Help! Sho won't stay running

[MrSho]

So here is the problem. I was having some charging issues which was cuased by a bad alternator. I had it rebuilt and all was good for a few weeks.

Then one cold morning I woke up to a dead battery. No problem, I pulled the battery out of my plow truck, started right up and went on my way to work. Came out of work and that battery was dead too! Get a jump, go home, disconnect the battery, wait a few days, connect the battery and it starts. Hmm..... something is fishy. Something is discharging the battery.

Well I drive it like this and disconnect the battery when I get somewhere and as much of a pain as it is it works fine. I work two jobs and needed the car and didn't really have the time to woork on it. Well having a little time off during the holidays I thought I'd have a look. Unfortunatly I didn't disconnect the battery the last time I parked it (for whatever reason)so now it needs a jump. I hook it up let it charge a few mins and she starts right up. Wait a couple more minutes the go to remove the jumper cables and as soon as I took off the first one it stalls and I have no power so I rejump it and it stalls again

And so here I am. Any ideas? I'm not sure where to start

Sorry so long,
Mike

 

[VNUK1SHO]

Try checking all of your connections a loose wire might be the culprit. And you might have a hot wire some where draining your battery. Use your test light and check them when you have time.

 

[sho2see]

i would get the alternator and battery checked out...even though you just replaced the alternator get it checked again

 

[VNUK1SHO]

i would get the alternator and battery checked out...even though you just replaced the alternator get it checked again

X2 just because it's "NEW" or rebuilt doesn't mean it works like it is supposed to.

 

[MrSho]

X2 just because it's "NEW" doesn't mean it works like it is supposed to.

I had it rebuilt by someone who I trust and has done all my electrical stuff for years. It could have gone bad but I doubt it. As far as it not staying running after the jumper cables are removed, could a bad battery do this? Or would this definatly be a alternator/connection problem?

 

[VNUK1SHO]

But if its dies after the cables come off wouldn't that mean that the ALT is not charging what so ever, did you try switching batteries again?

 

[shoon]

is the battery light on?

I had a problem with the 1 exciter wire that plugs into the alternator (some sho's have it some don't form what I've heard), got all corroded and was making a bad connection. if it is a bad connection the battery light will come on.

Sounds like a parasitic draw if you leave it and then the battery dies off... get your hands on an ammeter and check to see how much current draw is on the positive battery lead when the car is sitting off. ~200mA is normal, anything significantly higher and you have a problem.

If you have a high draw, start pulling out fuses until the current draw drops off, that will help you narrow down which circuit the current draw is coming from.

If your SHO has a DRL module, it might be bad. I used to see them go bad on alot of Ford's. It located in the drivers side wheel well, behind the splash guard in the front. If it were me and there was a high draw, I would check the DRL module first. Another thing I've come across is trunk light switchs going bad, and the trunk light stays on when you close it... those are hard to find

hope this helps, let us know if you find anything.

Shaun

 

[shoon]

But if its dies after the cables come off wouldn't that mean that the ALT is not charging what so ever, did you try switching batteries again?

or it could mean the battery is stone dead. The battery, aside form being used to start the car acts as a buffer (or almost like a reservoir) for powering everything when the engine is running.

 

[itwonder]

Alternator bad, or bad connection to alternator. You are running on battery power alone.