Lets Talk About Batterys
 

I bring my truck to Ford every 3K to get my tires rotated and oil changed. I know the service manager and the mechanic so its all under the table :laugh:

The last time i brought it in they tested my battery. Its a 540 CCA Motorcraft Battery, when they tested it read 405 CCA. At what point should i invest in another battery before it leaves me stranded? The battery starts the truck just fine but just recently i have noticed the battery light on the dash SOMETIMES blinks for like a nano second while cranking but it doesnt sound or feel like its struggling.

Wayne

You should be fine in warm weather for a while yet. I replaced the one in my '07 a few months back.

my stock battery crapped out in the fall of 06... well didnt really crap out.. I just replaced it with a new one. I still use the stock battery out of my truck to start my diesel air compressor, and that battery is 7 years old now.

Just don't get a Optima. Sears has about the best CCA, reserve cap., And warrenty for alot less!!

Bro,your battery is golden. Motorcraft batteries are tough. It's like asking if you should fuel up, when your tank is 3/4 full.

i have the duralast gold and its been great so far. but i agree dont get optima

I have optima and I love it. Marine blue top 800 cca. No problems whatsoever and a definite upgrade from my motorcraft as far as keeping my sound system to it's full potential. My motorcraft was fine before audio upgrades though.

When you go to the Sears website, you will quickly see, there is but one choice for an AGM with a higher than stock rating for OUR vehicle: the Sears DieHard Platinum P-2 - Group 65. 100 month warranty with 48 month free replacement (not pro-rated)! It sports a 930 CCA rating; that is a 24% increase over stock and the Optima’s 710; which is below factory specs. The Reserve Capacity on the Platinum is comparable, at 135 minutes, down from 140 stock, but much higher than the Optima’s 100 minutes. 35 minutes of extra battery power at a 20 Amp draw is a good thing!

Note: This is for a regular battery not a Deep Cycle..

What are the factory specs you speak of? Mine and his as stated were 540 cca which is way more than a 24% increase? Reserve capacity is a good point but the platinum is also a $200+ battery. My optima was $150.

Here's my bad boy:

Attachment 85786

Wally-World MAXX: 850/1000cca's

The biggest battery (physically) that will fit under my hood.

My last one of these lasted well over the 3 year free replacement, but the 9 year pro-rated warranty kicked in & I got a brand new one for about $32.00 with a new 3/9 year warranty.

to me it sounds like an alternator problem

I second this. Sears Diehard Platinum AGM batteries really are the best you can get. The deep cycle version of these is what geophysical surveying companies use to power their extremely valuable equipment in the field, when a failed battery can set a project back weeks and result in thousands of dollars in wasted money. They're expensive though. Worth the money for something that has a deadline and revenue attached to it, but I wouldn't bother with one just for my truck.

Why would you say that? The alternator works just fine! The battery is going on 5+ years old and was just wondering at what CCA rating should I consider buying a new one.

I will not be using the optima crap, Motorcraft will be going back in! As stated above I know people at Ford and get employee pricing there.

Wayne

Still running the original batt. in my 04 with 100000 miles I cant believe it made it though another winter. Alternator was rebuilt 1.5 years ago.

When my battery turns 5 years old I just replace it,even if theres no issues. I'd rather spend a $100.00 and have no aggravation down the road.

Replaced my 3 year old cheap Motorcraft battery two weeks ago. I used it until it wouldn't even jump anymore.

I replaced it with a Duralast gold top. Have had one in my Bronco for 4 years or so with no issues. Always starts up in the coldest temperatures (well below zero a few times during the winter).

My '03 Ranger still has the original Motorcraft battery in it. Since it doesn't get driven very often, I noticed the little green floaty ball in the window was still there. Then the red one showed up this spring, now theres nothing showing. It still works and starts fine but I'm thinking I may need a new one soon. Not bad for being nearly 8 years old, Motorcraft batteries must be tough. I did have to replace one in our '07 Merc. Mariner when we had it at about 30,000 miles and less than 2 years old though. Must be hit and miss.

I had a similar situation. My oil change guy said my Motorcraft battery had a dead cell, but I haven't had any problem with it, so I left it in, about 5 months later the battery died and with no notice the truck wouldn't start, I had to get a jump and went to the local battery store called Bulldog Battery. I bought one of their heavy duty batteries with a five year warranty on it...it's been working great ever since.

I won't buy anything from Sears...after the screwing I got from them.

The green floaty ball measures the specific gravity of the electrolyte. That is an excellent indicator of a cell condition. Great idea except that to really work well, there would need to be one in each of the 6 cells of the battery. I have seen the green balls on dead batteries and red balls on batteries that would start vehicles. Don't trust the balls.