I have a 2006 Ford F250 pickup. If the truck is not run for a period of time, the battery runs down, the radio automatically tunes to the lowest station on the AM band, and the clock resets itself to 12:00. In warm weather this situation may take up to two weeks to develop, but in cold weather, it can occur in less than a week (two to three days). The vehicle is under warranty, and I have a service appointment with the dealer. I’m just wondering what may be the cause. I’d like to talk intelligently with the service personnel, if such a thing is possible.
It could be a battery. If so I don’t believe it is covered under the warranty. You can have it checked for free at many auto part stores and they can get you a new battery at a price likely to be much lower than the dealer.
Your post explained the concern just fine,mention a check for parasitic draw.
Yep, you have a low volt leak drawing off small amounts of power.
Ford pickups have an optional under hood light that has a really cheap on/off button contact switch. The light can stick in the on position and slowly suck down the battery. A simple diagnose is to simply unplug the power cord to the light and see if the draw goes away.
Thanks. The first thing I did was to have the battery tested by a knowledgeable technician. It checked out OK on his meter (which imparts a load). Assuming that it was not the cause, I have not checked the battery again. But it would be easy to do, as the technician is also my fishing buddy!
Thanks. That’s a good term to remember!
Thanks. That’s a good idea. Should have thought of it myself. I have a Model A that lost power through a sticking light switch. That ran down the battery PDQ,