Hi all,

My 2004 Freestar has had some electrical issues.

The vehicle is stock, but had a remote starter added by ABC Warehouse a few years ago.

Sometimes I'll try to start it in the morning and it won't turn over. I think I have a power draw off the battery.

One day, my wife drove it for about an hour (all highway) to another town to meet her sister for lunch. After parking the vehicle she couldn't restart it. TWO different groups of people tried to jump start the vehicle and failed. She called me to come out to look at it and by the time I got there (an hour) I tried to jump start it again with success! I drove it home and didn't have any other issues.

At the time the front passenger window wasn't working. This might have been a clue.

A week passes and i'm getting some times where the vehicle won't start and some times it will.

I finally took it to the dealership to diagnose the problem and fix the window. They fixed the window by replacing the window motor but found nothing else wrong after I had asked them to check the electrical system.

Yesterday I drove it to work (about a 30-45 min drive) and the exact same thing happened to me when I drove it home. I drove it about 45 min. Parked it, tried to start it again to bring it into the garage and it wouldn't start. It wouldn't take a jump start. (and the smell of the battery had me suspcious). I waited an hour and it jump started again. This morning I had some power but not enough to start the vehicle.

I normally would have replaced the battery but it was just checked. I've read about PCM issues, and pulled mine last night and it seems to be free of corrosion.

Does anyone else have some suggestions? I will be taking back to the dealership but wanted to rule out some things so they have more information. Thanks!

 

Have you verified that the battery terminals and battery posts are clean and making good contact? (Clean both real good and snug back up after cleaning)

What is the voltage reading prior to trying to start the vehicle? (Should be 12-12.5vdc and drop down to no more than 11vdc when trying to start)

What is the alternator voltage output at the battery when the vehicle is running? (Should be about 13.2-13.5 with no accessories on, up to 14.5 with them on)

How old is the battery? ( I've seen new one cause starting problems. I replaced the battery (was only 6 months old) in my Freestar back in February due to basically the same senario you currently have).

Have you tried to disconnect the remote start to see if the issue goes away? (Have seen several remote start systems cause all kinds of starting problems)

 

It is also worthwhile to check the ground connections at the starter and at the alternator. There are plenty more ground connections in this vehicle but these are the most important ones.

 

battery voltage prior to jump starting: 10.0 V
battery voltage after jump starting with vehicle running: 14.1V (alternator running)
battery voltage after shutting down: 12.3 V
after 5 minutes: 12.1 V
after 30 minutes: 11.9 V
Disconnected battery, took it out.
battery this morning: 11.8 V

Battery was installed in early 2010. It's a 750 CCA Motorcraft.

So that leads me to believe something is drawing quite a bit while the battery is connected. Yes, my #1 suspect is the remote starter. #2 is the PATS #3 is a replacement latch I put in on the liftgate.

Does anyone have a good procedure on how to determine Key off loads and what is normal?

 

Can you turn the remote starter off? Maybe it has its own fuse that you could pull.

 

My Freestar Limited in a SLEEP MODE has 12.5vdc at the battery. Sleeping amp draw is as follows:

Battery to Starter lead = 0 amps
Battery to Alternator lead = 0 amps
Battery to Primary Fuse block = 0.15 to 0.17 amp fluctuation

If you have any type of 1+ amp draw at the main fuse block, I would start pulling fuses one at a time until you see the amp load disappear to isolate the culprit.

Hope this helps...

 

sounds good. I have the right meter now to do that analysis.

I did a battery check as well. The 750 CCA battery after a night on the trickle charger showed only 446 CCA left at 80 deg F, so it's not completely shot but on its way out. I may replace as part of this exercise once I know the power draw thief!

 

Your power thief may be the battery itself. You could have a cell that is starting to sulfate on you. Sulfation interferes with the ability of the battery to accept, hold and deliver a charge. You could also have the battery end up going into "THERML RUNAWAY" (Not a pretty sight). Here's a link to the battery issue I had with a 6 month old battery in my Freestar...

https://www.fordforum.com/forum/ford...morning-29777/

 

I fully agree with Use common Sense. Get a new battery now. Your questionable battery is making life hard for the alternator and electronics.

 

Did several things:

Removed remote starter
Replaced battery
Performed a critical key off-load test. the first 30 minutes after the vehicle is locked, the system is normally pulling over 200 mA for 30 minutes. In fact, when I had the remote starter installed it was over 450 mA.

After 30 minutes the system goes to sleep, and the power draw went down to 12-13 mA, which is normal. the only thing I don't know is what the remote starter draws after the system has gone to sleep. i'm suspecting it's substantially more than 12 mA. I have yet to decide if I want to re-install the remote-starter.

My other issues with power sliding door motor or liftgate motor don't seem to be relevant now as I've not been able to duplicate any humming or power draw.