It mostly happens when the truck sits over night and I go to start it for the 1st time of the day. It will turn over many time before it starts and when it does start the gauges "Sweep" as if I went into test gauge mode. I notice that it never sweeps the gauge when the truck starts normally. If I drive the truck for 3 minutes then start it it starts right up normally.

Today I pulled the chip out in order to get a re-burn and noticed that when I disconnect the battery and turn the key after reconnecting the batter the gauges sweep. I also noticed that after having the door and hood open for 15 minutes resulted in me having to boost the truck to get it started. The battery had died after only 15 minutes of interior lights being on.

I originally thought it was the chip causing the problem but now I think I have a bad battery and the reason it sweeps the gauges and is hard to start is because after sitting all night the battery drains enough to get low but still has enough juice to start the truck after turning over and over.

So do you guys think its a bad battery? I cant see the battery being bad since the truck only has 3000 miles on it.

Because of the 3 facts..
1) When its hard to start and it finally catches the gauges sweep
2) The gauges sweep when the battery is disconnected then reconnected
3) My Battery had to be charged so quickly

I think it may be the battery.

Any thoughts?

 

Sounds like a good guess to me

 

The guage sweep is definately due to low voltage, right out of the service manual.

 

Make sure you don't have a short drawing down the battery overnight, i.e. light on somwhere or an accesssory not turned off. IF you are ABSOLUTELY sure that there is no short, then get yourself an Optima deep cycle, should last a lifetime, because that is the guarantee. You could have Ford warranty the battery if you prefer, I wouldn't because I don't like anyone working on my vehicle unless absolutey necessary, your choice.

If it is a short, the dealer will have to fix it, unless you know an excellent automotive electrical repair shop and want to cough up $75+ an hour to find it and fix it.

Good Luck

 

Thanks for the info guys, I forgot to mention one thing..

When I get the hard start problem it always starts but only after turning over way more times then it should, but here is the thing..

When it starts and the truck is running is when the gauges sweep.
When I took the battery off then put it back on the gauges would sweep when I turn the ignition to the on position (Not when the truck was on and running like when I getthe hard start problem).

Do you guys know what I mean? Would this mean anything?

 

Most likely not the battery, check the leads going to the alternator then check the relays and fuses, under hood and in dash to be sure all are snug.
Could be a relay hanging up.
This type of problem is one of the hardest to resolve until the problem causes a constant condition, i.e. no start or constant sweeping.

Hope it helps.

 

When it "turns over but won't start" right away, does it turn over at the normal cranking speed? If so, then I don't think it's the battery. Someting(PCM defective?) may be grounding out the ignition??? I think it is 'electrical', just not the battery's fault.

Dan

 

It does seem to crank at a slower rate when it happens. I hate electrical problems! They are so hard to pin-point.

 

If there is slow cranking when it occurs, back to the battery. If possible, try another battery if you can. Go to wal-Mart or similar place and buy a cheapie, if that is it, return the cheapie and get the good one Optima, deep cycle...

Still trying to help

 

I appreciate all suggestions! This site rocks for this very reason.
Thanks man!

 

Take it to an Auto Zone and they will take the battery out and test(under load) it for free. They carry a renamed Optima--a Champion, I think. If it's turning over slowly, then the battery is discharged and may be defective or you have a constant drain some where.

Btw, Consumer Reports did a battery test recently and I think(?) a Ford battery outperformed the Optima........ I have two Optimas.


Dan