Motorcraft battery maintenance

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SO I believe i have the original motorcraft battery in my 2011 F150 but I'm not sure. Does anybody know if/where the date would be and how to interpret it? It also appears to have a little green "glowing" window which I assume to be a battery indicator of some type? Mine is strongly glowing green which I would think is a good thing...

It does get "topped up" with a digital charger about once a year (before winter).

Edit: Ford also recommends a silver calcium SLA battery to function correctly with that dang smart charging system. Does anybody know who/where carries these?
 
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If the label is black it is factory. If the label is red it is a replacement. Ford dealers carry Motorcraft batteries for less than almost anyone else. Oreillys tried to charge $190 for a BXT-65-650 that has a list price of $129.95.
 
Just had the battery die on my 2012 F-150 and the eye was still green. I have not sure what happened, but it was working fine and I stopped for gas and it wouldn't start.
 
Originally Posted By: Lolvoguy
Originally Posted By: JMJNet
Did you do the load test on the battery?


Exactly.

Without a load test your simply making assumptions as to it's condition.

I'm wishing for one of these from Santa this Christmas
https://www.amazon.ca/Quicklynks-Battery...ct_sims?ie=UTF8


Not exactly at all. If you read my post I am asking only two questions. What does the eye mean and where is the mfg date. No assumption about battery condition.
 
The eye thing is a hydrometer. It shows if the acid is charged vs discharged but not whether the plates are healthy vs worn out. And it only tests one cell.
 
Is there a TSB they can reference that recommends an AGM battery? Otherwise, the best everyday price is $170 (3yr warranty)on the Duracell from Sams Club. Next up, pep boys has the bosch 65-AGM for $140 (4yr warranty) with $60 online coupon code. Next up, Sears has the diehard AGMs on sale for decent prices right now. Otherwise, there's always independant battery shops that are worth checking out.

I assume they would recommend an AGM for faster charging ability - The smart/regenerative charging system is the dumbest thing manufacturers have come out with. I don't understand what was wrong with just regulating to 13.4-14.8V depending on temperature. For that matter, a straight 14.4V would serve just fine. The most a battery is taking in charge is going to be 25-30 amps. At 14V, thats just about 425W or about .5-.6HP - not a significant load. I'd like to see what the actual MPG gain is of the system in comparison to old-style dumb charging.

FWIW, handheld electronic load testers give a pretty decent picture of cranking amps and health - especially when testing in a vehicle and you can do a crank-voltage test (how low the voltage dips while turning over the car). Otherwise, the best test to do is a full true carbon-pile load test at 50% of the battery's rated cranking amps. An 800-1000A load tester serves well for this purpose. I use and recommend Autometer brand. For a handheld tester, I use both mid-tronics and argus brands and both are extremely accurate for cranking amps, but can't put an extended load on the battery to weed out a weak cell.
 
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Motorcraft does offer an AGM in group 65, p/n BHAGM-65. They are $199.99 and have 750CCA. Never sold them before, most people don't want to spend the money.
 
Originally Posted By: buck91


Edit: Ford also recommends a silver calcium SLA battery to function correctly with that dang smart charging system. Does anybody know who/where carries these?


When I bought my F150 earlier this year, the only thing wrong was a bad battery. Not knowing about the "smart charging" system, I just stopped at the local Interstate battery distributor and asked for their recommended replacement. They sold me a MTP65 (Mega Tron Plus with 850 CCA if I recall correctly).

I took a few minutes to switch out the battery and it's been fine for almost 8 months. I don't know if there will be problems or a short lived battery or....but I have had great luck with Interstate for many years in both personal and commercial use. My understanding is that you can disconnect the sensor from the battery cable and have a normal charge like the old days, but I haven't tried it myself.
 
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