Hello, Any help, or ideas would be greatly appreciated. I'll try and make this short but complete.

About a year ago my 05 Explorer wouldn't start due to a dead battery. Charged it enough to get it to the dealer. Battery charged, Dealer chalked it up to me leaving a light on.
About a month later it happened again. Charged it and back to the dealer found nothing and tried to blame the "left on light" again. I complained and the battery was replaced.
Everything went well for about 8 months.
Once more, dead battery. I charged it and took it to the dealer. Ditto battery charging routine.
A few weeks more, dead, didn't charge and let Ford tow it to the dealer. Battery charged etc. You get the idea.
Once more. Towed back in. I complained, battery replaced.
6 weeks, today, towed back in again. 52 mi trip 2 weeks ago and battery dead yesterday morning.

I'm retired and don't drive it much. Nor is it driven far when it is driven. About 6K a year
I'm told by the dealer the alternator is a 14 amp. (not a typo, 14 amp).
I'm told by the dealer if it sits for more than a few days the battery will go dead due to various modules draining it.
I'm told by the dealer the 1.5 mile to the golf course isn't far enough to keep the battery charged.
I'm told by the dealer I can't turn on the radio on that 1.5 mi trip or that will run the battery down also.

Remember, I retired 2 years ago when I bought the Explorer. The first year I had no trouble. None.

Any ideas for this? I'd thought the alternator was it but it went dead in 2 weeks sitting in the driveway.
Any ideas? Anything I can tell the dealer to check? Or replace? This has turned into a real problem and I've gotten no help from Ford.

Robert

I used to have car that did this also.

Between the alarm and the clock and sitting for extended periods the battery drained.

I disconnected the battery and reconnected the next time I used the car.

Problem solved.

Not sure why the alarm and clock drained so much voltage but did.

You might want to try same procedure and see if it is the same problem.

At least you will know if that is the culprit.

It sounds like low or no output in your charging system. Check the voltage of the battery with the car running. it should be 14-14.5V. If it's in the 12-13V range, the alternator or voltage regulator are likely shot. I just resolved that very same issue with my Escape. The dealer insisted the charging system was "normal" and it wasn't until after three trips to the dealer and complaints to Ford that they bothered to do a "pinpoint" check with a voltmeter as I was doing, and admitted there was a problem. Once the alternator was replaced, the problem went away.

BTW, it takes weeks for a fully charged battery to run down on it's own and 1.5 miles of driving should be plenty to keep your battery charged if the charging system is working properly.

Tom

I agree with the voltage testing mentioned by the previous respondent. With the motor running, it should be above 14 on the battery with the engine above idle. Newer cars are set NOT to charge the battery at idle to make the milage numbers higher, so you have to have someone run the motor up a bit to really check the alternator. A $29 voltmeter from sears would be fine, use the 20 VDC scale. If you only idle to the golf course and never run the engine very fast, problem solved, you are going to have to put a charger on the car sometimes unless you drive more or run the motor faster. Also, this problem can be caused by a loose or glazed (old and hard surfaced) belt that drives the alternator. If you pull on the belt pretty hard with the motor off, it shouldn't deflect more than 1/2".