Battery Dies in Ford Edge Toad

[Radioman]

After more than a year with no problems now the battery in our '08 Ford Edge toad goes dead after about 2 hours of towing it. We checked & cleaned all cables, terminals, battery posts, etc. But here's the weird part: to test it we left the car UNATTACHED for 2 hours, not hooked up to the motor home but with the key in the 1st position as stipulated in the owner's manual for towing (BTW, no fuses are required to be pulled to tow), and it still died.

Ford dealer ran hours of diagnostics and can't find the problem. According to them everyting is good and we're setting up to tow as we're supposed to, but something is drawing down the battery, even when not connected to the coach.

Any ideas from the IRV2 brain trust would be greatly appreciated - it's a pain to have to jump start the car every time we pull in for the night...

Thanks.

[Flagelpater]

I assume the shop checked the battery with a carbon pile?
Did they check the drain on the battery?
A battery may not charge due to a poor connection that will allow for a high current draw, such as starting.
You can start by setting up as if you are towing and pull some fuses, one at a time, to see if you can isolate the circuit. Time consuming, Yes!

[GaryKD]

Hi Radioman,
Did the dealership actually check the battery to see if it was still good? I know this sounds like a "duh" question, but sometimes techs don't see the forest because of the trees.

[hamguy]

Originally Posted by Radioman

After more than a year with no problems now the battery in our '08 Ford Edge toad goes dead after about 2 hours of towing it. We checked & cleaned all cables, terminals, battery posts, etc. But here's the weird part: to test it we left the car UNATTACHED for 2 hours, not hooked up to the motor home but with the key in the 1st position as stipulated in the owner's manual for towing (BTW, no fuses are required to be pulled to tow), and it still died.

Ford dealer ran hours of diagnostics and can't find the problem. According to them everyting is good and we're setting up to tow as we're supposed to, but something is drawing down the battery, even when not connected to the coach.

Any ideas from the IRV2 brain trust would be greatly appreciated - it's a pain to have to jump start the car every time we pull in for the night...

Thanks.

Measure the current drain on the battery when hooked up for towing. That is the only way to know what the drain is. Then, if the drain is high, start analyzing the drain for cause. OH, do the other stuff too.

[wa8yxm]

Well.. There are several questions that come to mind the first is what supplemental braking system (Towed brakes) do you use, have you recently changed brands?

Many of the "Braking system in a box" devices like Break Buddy have only the towed battery to draw power from.. Second is the "Tow lights" system. do you have your brake lights and turn signals on the towed powered by the motor home. Is that system WORKING PROPERLY.. Many cars when the brake pedal is depressed, no matter what the position of the ignition switch, the brake lights come on.

Next what is sitting on the seat. Many modern cars (90 something and newer) have sensors that detect weight on the seat and a clear warning that leaving "Stuff' on said seats can run down the battery in the owner's manual.

Finally, have you had the battery itself tested. I mean that's what the battery in my Lumina did before I dropped in a new one.. Where as it would die in a very short time without a maintenance charger (Battery minder) it can now sit for days and fire up on request. I'm guessing Ford did NOT load test the battery.

[nbounder]

John - a bit ago you got a Harbor fright clamp on ammeter which allegedly worked on DC - is that not a help? Back to the problem . . .I don't I could add anything that you have not already done, except to verify that the battery is actually good and under temperature excursions it dosen't crap out. You might want to put a new battery in there just to minimize frustration & eliminate that cause. Could the electric cooling fan be coming on when it shouldn't and sucking juice?

[rdm1]

we tow a 2008 Lincoln MKX
when I put the car in neutral and shut off the ignition
I have to turn the key past the first spot to get the electronic dash shut down
perhaps this is the problem
just a thought
Ray

[Radioman]

Update. . . even though a couple of different Ford dealers tested battery under load as well as checking all sorts of other things, they said our battery was OK. Until, of course, one morning when it died completely.

We installed a new battery and no problems since. I just don't think they make batteries like they used to. Anyway, now no more worries about if the Edge will start after an hour or two of towing it.

[Jim Stewart]

Just a note, in your original post, you stated that you tested it by leaving it unhooked from the MH and the key in the first position. You also stated that scenario would still run the battery down.

Even with the new battery, you may still end up with a problem in a short period of time. If your battery is discharging it will wear out sooner, maybe not enough to cause problems in the short run, but it will sulfate over a period and slowly deteriorate the battery until you have the condition that you described in your first post.

Then again, I am probably all wet and it will be fine. Here is a link to a good article on testing batteries and problems.

http://www.underhoodservice.com/Arti...diagnosis.aspx

Jim

[wa8yxm]

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=91129

The link is a tool I think all RVers should have in their box.

[Gary RVRoamer]

I have one of those and it works as advertised. Don't need it often, but when a battery starts acting suspicious it's the tool you need to figure it out. And if you have an AGM or other sealed battery, it's about the only way to get a handle on things.