what is causing battery to drain?

Asked by BNL May 18, 2015 at 03:42 PM about the 1994 Ford F-150 XLT LB

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

Truck would not start
..jumped it w/my car…started fine…the battery in my truck is new.I let it charge off of
the car 20 min. Every thing seemed fine..no warning lights..idled great..tranny went into
all gears..breaks worked…guages all registered. BUT….when i take the jumper cable
from the car off the truck will not stay running and the battery is dead shortly there
after.First thing i notice is the ABS warning light comes on…then airbag warning light!
What ever the cause it
drains power from battery  and the
the engine dies. What is causing this? Truck sat most of the winter and when i drove it
this spring the brakes were some what noisey but quieted down after awhile! I figured
they had to be a little rusty nothing to abnormal! Problem truck is having seems to have
something to do with the brakes! They have fluid and the foot petal pressure seems
normal but thinking the ABS sensor is the culprit! Forgot to mention all fuses seem to
ok.. did not find any that had burned out or broken!
awhile!

1 Answer

74,180

If the engine kills as soon as you remove the jumper cables check the alternator. If it is not working it will not charge the batter and without voltage the engine gets no spark. Also, check the main ground cable coming off the battery to the frame or where ever it is connected for corrosion.

3 people found this helpful.

Your Answer:

F-150

Looking for a Used F-150 in your area?

CarGurus has 163,201 nationwide F-150 listings starting at $993.

ZIP:

Own this car?

Share your experience with others.

1994 Ford F-150

Review another car

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    OJ
    Reputation
    42,450
  • #2
    Gene Arnett
    Reputation
    16,040
  • #3
    Rowefast
    Reputation
    15,840
View All

Know more, shop wisely

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used GMC Sierra 1500
1,876 Great Deals out of 69,074 listings starting at $2,500
Used Toyota Tacoma
2,247 Great Deals out of 54,444 listings starting at $4,995
Used Dodge RAM 1500
52 Great Deals out of 1,392 listings starting at $2,500
Used Ford F-250
189 listings starting at $18,900
Used Ford Ranger
694 Great Deals out of 20,752 listings starting at $1,995
Used Ford Mustang
987 Great Deals out of 19,719 listings starting at $2,950
Used Ford Explorer
2,349 Great Deals out of 56,088 listings starting at $1,995

Used Cars for Sale

2024 Ford F-150 For Sale
120 Great Deals out of 94,731 listings starting at $28,944
2023 Ford F-150 For Sale
859 Great Deals out of 10,150 listings starting at $18,500
2022 Ford F-150 For Sale
766 Great Deals out of 7,860 listings starting at $14,824
2021 Ford F-150 For Sale
1,066 Great Deals out of 10,353 listings starting at $13,984
2020 Ford F-150 For Sale
531 Great Deals out of 5,583 listings starting at $5,500

Content submitted by Users is not endorsed by CarGurus, does not express the opinions of CarGurus, and should not be considered reviewed, screened, or approved by CarGurus. Please refer to CarGurus Terms of Use. Content will be removed if CarGurus becomes aware that it violates our policies.