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The "Space GhoST" has lost its powers....
- Thread starter TMac
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Thread Starter
#102
Keep in mind it's not just "amps", it's amp hours that matters. It takes time to charge a battery and it also matters how quickly and efficient the battery is at taking the charge. If the majority of your driving consists of short commutes (like mine), that battery is just not going to last as long. Especially if the ASS is active, your steering wheel and seats are heated, you have the massage turned on, you're rocking the stereo and have the heat or A/C motors blowing as well as DRLs and headlamps. It's a lot to juggle.
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Thanks for hitting the nail on the head! I was trying to get him to come to that conclusion, lol. In my opinion the battery is too big a/hr wise or the alternator is too small for so many to have a issue, short trips or not. I totally get that a lot of folks put more than 5 miles a day on the car, however this seems to be a growing trend across multiple vehicles (not just ford). I would be curious to know if those that got a car with the the auto start/stop delete got a regular Lead-Acid battery and see better charging.
Maybe without a significant change in how or what is in the charging system, my expectations are too high lol. I'll just keep on charging and may swap my battery for a lead-acid variety and see what needs to be changed in the programming to accommodate.
Maybe without a significant change in how or what is in the charging system, my expectations are too high lol. I'll just keep on charging and may swap my battery for a lead-acid variety and see what needs to be changed in the programming to accommodate.
You have to keep in mind the environment that the battery lives in. The battery in my BMW is an AGM and resides under the rear floor in my GT. Whatever the interior temp of the car is is pretty much what the battery is and I get 5+ years out of a battery. Batteries that are located under the hood live a much harsher life and are subjected to much higher and lower temps which has a big effect on battery life. Here in Phoenix it is not really uncommon to only get 2 years or so out of a battery due to the heat. Most of the cars that come into the shop to have the batteries tested during normal service are usually in the 12.4-12.6 volt range and this is perfectly acceptable being that there is more to a batteries health than open circuit voltage. Motorcraft batteries have never been really good. I had an Edge and also an Explorer Sport Trac and both of them needed batteries within a year of purchasing them from new. Same goes for my Ram 2500 diesel but once the batteries were replaced in all of them I never had issues again. Factory batteries are garbage. When it comes time to replace them don't cheap put and go to Walmart or Auto Zone but buy a quality battery instead and don't worry about it anymore.
When it comes to batteries, like many of you, I've literally tried them all. With the exception of very old school (30-35 years ago) Die Hard batteries, my experience is that dollar-for-dollar Ford sells a better battery than the aftermarket and are solid a product.
I certainly agree with your statement when it comes to AutoZone batteries. I went through 4 of their top-of-the-line batteries in a 3 year time period on a 2001 F150. Their warranty was first rate, and the replacements cost me nothing but sometimes the best warranty a product can have is the one you never have to use.
I certainly agree with your statement when it comes to AutoZone batteries. I went through 4 of their top-of-the-line batteries in a 3 year time period on a 2001 F150. Their warranty was first rate, and the replacements cost me nothing but sometimes the best warranty a product can have is the one you never have to use.
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I am noticing that most batteries sold now are no longer wet cell versions with 5 to 7 year life spans. They now are gel cell with three year life spans. They do not fail at the rapid rate that a wet lead/acid but weaken slowly. First signs are that certain accessorie items do not fumction, such as auto sto and some preset radio stations are not se correct. I always have a load test done during service chack up like oil changes.
The Odyssey battery I put in my ‘14 F150 nearly 5 years ago actually still works really well and will still start the truck in the cold at -30. It is an AGM though and I do have the BCM disabled.
I always wonder how hard a battery gets hit when a new vehicle sits on the lot and is usually just jump started when needed until the car gets sold.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I always wonder how hard a battery gets hit when a new vehicle sits on the lot and is usually just jump started when needed until the car gets sold.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
That's an interesting take on the Motorcraft battery. I"ve gotten to the point where I won't sell them in the shop anymore. Same goes for As Delco. I've had really good luck with World Source One, Deka and also Napa Legend Premium batteries. My preference is World Source One batteries but I don't know where you can buy them from. I get them from a company called World Pac but they don't sell the to public.
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As I type this I am knocking on wood, but with my experience I bought an early build 2020 ST new in November 2020. It sat on dealer lot for a very long time. It had less than 100 miles on it, so it wasn't driven much. No issues with battery so far. (other issues though). Also wanted to mention that I have sold batteries in my previous profession and there are really only a few manufacturers of batteries and most are just relabeled.
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Those little cigarette voltage meters work pretty well. In other news, I think I give up. Trickle charged last night. Up to 12.8 in morning. Went to work. Car sat all day, drove home. Probably about 25 min worth of driving between morning and evening drive. My dash cam has offline recording on triggers but otherwise no other power draws. 12.49v this evening. Seems like battery just can’t maintain full capacity even with charging. Instead just likes to sit around 75%.
Similar experience with my battery on the 2020 after about 3 years. Next sign was some of the extra features like auto shut off did not work. Then a couple days the car notified me to turn off all accessories to start the car, even after long drive on previous day. Battery voltage would not get above 12.7-12.8. Put in new battery and all is well.
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Not sure if my trickle charger is working correctly, but after using a trickle charger and the battery is “charged”, how much voltage does your battery read? My tender is supposed to be a smart one and will switch to a “charged” mode when I guess it’s just that, charged. But even after 16 hrs on it, it still reads as charging. I unhooked it and it read 13.1. Should it be going that high?
of note, I’m glad this is the minor thing I’m worrying about on my ST lol
of note, I’m glad this is the minor thing I’m worrying about on my ST lol
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