So, NO START this morning. What is it?

[jonshep]

Surly, this is a well known problem at Ford dealers. First, drop by the Service Department and speak with a Service Advisor that you've built a relationship with. If you haven't done that yet, do it ... someone you can work with in the future when things come up. Explain all this stuff to him or her. Then, make the appointment. This is the way I handled my 12V battery problem. When I brought it in, It took a couple of hours for them to test the battery then change it to a brand spankin new AGM. By the way, I had a back up plan. Thanks to postings here, I had an AGM selected on AMAZON for a whole lot less than $200, under $150 in fact.

I ordered an AGM for my old motorcycle last fall. It came out of India, which I hear, is where Ford has contracted Motorcraft batteries. The AGM lasted 30 days. It would still charge but could not crank the starter, no amperage. Replaced it with a NAPA battery from vietnam and so far it's a good battery. Ford has bought a bunch of junk.

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[Carlitos_92]

I ordered an AGM for my old motorcycle last fall. It came out of India, which I hear, is where Ford has contracted Motorcraft batteries. The AGM lasted 30 days. It would still charge but could not crank the starter, no amperage. Replaced it with a NAPA battery from vietnam and so far it's a good battery. Ford has bought a bunch of junk.

I put a Shorai LiFe battery in my bike, and it has been going strong for 10+ years... The weight savings (up high on my Honda) is significant as well.

 

[jonshep]

I put a Shorai LiFe battery in my bike, and it has been going strong for 10+ years... The weight savings (up high on my Honda) is significant as well.

Hep, I had a 1975 CJ-5 that had a cheap Wal-Mart battery in it. The battery had a 2011 date on it and I sold the Jeep to my BIL in 2021 and he got two more years out of that battery. You would think battery tech would have advanced in the last 20 years, but go try and find a battery with a 60 month warranty in today's market.

 

[Waterick]

Hep, I had a 1975 CJ-5 that had a cheap Wal-Mart battery in it. The battery had a 2011 date on it and I sold the Jeep to my BIL in 2021 and he got two more years out of that battery. You would think battery tech would have advanced in the last 20 years, but go try and find a battery with a 60 month warranty in today's market.

I think the battery makers have realized that today's vehicles won't allow most batteries to last longer than about four years under the best of conditions, that's why you no longer see the better warranties. Today's batteries in a premodern vehicle do last a long time in my experience. Just got six years out of a Walmart Mart two year Value battery in my '93 Nissan. Also may explain some of the higher cost.

 

[Surly Old Bill]

side note on batteries;
about a couple decades ago I started getting Walmart batteries. The initial reason because it was convenient, but that was soon replaced as the #1 reason by the fact that there are Walmarts everywhere, and battery warranty exchange/replacement if they go bad is fast and easy. They don't test them, they just look at the date on the receipt and the battery. No, I don't drive into their shop and have THEM do the work, I just carry the battery and receipt to the returns department.

But also, I've only had two "bad" car batteries from Walmart, and it was probably the vehicle, not the battery. '03 Sprinter with a failing alternator wiring. After new alternator the next battery was still fine 6 years later when I sold the van.

My current battery source preference is Costco because they sell Interstate, which are always near the top of independent battery reviews. I have yet to have an Interstate battery go bad, and in one car it's about 7 years old.

 

[BLUEOVALRACER]

side note on batteries;
about a couple decades ago I started getting Walmart batteries. The initial reason because it was convenient, but that was soon replaced as the #1 reason by the fact that there are Walmarts everywhere, and battery warranty exchange/replacement if they go bad is fast and easy. They don't test them, they just look at the date on the receipt and the battery. No, I don't drive into their shop and have THEM do the work, I just carry the battery and receipt to the returns department.

But also, I've only had two "bad" car batteries from Walmart, and it was probably the vehicle, not the battery. '03 Sprinter with a failing alternator wiring. After new alternator the next battery was still fine 6 years later when I sold the van.

My current battery source preference is Costco because they sell Interstate, which are always near the top of independent battery reviews. I have yet to have an Interstate battery go bad, and in one car it's about 7 years old.

I've also had good luck with Walmart batteries.

 

[HeyBales]

In the Consumer Reports testing, those EverStarts Platinums seem to be always highly rated.
For decades.

Not tip-top, but currently in a decent batch of 91 ratings and only a 92, 94, and 95 higher - and the cheapest of all those and good warranty easy to use.

Now - some differences in sizes have been seen thru the years, so maybe the untested H4 isn't as good as the tested H5.
But one would hope.

 

[Surly Old Bill]

Update:
After driving 500 miles to Oregon and spending a few days with overnight temps down into the 20's, I have had no issues starting up in the morning.
I haven't looked at battery voltage before/after.
Now I'm reconsidering buying a new replacement battery at this time.

I wonder what weird one-off thing happened that night when I had too low voltage to start in the morning a week ago? It was locked in my driveway, so no accidental door open all night, and all the lights shut off on timers after locking. I have no oddball DIY wiring that could have arced and caused a drain. The only thing plugged into a power port is a USB port that is always there, and the ports time out after a while.

 

[SafetyGuy]

Update:
After driving 500 miles to Oregon and spending a few days with overnight temps down into the 20's, I have had no issues starting up in the morning.
I haven't looked at battery voltage before/after.
Now I'm reconsidering buying a new replacement battery at this time.

