Expedition Going into Deep Sleep - Battery Low

[thompsdw2]

I have a new to me 22 timberline I just purchased. Admittedly we have been in a detail and equip mode. But I recently noticed the interior lights weren't coming on with an open door. I have fully charged it one time since purchase a month ago. But today I put a voltmeter on it and it read 11.6V. Smart charger on it now at 50%. So I know the obvious of testing the battery and making sure it is ok. I do have a load tester. I will do that tomorrow. But here is my question - is the Expedition much more of a battery hog than others? I have left my Bronco sitting for way longer than the Expedition and my F150 as well. The F150 is a 21. Just trying to get a feel for what I am chasing here. I will respond tomorrow after fully charged and the load test.

 

[JamaicaJoe]

I have a new to me 22 timberline I just purchased. Admittedly we have been in a detail and equip mode. But I recently noticed the interior lights weren't coming on with an open door. I have fully charged it one time since purchase a month ago. But today I put a voltmeter on it and it read 11.6V. Smart charger on it now at 50%. So I know the obvious of testing the battery and making sure it is ok. I do have a load tester. I will do that tomorrow. But here is my question - is the Expedition much more of a battery hog than others? I have left my Bronco sitting for way longer than the Expedition and my F150 as well. The F150 is a 21. Just trying to get a feel for what I am chasing here. I will respond tomorrow after fully charged and the load test.

It is possible when buying a used vehicle that the battery was a bit abused in storage or when being detailed, run to depleted. It should, after sitting overnight with a full charge, have 12.7 or 12.8 volts without any lighting or other load.

 

[thompsdw2]

Ok, it's coming up to charge quickly. That is a good sign. This all started when I didn't have interior dome lights. Is there a way to permanently disable those? Or does the key have to be in your possession to turn them on? Both my truck and bronco do not behave that way. The funny thing is they have come on before, so it almost seems intermittent. Any ideas?

 

[GlennSullivan]

Does your Expy have power running boards and when sitting around are you opening and closing the doors (activating the running boards) and / or the rear hatch. I have found that when loading / unloading or cleaning my Expy over a period of time, the running boards and rear hatch activation will drain the battery and the system will go into battery protect mode and start turning off non essential components.

 

[2020-MAX-Limited]

Very simple solution, assuming you have the patience: keep the Expy on a battery maintainer when parked. Assuming you have the facilities, when parking the car, pop the hood and connect up a maintainer. I connected a pigtail to my battery terminals so all I do is plug in the charger and forget about it until next drive.

The other thing I did was connect up a TopDon BT100 battery tester that showed the low state of my battery. Now it is back in business and no weird electrical issues.

 

[JamaicaJoe]

Ok, it's coming up to charge quickly. That is a good sign. This all started when I didn't have interior dome lights. Is there a way to permanently disable those? Or does the key have to be in your possession to turn them on? Both my truck and bronco do not behave that way. The funny thing is they have come on before, so it almost seems intermittent. Any ideas?

Coming up to full charge too quickly can indicate a battery with sulfation or plate damage. I had difficulty getting warranty on a battery at Walmart that was good for about two starts of the engine. The woman at the service counter put their charger on it and it was fully charged in 15 minutes and passed the load test. I took it to a Walmart auto center and had a mechanic confirm it was toast.

 

[GlennSullivan]

Very simple solution, assuming you have the patience: keep the Expy on a battery maintainer when parked. Assuming you have the facilities, when parking the car, pop the hood and connect up a maintainer. I connected a pigtail to my battery terminals so all I do is plug in the charger and forget about it until next drive.

The other thing I did was connect up a TopDon BT100 battery tester that showed the low state of my battery. Now it is back in business and no weird electrical issues.

Excellent Advice. I have a battery maintainer with a quick connect pigtail on every vehicle we own. If any of them won't be used for a week - or we will be loading for a trip over a period of days with opening and closing of doors and hatches, they are on the battery maintainer.

 

[Tiger Bob]

Happened to me once when I let it sit for around 10 days. Charged it up, battery is fine, and have never had any issues since. Now, I will not let it sit for a long period of inaction. I make it a point to drive it periodically or, at least, start it up and let it idle if I can't get her out on the road.

 

[NevadaGeo]

Happened to me once when I let it sit for around 10 days. Charged it up, battery is fine, and have never had any issues since. Now, I will not let it sit for a long period of inaction. I make it a point to drive it periodically or, at least, start it up and let it idle if I can't get her out on the road.

Has anyone left their expy at an airport for two/three weeks? With all the electronics onboard, what is the long-term life of a static vehicle battery? I notice with mine, every time I walk past it with or without the fob, I hear small motors, servos or solenoids going off, indicating draw from the battery while static. Anyone have an idea?

 

[Hellwig]

Has anyone left their expy at an airport for two/three weeks? With all the electronics onboard, what is the long-term life of a static vehicle battery? I notice with mine, every time I walk past it with or without the fob, I hear small motors, servos or solenoids going off, indicating draw from the battery while static. Anyone have an idea?

Once I parked my vehicle in airport parking for 9 days. I didn't notice any difference when I was back.