Lincoln ls V8 keeps killing battery

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Da_Dovernor_27

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Hey whats up so i have been through 2 batteries in just 6 months!!!

so i was wondering if i could get some help. when i first get a battery the car works good just like new the as the days go on the battery gets weaker it goes from not needing a jump to needing a jump every three days to needing a jump every day to needing a jump every time i turn the car off. example if i give the car a jump and drive 30 min then go into the store for not even five min when i come out i will have to give it a jump. i thought that it was my altinator but i took it to autozone and the tested it and they said that my altinator and my charging system is working fine. any help would be great
 
I had to replace mine within the first couple months of owning my battery. It would die and it needed to be jumped every couple days. If I were you I'd take it some where more reputable than Autozone. When I took my car there it didn't detect my 7+ year old battery having a problem or anything else wrong with my charging system.

I forgone their advice and replaced the battery. Been running like a champ since, except my amp drains it, fixing soon. Try somewhere else to have it checked. Might be able to help you out better.
 
If you drive for a while and after being stopped only a few minutes, the battery is weak, you have a bad alternator. At this point, you probably need a new battery again too, but replace both at the same time or you will be throwing money away.

If it were an issue where the battery was fine until the car sat overnight, it would be a drain somewhere on the electrical system.
 
this looks like a simple electronics problem.

If the battery is draining, (all the time), you have a component that is:
1. always on?
2. draws more power that the system will output.

This is the hard choice, but cheap, when you are done using the car for the day, you may want to disconnect the battery to see if the problem persists.

The fun part comes from all the things you need to reconfigure doing that.

pretty much the only things that drain the battery are things that are always on.

If you have an after market sound system with a monster amp, it may have been wired improperly and is always sucking power from the battery.

The other more obscure issue would be a short in a low voltage system, like a parking light or something, but I would bet against that.

1. check your after market mods to see if the problem exists there
2. assuming you don't have high current draining components, you may need a tool or a mechanic to test for current drain.

btw: high output sound amps improperly wired, can really give you a pain...
Hope this helps.
 
Alternator. A 30 minute drive should bring in enough charge to start it again after 5 mins for sure.

My LS has gone through many, many batteries and 2 alternators.

check out a 200 AMP replacement alternator maybe
 
Def agree with joegr and 112 LS on it being the alternator. Prollt a new battery too because it looks like your alternator has been working below par for awhile.
 
You can do a quick 5 minute check yourself. With an multimeter on ther battery and car not running, it should read a little over 12 volts. Keeping the meter on the battery, crank the car. The meter should read around 13.5 volts. Turn on your high beam, fog lights and AC. This will check the load of your alternater. It should still read 13.5 volts. If not, your alternater is bad or going bad.
 
get the car started then take off the positive lead to the battery if car stays running its not alternator if it dies then the alternator is bad
 
Onefreshls said:
get the car started then take off the positive lead to the battery if car stays running its not alternator if it dies then the alternator is bad
Click to expand...

This is a really really great way to fry most of the electronics on the LS and turn a few hundred dollar repair into a several thousand dollar one. If the alternator is in perfect shape, you might get away with it. If any of the diodes in the alternator are shorted, the negative spikes will fry a lot of stuff.

Some of the shortcuts that worked in the 70's are down right wrong and dangerous on cars from the mid/late 80's and up.
 
FYi. Check to see if by chance the trunk light is staying on? You'd be surprised how often this can happen. Just disconnect the actual switch and see. Good luck!
 
Dukernc said:
FYi. Check to see if by chance the trunk light is staying on? You'd be surprised how often this can happen. Just disconnect the actual switch and see. Good luck!
Click to expand...

That wouldn't kill the battery in five minutes after driving.

Also, the trunk light, like all of the other lights on the LS is on a battery saver circuit. That circuit is switched off twenty or thirty minutes after the last activity on the car.
(Leave your trunk open one day with the key off and don't disturb the car for half and hour and come back and look at it. The trunk light will be off.)
 
joegr said:
That wouldn't kill the battery in five minutes after driving.

Also, the trunk light, like all of the other lights on the LS is on a battery saver circuit. That circuit is switched off twenty or thirty minutes after the last activity on the car.
(Leave your trunk open one day with the key off and don't disturb the car for half and hour and come back and look at it. The trunk light will be off.)
Click to expand...

I have left my trunk open and it did kill the battery at least on my Gen 1. The interior lights went off like they are supposed to but the truck light stayed on (had it open over night). I took the light out so it wouldn't do it again.
 
This reminds me how I zip tied shut my trunk open/closed sensor back in 02, I should re-visit that lol
 
Hawk03 said:
Actually, I have done this and it did kill the battery at least on my Gen 1. The interior lights went off like they are supposed to but the truck light stayed on (had it open over night). I took the light out so it wouldn't do it again.
Click to expand...

Well, it works on gen II. I would have thought gen I would as well.
 
if the trunk light killed your battery it must have been halfway dead already. I took the battery right from my LS trunk and used it to light 2 rooms in my house after the storm, all night, Using 40watt CFL's
 
joegr said:
Well, it works on gen II. I would have thought gen I would as well.
Click to expand...

Me too, which is why I was stumped when I found the battery dead. Then again, my car hasn't been the best electronically so it could have been an anomaly.
 
Everything in my car is stock so i am goin to replace my alternator to see if that works the battery that i brought has a lifetime warrenty so i will replace that too when i get my new alternator hope its just that an nothing else thanx for the advice
 
thanx everone for your advice im goin to try some of the and see if the work except taking off the positve on the battery this isnt the first time that i hhave heard that its bad to do to your car but once again thanx
 
Ken said:
You can do a quick 5 minute check yourself. With an multimeter on ther battery and car not running, it should read a little over 12 volts. Keeping the meter on the battery, crank the car. The meter should read around 13.5 volts. Turn on your high beam, fog lights and AC. This will check the load of your alternater. It should still read 13.5 volts. If not, your alternater is bad or going bad.
Click to expand...

I got a multimeter for like $10 and my battery was showing 12V but with accessories running in the car it dropped to 10.8V. Alternator replaced and problem gone. 01 LS V8 86k miles.
 
I have "enjoyed" the mysterious battery drain issue since I purchased my car. It has done it even before the stereo was installed so I know it is not the primary culprit. In normal, warmer, weather it can sit unused for 2 or 3 weeks and starts very slow. In cold weather, that timeframe goes to a week or so. The alternator bench tested correctly so I have always wondered if the issue lies with the dual climate control system not going to "sleep" as it is supposed to. The electical connections all have checked out. Thoughts?

Oh, and the battery has been replaced. Current battery is less than an year old and I noticed the car cranked slowly, but started, when I went to pick it up from the shop after the engine change. Something somewhere is pulling and that is why I am using a floating charger to offset the issue. And yes, it has offset the issue but I know there is still an issue. The charger was/is a band aid.
 
Mine only good for about 3 days until it's a no start. My '03 has an aftermarket remote start which no longer works. I wonder if that could be an issue?
 
The remote start on mine has not made the issue I am experiencing and occur any faster. But then again, were u experiencing the issue before the remote start was added?
 
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