Battery Replacement Comment

[JayT]

2003 Ranger, 2.3L I4, 5spd manual

I was experiencing some slow starts, and only had the vehicle about a year, so no idea about the age of the battery. When I finally decided to get it checked it was only holding 9 volts, so I got a new battery.

Ok, big deal, right? The thing is the truck runs better now, and has lots more power. There is an interstate hill I drive frequently where I could not accelerate while in 5th gear. Now I can. That old battery must have been marginal since the time I bought the vehicle.

 

[fifthranger]

Anything is possible. I wonder if my truck lags a little because of my replacement battery. In Jan. the original Motorcraft on my 08' crapped out, and I happened to be in the parking lot of Wal-Mart. I called for roadside assistance, and they showed up to give me a jump to no avail. I then went in and bought the only battery left for my Ranger -- an EverMax base line for $79 with only a two-year warranty. The battery was manufactured in Jan./Feb. 2010, so it was already a year old. It starts and hasn't given me any trouble, but how long can I expected a two year battery to last that was already manufactured two years ago (and sat on the shelf for a year)? I know it is a crap-shoot either way, but I was running around in the freezing rain on Valentine's Day.

 

[JayT]

Anything is possible. I wonder if my truck lags a little because of my replacement battery. In Jan. the original Motorcraft on my 08' crapped out, and I happened to be in the parking lot of Wal-Mart. I called for roadside assistance, and they showed up to give me a jump to no avail. I then went in and bought the only battery left for my Ranger -- an EverMax base line for $79 with only a two-year warranty. The battery was manufactured in Jan./Feb. 2010, so it was already a year old. It starts and hasn't given me any trouble, but how long can I expected a two year battery to last that was already manufactured two years ago (and sat on the shelf for a year)? I know it is a crap-shoot either way, but I was running around in the freezing rain on Valentine's Day.

I'm no battery expert, but I don't think a 2 yr warranty implies only a 2 yr life, nor am I aware that shelf life puts wear on the battery. It seems like 5-7 yrs is typical longevity. The Oreilly's Superstart Premium I bought is 2 yr free replacement warranty with 72 month pro rated warranty.

 

[JayT]

Followup

The battery replacement seems to have had the following effects.
1. Cured stuck open thermostat. (Don't laugh; it is partially an electronically controlled thermostat)

2. Check engine light is off. Yeah I know changing the batter deletes the codes but it tended to come back on during rainy days. We've had 4 of those since I changed the battery.

3. More power, and acceleration.

4. MPG raised from 25-27mpg. That's mixed driving. I am interested in seeing how it does on an all highway trip. I would sure like to get 30mpg hwy.

5. ...and of course it starts without any lag.

 

[fifthranger]

I'm no battery expert, but I don't think a 2 yr warranty implies only a 2 yr life, nor am I aware that shelf life puts wear on the battery. It seems like 5-7 yrs is typical longevity. The Oreilly's Superstart Premium I bought is 2 yr free replacement warranty with 72 month pro rated warranty.

Maybe so, but companies only warrant a product for so long. Do you think they will expect my battery to last 5 years, and only give me free replacement if it fails within 2 years? Regardless, they hope the product will last the two years, and I hope the product lasts much longer. I have had to replace my wife's 07' Edge in July. It was showing 50% charge, and I was told by the "tech" that " you always want to get the lastest production " because it means that the battery is newer. Although batteries shouldn't lose a charge, the consumer nor the retailer really doesn't know how long it has been moved around and how the battery was stored. Either way, I took the last one, and I wasn't about to go somewhere else. I do expect the battery to last longer than two years (regardless of manufacture date), but the point is that it is only warranted for two years. I could have gotten a possibly better quality with much better pro-rated warranty for $20 - $30more. I understand it is a crap-shoot anyway, but you seemed to notice a difference in a newer battery, so maybe there is some truth to it. Also, before I replaced the original Motorcraft (and after I got jumped), I noticed the Ranger was running unusually sluggish.