ok, I need some help here
The vehicle a 1996 ford E-150 with the straight six

The problem
I dont drive it much so when it sits its on a battery tender to keep the battery charged
-After I unplug it, it will fire right up no problem. I drove it around for about 20 minutes and when I got home shut it off-I went to start it again (about 10 minutes later) and it wouldnt start, it turned but no start. If I use an engine jump start it hesitates but starts.

I did the old method to test the alternator (disconnect negative terminal on battery while running) and it is ok. I pulled that battery and had it tested, its ok (only year old it better be)

I checked connections and all seem to be ok-also the sylenoid is fairly new

So whats next, is my starter ready to go out on me? This is starting to happen often so I can not drive anywhere with it unless i leave it running. Not in a hurry to fix it though because its not a daily driver, but i do want to get it fixed

Thanks in advance

 

Anybody?

 

Check for corrosion at the battery, starter, alternator and solenoid terminals. You should also pull the alternator and have it tested properly.

JMC

 

I recommend getting a new battery first, at only $70-$90 its a cheap fix. If it doesn't fix it, you can always return the new battery and get your money back. I know the one you have is not very old...but this still sounds like a bad battery. What brand battery do you have? It didn't come from walmart did it? Who tested it? If it was autozone I wouldn't believe the results. Their test does nothing to account for temperature variations, under the hood at 180 degrees is NOT the same as 72 degrees on the counter in their store.

I had this same problem on an '85 F-150, same straight six as yours only older and carbed. Engine would start off a fresh charge, but would not restart after a trip in to town. Same issue you have, alternator worked fine. A new battery put everything to rights.

Long story short, when a battery is near it's end it has trouble holding a charge very long at all, is typically even more sensitive to temperature...such as the hot temps found under the hood of a running engine, and can not deliver rated current, even if the voltage looks ok.

 

The battery is a Duralast Gold battery from autozone (and was also tested there) The battery was put in the van in september of '06, reason being was because of the same problem. I went to the bank one day, fired right up no problem, when i left the bank it was dead as can be-wouldnt even jump start, I had to borrow the battery out of my dads truck to get to autozone, (then my brakes gave out in the parking lot so it got towed home).
At that time I had the battery tested-was bad under load so I replaced it and now just over a year later I am having same problem again. I was thinking battery to, but what would cause the battery to just go bad? I know that battery is still under warranty but I just dont want to keep feeding this thing new batteries-something has to be killing the battery.
Looks like I have a project for when weather breaks-start pulling parts and getting them tested

 

It could simply be you bought a battery that was not working right in the first place. I don't want to put down Autozone, because frankly I buy parts there too, but let's face it. They buy the cheapest parts they can to offer the best price to us consumers (and maximize profit of course) in order to win our business. I have bought at least 3 different parts from Autozone in the past year that were either not the right size (spark plug wires), not the right part (light switch), or did not work outright (coil pack). This is only this year, and no, I am not a mechanic, so I don't actually go to Autozone all that often. I personally believe there is a good 10% chance anything you buy at Autozone will have an issue out of the box.

Again, please don't take this as a negative towards Autozone. They buy what the can, and are only as good as the places they buy their parts from. They have always treated me well concerning returns. I am more than willing to take a part back once or twice rather than pay a 60-100% markup at the stealership.

Hope this helps,
Mike

 

It could be a relay problem. Loose corroded wire on the starter relay. I have a 97 E350 van that every once in a while I have to mess with the starter relay wires. But it a totally different van 5.4 1 ton and all. But all the same you might check the relay.