Factory Battery Capacity

[182RG]

The factory battery failed during this cold snap. It made it not quite 4 year. All in all, not a bad performance.

I took it in to the local battery distributor to get a replacement. He remarked that Ford undersized these batteries, given the engine, and electrical accessory load on this vehicle. The stock battery was rated at 550 CCA, which is pretty weak in colder climates.

Most specs on-line read like this:

To start a 4-cylinder gasoline engine, you will need approximately 600-700 CCA; 6-cylinder gasoline engine, 700-800 CCA; 8-cylinder gasoline engine, 750-850 CCA; 3-cylinder diesel engine, 600-700 CCA; 4-cylinder diesel engine, 700-800 CCA; and 8-cylinder diesel engine, 800-1200 CCA.

I replaced it with an 800 CCA battery.

 

[Halwg]

I already know this and I figure at the end of 2 years, if it's still starting the car, I'm going to replace it. Mine is only 8 months old and it cranks very slowly in this cold weather.

 

[markls8]

When I replace a battery I install the physically largest battery with the highest rating, that will fit in the space under the hood. Unless you are about to sell the car soon to someone you might not like , I think it's a false economy to do less.

Adaptors can allow for difference in terminals, if needed to suit.

When I first opened the hood of an Ex, one of the first things that hit me ( after the chintzy hood prop rod) was that the battery is located away from cooling air, inside a thin insulated pad, but right where it would be directly immersed in heat from the engine. It's this heat-soaking, more often than not, that is responsible for short battery life, when the battery is otherwise properly maintained and managed.

- Brian.

 

[Halwg]

The hood prop rod is a travesty on a vehicle they try to sell for $50,000+. I'd like to punch their designer in the face!

 

[182RG]

Take the opportunity to change out the serp belt at the same time. It's a good reminder.

 

[langla4]

I've got a 2013 Sport with about 22K on the odometer. Bought it in November 2012. Battery started to have problems before taking it to Utah for ski trip. It would not hold a charge. Very cold Utah conditions finally killed the battery. Took it to the local Fullerton, Ca dealer and they reported only 320 cca out of 650. Ford replaced under warranty with no charge to me!

 

[aznkidlee]

I have over 42,x.. on my 2012 Explorer with OEM battery. No issues yet (knock on wood) and it has been freezing the past month here in MA.

 

[wifes2011xlt]

You can thank the gadget-hungry consumer for the drop in battery life. It's cool to have automatic lift gates, heated seats, memory seats, amplified entertainment systems, bluetooth, etc, etc. but the effect these "upgrades" have on a battery is hardly ever a consideration.

With that said, all our vehicles still have the original battery. Our oldest vehicle is a 2008 model and it just started to have a slow crank. I'll take the 7 year battery life but then again, we limit the use of gadgets and depending on the gadget we might never use it (park assist? cmon). It's just getting a little overboard, IMO.

 

[markls8]

I will also add that a lot of batteries get replaced unnecessarily and prematurely when the source of the problem is actually poor electrical continuity at the terminals. Dirty and corroded terminals cause a high resistance that displays all the symptoms that battery salesmen are quick to attribute to the battery itself. So first thing to check is the terminals for tightness and cleanliness.

I can't count on my fingers the number of times I've seen a no-start, or slow start condition solved by this simple action. When really, it should be one of the first things a competent mechanic would check.

 

[flyleclair]

Drove my 2011 Explorer at lunch time with no problem. I tried to remote start after work in 12 degree weather and the lights flashed but didn't start. Went out to start and nothing happened. Luckily there were coworkers still at the office and they had jumper cables. The myford touch didn't like the battery not being able to start the engine and was it was frozen. I had to remove the fuse to reset it. What is the warranty for the factory battery?

 

[peterk9]

Battery is covered under the factory 3year, 36k mile warranty.

Peter

 

[flyleclair]

Thank you Peterk9.