I'm the proud new owner of a 2002 f250 (2nd owner of this truck) I've always had a dodge before but when I was looking for a new truck I couldn't pass this beauty up.

2002 f-250 4x4 lariat crew cab 7.3 diesel short bed manual with 4" lift and 35's edge tuner banks exhaust

What a great truck and the best part is it only has 38k on the clock and looks like it rolled off the showroom floor

Anyway, I had the truck for just over5 months now and I only use it to pull my motorcycle trailer to races (once a month, if that) In the last month or two I've noticedthe truck is cranking slower and the battery seems to be slowly dying. I had to jump it once and I live in south Florida, so cold weather is not a problem.After I get it going it runs fine and after driving it for a whilethe restarts are normal. Then after it sits for a week or two same slow cranking problem until it is run for a while.

I don't have anything that would be putting astrain on thebattery or draining it that I know of. I guess part of the problem could bebecause I only start it every couple of weeks but the battery should hold the charge at least that long.

I just put a small trickle charger on it and will keep it plugged in while not using the truck. Next week I will have the battery tested to make sure it is OK but I wanted to see from you guys if this is a common problem.

thanks for the help

 

Could be just the batteries discharging from just sitting. The modules in the vehicle will slowly drain the batteries to hold their keep alive memory and presets.

 

These are still OEM batts?

My 05 has 54K and just lost a battery.. If original units, or not, they should be load tested 'individually' uncabled to check for capacity/reserve.. Since these batteries are in parallel if one starts to fail it'll pull the other down with it.. Winter lows can put an added strain on batteries at or towards the end of their service life as well.. More so for longer sit times.. Even with system draw, available spec cranking ampsshould easily go beyond 1-2 months, although long periods of down time can affect battery life.. Also, if they are replacement units, they should be high CCA units.. I've seen more than a few replacements, with 'bargain' units that with a combination of system draw, dropped temps ect. will cause a below spec crank on the 7.3..

 

Every thing they've said above could easily be thereason for your issue. If it is the batteries, i'd recommend switching to Optima Yellow-Top batteries. They have good CCA's and are a deep cycle battery. Perfect for diesels. I hada Red-Top in my 98 Z71 that lasted 7 years. Probably would've lasted longer, but ihardly drove it the last year i had it. I'm sure the drain & recharging took it's toll on it. But otherwise, it never failed me and i never had to do any thing to it since they're maintenence-free batteries. Ifi ran itdown from having the radio on while the truck wasn't running, it would shut-off the truck automatically and still have some in reserve to start it again. It would run the stereo and a 500w & 200w amp for 2 hours before dying! Optima's aren't cheap, but totally worth it. I used to be a service manager for a coporate Goodyear Auto Service Center in Austin. We replacedbatteries of different brandsall the time. Despite the warranty or life-length the variousbattery manufacturers claim, the average battery (Die Hard, Everstart, Interstate, etc...) lasts only 12-18 months. They're made soo cheap that they can't last much longer. It's cheaper, in the end, for the companies to give a prorated warranty replacement instead of making a battery that'll last a long time. A person will buy a battery for, let's say, $70, w/ the belief that it'll last a long time. If it doesn't, they have a warranty. But that warranty's prorated. Just b/c the battery says 36 months on it doesn't mean it's guarenteed to last 3 years and doesn't mean if it fails w/in 3 years they'll replace it at no charge. If that were the case, battery companies wouldn't make much money.A person willcomplain when it dies in a year and a half, but think they're still getting a deal by only having to pay $10-$20 for the replacement b/c in their mind they think it's better than having to pay $70 again. It's all psychology. Having studied psychology in business in college, we learned that nothing is guarenteed to work or last forever except death and taxes. A "guarentee" is put on a product to give the consumer peace-of-mind in the product they buy. If some thing, any thing, was really that good, it wouldn't need a "guarentee" on it, would it? Think about it. How do i know? As a svc mngr for a major auto service center, i got some inside info from the manufacturers and parts stores. Funny, but all you have to do is ask and they'll tell you the straight answer. At least for me they did. So, w/ all this rambling done, i would advise getting an Optima Yellow-Top.They'll last a long time. They're expensive, but you get what youpay for. At least in this case you do. I spent $125 for my Red-Top that lasted 7 years. I probably would've paid double that in regular batteries over that period of time. Yellow's run about $150each. Again, expensive. But think aboutthe reliability they'rproviding for your investment...your truck. You didn't buy it to haveit sit in the driveway while running up your home electric bill w/ a trickle charger attached to it, did you? Also consider getting one of those thermal wrap things that go around a battery. Engine heat and cold weather take a toll on batteries and i've heard these help w/ that.