OEM battery finally went kaput!

[E.B. Cornburner]

I'd say 4 years is about average for a Motorcraft battery. They don't seem as good as the OEM batteries from GM and Chrysler from my experience.

I guess technically, this is the first official failure that my Explorer has had since I've owned it too!

I'm sure this unbelieveably cold long winter hasn't helped it any either...The past couple months it's been cranking a little slower than I'd like, but it always starts. The little hydrometer eye has been dark for at least two months too.

What really got me thinking it was time for a new one was when I'd have the lights and rear defroster on, the voltage would drop at idle, telling me that the battery wasn't keeping up with demand, and the alternator was having a hard time keeping it fully charged.

This morning, it was really slow getting cranked up, so I put in a new Interstate Mega-Tron Plus MTP-65 battery rated at 1000 CCA. Much more better now! Interstate is the only company that makes batteries as far as I'm concerned...It's all we use at the dealership, and we rarely have warranty issues or failures with them. I'd avoid an Exide (NAPA, DieHard) or GNB battery (EverStart, Champion, et al) like the plague. We see more of those brands fail than all the others combined.
(Our stock car is #18 too!)

So just for the sake of arguement, how many years have you gotten out of your original Motorcraft battery?

 

[Donner]

I've got the plague

My Die Hard lasted 7 years... I can't remember when I tossed out the original. In my current vehicle, my DH lasted 4 yrs - I swapped it out to try another brand, but it had a defect, and I'm back to DH.

 

[DMacLennan14]

kind of funny, my oem battery just went out last night on my 2004 eddie bauer. i went out to autozone and got a duralast gold. rated at 1000 cranking amps as well.

 

[Exploderpilot]

I'm sure this unbelieveably cold long winter hasn't helped it any either

What about global warming? I'm sure Al gore would not agree with you at all!

 

[E.B. Cornburner]

kind of funny, my oem battery just went out last night on my 2004 eddie bauer. i went out to autozone and got a duralast gold. rated at 1000 cranking amps as well.

AutoZone's batteries (except their ValuCraft line) are made by Johnson Controls, the parent comany of Interstate Batteries. You basically got an Interstate MTP-65 under a different brand name.

 

[Exploderpilot]

Interstate megatron is by far my favorite wet battery.

 

[DMacLennan14]

AutoZone's batteries (except their ValuCraft line) are made by Johnson Controls, the parent comany of Interstate Batteries. You basically got an Interstate MTP-65 under a different brand name.

well thats good to know that i got a good battery. i wanted to go with an optima yellow top but i decided to go with less money and more cca.

 

[tower]

I got 1 1/2 out of the OEM then about a 2 years with AutoZone, yellow top for the last 3+ years still going strong. I run a lot of electronic "stuff" in my truck.

 

[Yamvip]

My Motorcraft battery last five years

 

[Charlie]

My OEM battery went for 2 years, then the second one went for 9. You just never know what you are going to get from them, I guess. Second one was just a Farm and Fleet regular old one, too.

 

[satyr64]

2002 with OEM ....knock on wood

But when it does go it will NOT be official failure that my Explorer has had since I've owned!

 

[kert0307]

My oem one lasted for 7 years... it probably would have lasted longer if I hadn't cycled it twice from my dome lights staying on from a door sensor.

 

[jrford]

The OEM hydrometer eye went black over the summer, but it still started. Although on a camping trip, my 4yr old daughter ran it dry watching a DVD movie, the year before it would still start in the AM after her movie. Went the Duralast Gold, good to know its a decent battery.

 

[badge49]

All I have to say is: Dual Optimas (Starter & Deep Cycle)

 

[Joe Dirt]

My neighbor replaced his original Motorcraft last fall in his Thunderbird when it sounded like it was failing. 1995-2007- not bad!

 

[jpserra]

My 04 NBX has the original in it, and it is just now getting weak. I live in Minnesota, and the winters take the stuffings out of batteries, so I'm surprised it lasted this long. I'm going with an Optima red top.

3-4 years is pretty much average for batteries. The exception is the 5 + years some have mentioned.

JP

 

[JCR]

My 2002 XLS still has the OEM battery in it and the green light is glowing strong.

 

[wrigley_1285]

I had a '94 Mazda B3000 with 140000 miles on the factory battery in until about august of 2005. It wasn't even dead just starting to get a little weak, decided to replace it before it left me stranded. Plus I have a 2000 sport that had the original battery in it until March of 2007. I replaced it with a Duralast Gold. Guess I've had pretty good luck with Ford factory batteries.

 

[Z400Pilot]

My battery went out at 3 1/2 years, the Arizona summers are brutal on a battery. The green eye was still growing strong, but that only looks at one cell in the battery so don't trust it. I put a Duralast Gold in mine and no problems.

 

[jacobl]

My original motorcraft battery lasted about 6 years. Then one morning I went to start it and it was deader than a door nail. The interior lights wouldn't even come on, I tried to charge it and it wouldn't take a charge. I replaced it with a optima red top from costco.