If it is not started even one day, it will not start. Have to jump it. New battery. Long time problem seems to be electrical problem draining the battery.
If the battery tests okay, it sounds like a “parasitic draw.” Something is staying on and draining the battery. A good, patient mechanic can often figure these situations out. Another option is a “trickle charger” that will keep your battery topped off.
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Yes, correct. Ask for a parasitic draw test at your local car repair shop. If the car has an aftermarket alarm, audio system, remote starter, or dash cam, start with one of those.
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You can start pulling fuses overnight one by one to see if you can narrow down the circuit causing the problem.
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Is the truck new to you or have you been living with the problem since 2000? If you just bought it you now know why it was sold. If you have owned it for a long time did you change anything? Add a radio, extra lights etc?
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You need to buy a multimeter and check for a parasitic draw. Disconnect the battery negative cable and connect the meter between the battery post and negative cable terminal.
Fords seem to have a pretty high current draw until the electronics go to sleep so any reading should be taken roughly an hour after the engine has been shut down. Ideally, no more than 75 Milliamperes for a draw.
If it’s a 100 or more then you have to remove fuses one at a time until the draw goes away. At that point it becomes a wire tracing exercise and in my opinion this should only be done with the aid of a factory or Helm electrical manual.
I’ve found instrument clusters and factory radios to often be the cause of parasitic draws . . . even though no leds or backlighting are on
I’ve also encountered some customers, service advisors, supervisors, etc. that are skeptical of the diagnosis
But they all shut their mouth when the fuse is either pulled or the component is replaced and . . . as if by magic . . . the problem also goes away immediately