GRAYPNY

My OEM battery gave up on me afew weeks ago and I bought a Optima yellow top. I went out to start the car today and it wouldn't crank enough to start and then went into click mode.

I still have a month warranty on the car but I'm afraid to take it to the dealer because of the UDP's. I figure they will tell me that's the reason I'm having issues.

There is something draining the battery or not charging it. Maybe my alternator is gone? Any ideas?

Airwolf

Do any of your mods pull extra power from the car, maybe the aftermarket xm radio?

tom281

As I'm sure you know, alternators on these cars seem to fail like fourth graders on crack. Unless by poor luck you got a crappy Optima, that's probably the issue. Get a volt meter and check the output voltage while the car is running, should be 13.8-14.2 plus have plenty of amperage. Out here in Indiana, most auto parts stores (Napa, Autozone, Reilly's, etc.) will check batteries and alternators for free.

DoctorQ

How long did it sit since last time you drove it? If 4+ days, I'd suspect something is still drawing power and sapped the battery... if you had it out for a decent drive yesterday, I'd suspect it's the alternator. Jump it, and as Tom281 suggests, test with output voltage with a multimeter... if charging properly, you should be at or near 14volts.

GRAYPNY

Drove it last Saturday. I was just sitting in the car and after I shut the key off the Shaker 500 goes through weird nosies like it's trying to load CD's. I turn the radio off and then then when I put on key in the on position the radio comes on.

DoctorQ

Sounds like something is still drawing power with ignition off... and/or not going to sleep as designed. Test for parasitic draw... there are a number of "how-to" links... here's one that's pretty simple:

http://www.wikihow.com/Find-a-Parasitic-Battery-Drain

If you have a basic multimeter, it can be set to test amperage. You'll need to charge up your battery first, then test. Once you have the multimeter in-line, and everything you know turned off in the car, start pulling fuses one-by-one and watch the draw. Start with the Shaker500 fuse first as that may be your culprit.

GRAYPNY

Well the radio doesn't work at all now. The menu will allow me to program the clock and other functions but no volume on the radio and can't change any stations.

Glenn

take it up to autozone if you have one near by I believe they will test your alt output.

metroplex

Shorted out SJB?
Do you shut off the Shaker manually before turning off the ignition?

GRAYPNY

Yes I have been shuting off the shaker before turning the car off ever since I put in my new battery.

My radio is working again.

Hatchman

Weird. I can't wait to toss mine for an AVIC, when I get some money.

metroplex

I thought I read that the earlier Shaker units had some problems. It might not be a bad idea to upgrade to an aftermarket unit if you're out of warranty.

shatter

I /propose/ that Rich's Raptor Shift Light and two electric Sport-Comp Autometer gauges are wired to a 12v source that is hot all the time. If that is the case, could these three things draw down the battery in a week?

Glenn

you need a supercharger... That should fix it

Hatchman

Funny thing is, I usually leave my Sticker 500 off so I can hear the KB, so there is some logic to that.
I like the way you think.

mustangshadow

Also had an issue with my battery yesterday. I have allready replaced the battery so I dont have the crappy OEM battery any more. Ran the car last weekend so it sat for about a week went to take her out lastnight and "click click" dead battery. I put it on charge for a good hour or so and then she started right up. I may next time check my voltage now that I see you guys are talking about the alternator.

metroplex

Is the alternator that weak on the S197? I've rarely heard of so many battery issues with other Fords. An alternator/regulator wouldn't cause a drained battery. A faulty regulator would result in a discharged battery while operating the vehicle while faulty diodes would result in a overcharge condition. Neither of these can discharge the battery unless the regulator was somehow so messed up that it was draining the battery.

An easy way to check the alternator is by hooking up a DC clamp ammeter to the positive battery cable with the engine running. If there's 15A-20A (no accessories on) going into the battery, then it's working fine. There should be additional current supplied to the battery based on demand since the alternator was designed to produce up to about 80% charging capacity at idle.

I suspect there are other electronic gremlins at fault:
1). Shaker amplifiers
2). Smart Junction Box
3). PCM

88 GT Guy

A friend of mine has a blown Roush and told me the chip that runs the S/C'er draws power constantly..on the NA cars I'm not sure.

metroplex

Why is he running a chip? I thought Ford decontented the J3 port on the PCMs, especially with the new CAN BUS systems.

mustangshadow

Yeah I will deffinately be keeping an eye on this. I do have the Shaker 1000. I take my stang out mostly on the weekends for car shows etc. I dont want to start bringing a battery jumper every where I go. I may take it up to my Ford dealership and let them check it just in case.