HELP.....Battery Charging issue....

[octanefam]

So I will try to make this short as possible but still try to give all details.

2002 F250 7.3 4wd Long bed......

** So back in November wife was gone for two weeks so I was driving her car to work to give the truck a rest. The night before she came back I went out to start the truck just because it had been pretty damn cold and it started so I let it run for a few minutes and then went to start the truck the next morning and NOTHING....
** (middle of Dec 2010) Three weeks later(been sitting for couple days) went out to get some fuel and when I came back to start the truck it wouldnt start. So instead of calling my wife to give me a jump I called AAA and when they came out they had to run several test to determine the cause and he ruled it to a bad alternator. So I replaced the alternator and figure all would be good.
** (Jan 2011) Not sure how long it's been probably a month or so and still having problems only when it sits for 4-5 days so I took the truck to the dealer thats where I got new batteries about 2 yrs ago so they tested everything and yep the batteries were bad so I got 2 free batteries now the problem fixed....
** (Feb 2011) Truck now isnt being driven because I got a free car from someone to use as a commuter car and still having problems if it sits more than 4-5 days so i try to go out and start it every weekend...
** (April 2011) Didnt start truck for probably 9-10 days and I have nothing even the keypad to unlock the truck is dead so now I know there is a problem for sure...

So to recap the problem I have replaced the Alternator and have new batteries.

Where do I start from here.

To me it seems like something is drawing a charge when truck is turned off and nothing new has been installed on truck that hasn't been there for 1 -2 yrs.....

Sorry for such a long post!

[ianstew]

i'd bet on a slow draw killing your batteries and eating alternators. check all connection and check grounds for corrosion first though.

[NoRalPh]

Yea I agree, you don't have a Battery Charging issue as much as, what's called, a Parasitic Draw somewhere that's using-up your battery reserves.

You sound like you're not in an emergency situation with it, so there's things you can do to try to narrow it down. Next time it's going to sit for a few days let it do so with a couple of fuses removed (likely candidates are from the dashboard like the Radio, Cluster, etc.).

Do you have any accessories you added that might be doing this? Lights, Air Compressor, that kind of stuff?

But pulling a fuse to find the circuit that causing the draw could give you a better idea where to look...

[Chuck stallions]

I would do an amp draw test to see what kind of amp draw you have

[octanefam]

Good lord when do the problems end.....

Ok so I was going to start off with pulling some fuses to see if that worked and so I pulled the main radio fuse which also had a wire from my air bag setup piggy backed on the radio fuse does that make sense? So I pulled the fuse last Sunday and started the truck yesterday and seemed to have no problems so I went back out today to get some fuel and go for a drive and here is the problem I have now.....

As I'm backing down the driveway I noticed the check gage light was on and my coolant temp gauge is pegged all the way to the left! Turned the truck off open the hood and yeah nothing was overheating.... So why after my battery/charging issues am I having gauge problems!

Please help wanted to go buy a engine for my hot rod (1963 Mercury Meteor) tomorrow!!!!

Thanks
Todd