I wonder what weird one-off thing happened that night when I had too low voltage to start in the morning a week ago? It was locked in my driveway, so no accidental door open all night, and all the lights shut off on timers after locking. I have no oddball DIY wiring that could have arced and caused a drain. The only thing plugged into a power port is a USB port that is always there, and the ports time out after a while.

Well that is a good bit of news! Always nice to not have a battery die on you when on the road.

Do you have one of these voltage indicators thst fits into the trucks cigarette lighter/12 volt port...?

I just got one from my wife for my birthday from Amazon and it works great.

I just did just did a battery charge cycle all day to day and doing a battery relearn right now, overnight.

Just a thought for you to see what your charging system is doing easily and cheaply.

Have a good one, and if you have another mystery battery dump, further investigation of a sudden parasitic drain may be in order.

Andy

 

[Timothyd]

Update:
After driving 500 miles to Oregon and spending a few days with overnight temps down into the 20's, I have had no issues starting up in the morning.
I haven't looked at battery voltage before/after.
Now I'm reconsidering buying a new replacement battery at this time.

I wonder what weird one-off thing happened that night when I had too low voltage to start in the morning a week ago? It was locked in my driveway, so no accidental door open all night, and all the lights shut off on timers after locking. I have no oddball DIY wiring that could have arced and caused a drain. The only thing plugged into a power port is a USB port that is always there, and the ports time out after a while.

I have a USB port/ volt meter plugged into my socket so I can see if anything funky is going on. But, it's always been rock steady. So far.

 

[Finnster]

.... The only thing plugged into a power port is a USB port that is always there, and the ports time out after a while.

Do you have a USB cable connected to the port?
I once had a USB cable go bad that caused the my 2017 Kia's check engine light to come on and also drained the battery.

 

[SafetyGuy]

Well that is a good bit of news! Always nice to not have a battery die on you when on the road.

Do you have one of these voltage indicators thst fits into the trucks cigarette lighter/12 volt port...?

I just got one from my wife for my birthday from Amazon and it works great.

I just did just did a battery charge cycle all day to day and doing a battery relearn right now, overnight.

Just a thought for you to see what your charging system is doing easily and cheaply.

Have a good one, and if you have another mystery battery dump, further investigation of a sudden parasitic drain may be in order.

Andy

Good day

This an update to yesterdays post I made that I was going to carry out my monthly battery recharge followed by locking the truck up for a battery relearn process (you need to lock up your truck for 9-10 hours after fully recharging the 12 volt battery).

So I am sitting in my truck while my wife is in at her hair appt (listening to the Jays vs Rockies game on my phone) and am watching the voltage indicator I got for my birthday (what can I say, my wife got me what I wanted and I am a man of simple needs...mostly ;-)

I am impressed at the battery charge level indicated after 45 minutes engine off time.

It is currently sitting at 12.83 volts!

That is a well charged original 12 volt AGM battery, if you ask me.

I will continue my monthly charge and relearn cycles as the more I do it the more I see the positive effect it has in keeping my battery in its best possible condition.

Have a good one,

Andy

PS - The 12 volt power point on my truck just went out after exactly 70 minutes...interesting! I was expecting 90 minutes.

 

[Meeka]

Good day

This an update to yesterdays post I made that I was going to carry out my monthly battery recharge followed by locking the truck up for a battery relearn process (you need to lock up your truck for 9-10 hours after fully recharging the 12 volt battery).

So I am sitting in my truck while my wife is in at her hair appt (listening to the Jays vs Rockies game on my phone) and am watching the voltage indicator I got for my birthday (what can I say, my wife got me what I wanted and I am a man of simple needs...mostly ;-)

I am impressed at the battery charge level indicated after 45 minutes engine off time.

It is currently sitting at 12.83 volts!

That is a well charged original 12 volt AGM battery, if you ask me.

I will continue my monthly charge and relearn cycles as the more I do it the more I see the positive effect it has in keeping my battery in its best possible condition.

Have a good one,

Andy

PS - The 12 volt power point on my truck just went out after exactly 70 minutes...interesting! I was expecting 90 minutes.

Winnipeg Jets hat, good man!

 

[HeyBales]

Do you have a USB cable connected to the port?
I once had a USB cable go bad that caused the my 2017 Kia's check engine light to come on and also drained the battery.

While the power port is supposed to time out, whether there is a draw or not - since it's controlled by a module there is always a possibility.

Since mine turns off on door open, due to current battery voltage - I would hope I'd notice it still on if it was accidentally.
But since I've spent more time in this state than it staying on - I got no habit for looking back, especially after I close the door.

Let's see if I can get a habit going again, eventually I'll get a new battery.

 

[SafetyGuy]

Winnipeg Jets hat, good man!

Good guess, @Meeka!

The hats roundel is actually for the RCAF. Although the Winnipeg Jets emblem is based on and resembles the RCAF.

Reason for this similarity is that the Jets asked and received permission from the Canadian Air Force(as it was known at the time) to base their logo on it.

And yes, I am a Jets fan, and also a Maple Leafs fan but my main sport is the Jays.

Every game now reminds me of how I used to watch games with my wife's parents when they were with us, they were huge Jays fans and I think of them while watching or listening to every game.

Have a great day,

Andy

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