 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
Car Forum / Ford / Ford Trucks / October 2008Help Needed for 93 Ford F150 XLT Electrical Problem
Hi, can anybody help give me a clue on what might be the problem with my 93 F150. The alternator drains the battery, and it’s new and have taken it back to Pep Boys and had it retested and it passes ok. The battery is new also. When I start up my truck after it’s been sitting for a few hrs or a day the battery gauge in the dash reads normal in the middle, but after idling for a few minutes the gauge needle drops down then starts to drain the battery. The alternator does get hot, but I don’t see any problems with the wire harness or connectors melting or shorting anywhere. I have replaced the relay mounted on the inside fender wall near the battery, but still get the same results. Anybody have any knowledge? Thanks  SignaturePosted at author's request, using moderated http://www.AutoForumz.com interface Thread archive: http://www.AutoForumz.com/Help-Needed-93-Ford-F150-XLT-Electrical-Problem-ftopic t230027.html Sounds like an accessory possibly draining power. Best I can think to do is to have a certified mech. check it out. My old Oldsmobile had the same problem, turned out it was an exposed wire for the Power window making contact with the frame. I would just pay to have someone figure it out : > Hi, can anybody help give me a clue on what might be the > problem with my 93 F150. The alternator drains the battery, [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > > Anybody have any knowledge? Thanks >Hi, can anybody help give me a clue on what might be the >problem with my 93 F150. The alternator drains the battery, [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > >Anybody have any knowledge? Thanks If I understand correctly, it drains the battery when idling. This is a common symptom of a failed IAC (idle air control) which is not maintaining proper engine idle speed. The alter will cut out completely when the engine drops below a minimum speed. This means everything that draws power is still working with no alternater support. Make sure the IAC is maintaining proper idle. You should probabl remove and clean the throtttle body at the same time. I know it has/had a sticker saying not to clean it but, trust me, they still get dirty and choked. If this doesn't do it, have a diagnostic scan for stored fault codes done. They are usually a free service at many parts stores on the hope you will buy their parts. You should not just buy parts. Post the code along with any display definitions. Someone here will probably be able to help you interpret any fault codes. Lugnut >>Hi, can anybody help give me a clue on what might be the >>problem with my 93 F150. The alternator drains the battery, [quoted text clipped - 38 lines] > > Lugnut I'm not so sure the IAC could be the culprit- I've had a few go bad on me, and the vehicle wouldn't idle at all unless I gave it the throttle myself. There was no way I could walk away and let it idle- it would be stopped before I opened the door if I tried. Still can't hurt to clean it and the TB while he's troubleshooting, though. That said, it could be some accessory dragging it down, like a direct wired radio or amp, or a bad ground from engine to chassis, or a bare wire. Or it could be the voltage regulator. If you know someone with a DC ammeter, you can test for drain with the engine off, at idle, and at high RPM. You might want to have your battery tested- even though it's new, it can be bad. SC Tom >>>Hi, can anybody help give me a clue on what might be the >>>problem with my 93 F150. The alternator drains the battery, [quoted text clipped - 52 lines] > >SC Tom If the IAC is dead or disabled, the engine idle speed should drop to it's base idle speed which may be below the cutout point for the alternator. If the engine dies when the IAC is not working or disabled, the base idle speed is not properly set or the throttle bores are in really cruddy. My CV had a failed IAC. The idle speed was right on the cutout point so that the engine had a bit of a surge as it cutout/in. The normal current draw with a modern electroincally operated vehicle can easily exceed 35 amps at idle. Without alternator support, it won't take long to drain todays typical battery below the level where it can operated the vehicle. Lugnut > If the IAC is dead or disabled, the engine idle speed should drop to it's > base [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > > Lugnut That may be true if the engine is warm, but from personal experience, when the engine is cold and the IAC goes, the engine dies. MAF and TB were all nice and clean (only had 8,000 miles on it), and, other than the idle, ran fine. If I babied it until the temp was at operating temp, it would idle fairly well, more like what you are describing. SC Tom >> If the IAC is dead or disabled, the engine idle speed should drop to it's >> base [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > >SC Tom It may be the ambient temp may influence whether it idles or not on cold start. Here i GA, my problems have been during warm weather. With the CV, I hardly could tell the engine was idling too slowly. The 4.6L is a very smooth engine and the CV has no tach. It had no problem idling well below normal speed. The Sable with the 3.0 started stalling 2 or 3 times after cold start but, would idle fine after that. My 93 F150 with 5.0L simply idled too slow when the IAC acted up and the volt meter would drop with the engine idling slow. It seems to need 7-750 RPM to maintain voltage. With the IAC disabled, it turns just under 600 RPM. I still think it is a worthwhile angle to check and cost nothing to do. Just my $0.02 Lugnut >>Hi, can anybody help give me a clue on what might be the >>problem with my 93 F150. The alternator drains the battery, [quoted text clipped - 38 lines] > > Lugnut I'm not so sure the IAC could be the culprit- I've had a few go bad on me, and the vehicle wouldn't idle at all unless I gave it the throttle myself. There was no way I could walk away and let it idle- it would be stopped before I opened the door if I tried. Still can't hurt to clean it and the TB while he's troubleshooting, though. That said, it could be some accessory dragging it down, like a direct wired radio or amp, or a bad ground from engine to chassis, or a bare wire. Or it could be the voltage regulator. If you know someone with a DC ammeter, you can test for drain with the engine off, at idle, and at high RPM. You might want to have your battery tested- even though it's new, it can be bad. SC Tom > Hi, can anybody help give me a clue on what might be the > problem with my 93 F150. The alternator drains the battery, [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > > Anybody have any knowledge? Thanks 93's have a serpentine belt, so it should not be slipping. You say after a few minutes this happens. Here is what I would do to start. Disconnect all the wires from the alternator. Make sure none of them can come in contact with something else. Start the engine, note the "battery gauge" and see what it does. Make sure all the accessories and AC are off. Let us know what happens. When Pep Boys checked the alternator, did they do it on the truck or did you remove it? Al > Hi, can anybody help give me a clue on what might be the > problem with my 93 F150. The alternator drains the battery, [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > > Anybody have any knowledge? Thanks It sounds like a bad alternator and your engine is running from the battery instead of the alternator. Just because it's new (or rebuilt) doesn't necessarily mean it's OK. Do you have an alternator tester of some sort (my Vector/ B&D battery charger has one built in)? Or you could use a voltmeter and check the battery voltage with the engine off and then with it running. Off it should be about 12.5-13.5 volts and running it should be about 14-14.5 volts. If it doesn't go up when you start the engine I'd take the alternator back again. > -- > Posted at author's request, using moderated http://www.AutoForumz.com interface > Thread archive: http://www.AutoForumz.com/Help-Needed-93-Ford-F150-XLT-Electrical-Problem-ft opict230027.html > Hi, can anybody help give me a clue on what might be the problem with my > 93 F150. The alternator drains the battery, and its new and have taken [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > > Anybody have any knowledge? Thanks Just so you know, you don't have to use autoforumz to post.. this is Usenet, not autoforumz.com Just get a free newsreader, point it to nntp.aioe.org and enjoy Usenet groups without all the ads. |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2009 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.