Power Problems

DRAGON42531

MEMBER
FORD WINDSTAR

'87 Mercury Grand Marquis
54,000 Miles
5.0 EFI Automatic RWD
(fun giving it a little gas in a turn :wink:)

Other than a low/high idle. Like a wave. There are no odd sounds. Yes the car needs a tune up, plugs wires cap and roater, oil change ect. As far as leaks totaly unrelated to my problem I had a flex line blow. So I'm looking at a 100.0 brake job.
(JUST THOUGHT ABOUT IT)
This car has been parked on grass all winter. Thus brake damage and I'm sure a little electrical damage. Which leads us to.

My problem:
I bought my car days ago, got it legal and took it to work (short drive maybe 2 miles max each way) maybe 3 times in a matter of 2 days. One day the car wouldn't start when I went to go home. Never since I bought it maybe 3 days earlier has this happened. So I have a buddy jump it and drive it home with the lights off so it wouldn't die out. Bought a battery (yes the right one, installed correctly and everything) Cleaned the battery wire clamps and turned the car right over like the first time. Lights were full power and ran great. Next day. I take car to work, take it home 3 hours later, about an hour after I get home I go to take it out again. Dead. Car won't turn over. Same as the first time the starter whines and MAYBE even turns. Here I am maybe 5 hours later after reading a few things on this site. The battery is 100% dead. No door buzzer, can't more my power side views, windows. I bet my cigarette lighter doesn't work.

So. How after being driven just 1 hour before does my battery 100% die? (This is mostly an assumption since I don't have my buddys multimeter with me) All the facts point to the alternator. But. Once again I stress. 100% new battery, even if the alternator was shot 2 VERY short drives shouldn't drain a brand new battery.

I know, take it to a shop somewhere and get the alternator and starter looked at. But. It shouldn't be. The battery shouldn't die in a day. No matter what. My second thought would be something has been left on all night. Or. Something has been draining the battery. I've seen lights left on for hours and a car still start. And not on a new battery for that matter. And since I know 100% nothing that uses 1/2 the power lights do has been drawing power. I'm pretty much stumped. :Evil:

I'm kinda stuck here, so IM me please. I'm so peeved off.

9 Replies

SERVICE WRITER

MECHANIC
9,123 POSTS

I wouldn't discount the alternator, although there may be a parasitic draw.

A word to the wise about the fishtail fun, is that it leads to rear axle seal failure. Not fun.

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Monday, June 11th, 2007 AT 8:26 PM

DRAGON42531

MEMBER
6 POSTS

The alternator was tested when I put in the new battery, we started the car up and tested at the battery terminals 13.9 volts giving the car some gas. That doesn't seem like it's enough, but what that doesn't account for is parasitic draw. Where could it be and how might I fix it without jump starting it and risking driving it 40 miles to the shop?

And another thing. When I bought it it had been sitting for months and started right away. If this problem existed before I bought the car the owner would have had to read my mind and drive out to where it was minutes before I went to see the car. Since I didn't tell him I wanted to look at it till I saw the car first. Then he started it right away.