Oh NO! another dead battery thread!

[FritsB]

Re: Oh NO! another dead battery thread!

I will look, but I am almost sure there was nothing there.
Anyway, I do not worry so much with that Optima installed. It's the safest battery around. I did presentations with it a couple of years ago where we drilled straight through it with a power drill. I think in our T-Birds the spare is more dangerous

[5bird7]

Re: Oh NO! another dead battery thread!

I think in our T-Birds the spare is more dangerous

this mornings update: battery not charging well. We will replace sometime today..

as a side note, for the most part, these batteries are the longest lasting I've ever experienced and 9 1/2 years seems to be about the end of their life. I hope the next one will do as well but it appears to be the luck of the draw. Ours has serviced us well over the years.

There have been plenty of dead battery stories here since year one. I wish all had had the luck we've had with ours. Our 05s battery seems to be following the same path the 02 battery kept so it should be good to go for another 4 years (knock on wood).

[JAB02LHS]

Re: Oh NO! another dead battery thread!

I will look, but I am almost sure there was nothing there.
Anyway, I do not worry so much with that Optima installed. It's the safest battery around. I did presentations with it a couple of years ago where we drilled straight through it with a power drill. I think in our T-Birds the spare is more dangerous

If you are using an OPTIMA battery in a custom application,
it is important to consider the following:

1. Trunk/Interior Mounting – If your battery is mounted inside the passenger compartment or trunk (common in many European makes), the battery must be vented to the outside of the vehicle. OPTIMA group 27, 51, 78, 34C, and 31 batteries all have ports for connecting a vent hose.

[Leroy]

Re: Oh NO! another dead battery thread!

I think if I was going to put an unvented battery in my trunk it would have to be the Odyessy battery. It's not only the safest battery, it has twice the overall power and three times the life of standard batteries. It's the extreme battery. Leroy

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[MATBird]

Re: Oh NO! another dead battery thread!

I think if I was going to put an unvented battery in my trunk it would have to be the Odyessy battery. It's not only the safest battery, it has twice the overall power and three times the life of standard batteries. It's the extreme battery. Leroy

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"3x the life"???? - That's 30 years in my case,and I refuse to believe any battery will last 30 years.
- My '02 is 10 years old and still going, but I know I'm probably on borrowed time

[gladiator99]

Re: Oh NO! another dead battery thread!

Hey Dot!
Make sure you get a fresh battery from the dealer. I had the same problem when my battery died in 2008. I went to our local ford dealer for a new battery and they sold me a 2 year old battery which had been sitting on the shelf and who knows whether they kept it recharged. after 2 years it also failed. Some of the cells had sulfated and possibly shorted out. The battery would not charge fully. I had to argue with the dealer to get a replacement again. The first replacement cost me $180.00. Canadian Price!
The second replacement was going to cost me about $100.00 but I complained and finally got it for $30.00 less. When I looked at the date on the battery, it was also 2 years old. So far it is holding out but who knows how long it will last. I will not buy another Ford battery. Someone should have a decent replacement which is vented.
Good luck!
Jim

[5bird7]

Re: Oh NO! another dead battery thread!

Hang in there, MATBird. We'll be hoping to hear a good battery post from you next year at this time. How many miles do you have on yours?

[007Cruiser]

Re: Oh NO! another dead battery thread!

"3x the life"???? - That's 30 years in my case,and I refuse to believe any battery will last 30 years.
- My '02 is 10 years old and still going, but I know I'm probably on borrowed time

Well, the price is over 2x but they claim a life of 3-10 years and carry a 2 year warranty.

[5bird7]

Re: Oh NO! another dead battery thread!

Well, the price is over 2x but they claim a life of 3-10 years and carry a 2 year warranty.

If that's the Optima, then I really don't see a difference in the life span as the oem Motorcraft batteries seems to last 2 to 10 years as it is. The Ford Motorcraft we picked up today has a full 3 year replacement warranty, similar to the Optima.

[007Cruiser]

Re: Oh NO! another dead battery thread!

That's for the Odyssey, about $300. I can't justify the extra expense compared to the Motorcraft.

[5bird7]

Re: Oh NO! another dead battery thread!

Checked both Optima and Odyssey websites. They seem to carry a similar warranty and mention the same service span that we're all getting out of the Motorcraft battery.

[mamabird]

Re: Oh NO! another dead battery thread!

I'm going on 5 batteries in 3 years... I have no idea what is going on with her. The Ford dealership keeps 1-2 batteries in stock for me because I'm the only ones that uses that style battery. I've taken her in to get checked on, but they can't find anything. It's scary because her warranty is expiring in December this year :(

[Vintage Merlot]

Re: Oh NO! another dead battery thread!

You can get an extended warranty. It's going to be cheaper than purchasing five new batteries every three or four years from a Ford dealer who obviously is not intent on solving your problem. I'm sure the detectives on this site can help solve it because many of the members here are more informed about the Bird than most Ford dealers. ....and seriously, for the overall picture I think you should consider getting in touch with Lou and discuss an extended warranty.

[Brad]

Re: Oh NO! another dead battery thread!

My "bad" battery drain was being caused by my rear-defroster not shutting off with the ignition. My dealer claimed that it wasn't the cause even though I still had a dead battery after replacement (mine was a daily driver). Problem solved by always shutting off the rear defroster manually before shutting the car off (even though the dealer said I had a bad alternator). I don't however regret replacing the battery that apparently wasn't faulty since it was more than 4 years old.

I like fresh tires, batteries, and brakes in all my cars, at the first sign of a problem or age they get replaced, not worth the hassle of getting stuck somewhere or a catastrophic failure on the highway. I would much rather have a brand new generic battery in my car than an 8 year old with a "great" warranty, the warranty doesn't give you a guarantee that it will work, only that they will cover the cost of it (on a sliding depreciation scale).

My last dealer brake job cost me $800. and I had the added pleasure of them over-tightening and ruining several lugs. My new policy is to replace the pads myself when they wear down halfway with reasonably priced ones. I can swap out the pads in about the same amount of time it takes to fill up the tank with gas and the lugs get torqued with a torque wrench (I have 3 kids that like playing Indy pit crew, one fires up the compressor, one gets out the air gun and the other pulls out the floor jack). Rotors will be replaced anytime I notice any symptoms of warped or defective rotors.

<Steps off soapbox>

[5bird7]

Re: Oh NO! another dead battery thread!

I'm going on 5 batteries in 3 years... I have no idea what is going on with her. The Ford dealership keeps 1-2 batteries in stock for me because I'm the only ones that uses that style battery. I've taken her in to get checked on, but they can't find anything. It's scary because her warranty is expiring in December this year :(

Jennifer, What kind of driving are you doing with yours? short trips of less than 10 miles or longer trips or a mix? It takes a few miles to just recharge the battery after starting it up, particularly in the cold winter months.
Also, check to see what might be left on when you shut down the car.
There are several items that have been known to put a drain on the battery when the car is parked for a week or more.

You might want to keep a trickle charger on the car when not driving it.

1- alarm system armed for long periods.
2- Rear window defroster
3- high intensity setting on interior lights

There are probably more items that may not be shutting off properly.

Also, look into the Ford extended service contract for used cars. Lou aka lmartun on this site can help with that.

ps, Jennifer, your Ford Motorcraft batteries come with their own warranties so check those. The one we just bought comes with a full cost replacement for 3 years and after that it is a sliding scale but we have to have the receipt if it goes bad.