, the BRAND and size of the battery. To find a battery's age, read the code numbers melted into the top edge of the case, and look them up on the manufacturer's website.

The amp & courtesy lights were the only significant loads on the battery; the LEDs are negligible.

Testing a battery is tricky, and requires the correct equipment. The only tester recognized & accepted for warranty claims by most automakers & all battery mfrs. is the MidTronics high-frequency tester. Most dealerships are required to have at least one; some also have the corresponding charger for a more-thorough test cycle. You can try calling around, but service advisors don't necessarily know about the equipment the technicians use, so you may have to GO to a few.

http://www.supermotors.net/registry/media/830812

Ford does not recommend or accept battery load testing, but that's what most places do because it can be done with VERY cheap equipment.

http://www.supermotors.net/vehicles/...y/media/940436

But before you get any other testing done, click this & read all the captions:

http://www.supermotors.net/registry/2742/69178-4

That's the most common cause of all battery & electrical problems on vehicles, including many spurious & erratic fault codes.

 

If you put that kind of load on a battery, you should go buy a premium battery with the most cold cranking amps you can find. I recommend an Odyssey or a Die Hard Platinum (same thing).