Battery question

gtforme · Dec 12, 2011

I am having trouble with my battery and by that I mean I have the original FORD tender hooked up but I am having to start the car every couple of weeks to freshen the battery so that is doesnt go completely dead

My question is should i just let the battery go completely dead over the winter while in storage and then trickle charge it in the spring and then take the car in for a new battery in the spring

Is there any harm in leaving the car in storage with a dead battery

BlackICE · Dec 12, 2011

I would use another charger and top off the battery and have the battery load tested, or let it sit a week and check the voltage to see if it is maintained at above 12.6V. Given the age of the battery it may be a good idea to change it.

Leaving the car sit with the battery disconnected is OK, but IMO I would never start the car with a questionable battery, GAUGES!!!

standj · Dec 12, 2011

You may want to not only get a new charger, but consider replacing the battery if it is an original. Depending on your cars production date the
battery could be 7 to 8 years old.

HHGT · Dec 12, 2011

Whatever you do, make sure the battery is fully charged and turn the ignition to the on position and watch all the gauges come to life before you crank the starter.

33Bravo · Dec 12, 2011

gtforme said:
I am having trouble with my battery and by that I mean I have the original FORD tender hooked up but I am having to start the car every couple of weeks to freshen the battery so that is doesnt go completely dead

My question is should i just let the battery go completely dead over the winter while in storage and then trickle charge it in the spring and then take the car in for a new battery in the spring

Is there any harm in leaving the car in storage with a dead battery

So much information about the not-so-good-things (gauges) that can happen with a low battery that I replaced my original 2005 battery with a new Die Hard.. I'm sure it was getting close - and it gives me peace of mind.

New battery is on the Cooltech charger.

gtforme · Dec 12, 2011

I have an interesting experience with the guages , maybe others have had the same

I start the car after being on the tender and some of the guages dont work , I let the car run for 20 minutes or so and then turn the car off and restart and all guages work every time , touch wood , this has gone on for quite a while now

I will get a new battery in the spring but for now , maybe I should just let the battery run dead and dont mess with it over the winter , is a new OEM battery as good as any out there ??

HHGT · Dec 12, 2011

gtforme said:
I have an interesting experience with the guages , maybe others have had the same

I start the car after being on the tender and some of the guages dont work , I let the car run for 20 minutes or so and then turn the car off and restart and all guages work every time , touch wood , this has gone on for quite a while now

I will get a new battery in the spring but for now , maybe I should just let the battery run dead and dont mess with it over the winter , is a new OEM battery as good as any out there ??

In that case and if it was me, I would take the battery out completely.

gtforme · Dec 12, 2011

With all due respect HHGT I have looked at the battery and I dont even know how to reach it , never mind take it out , I have considered taking the car into the local FORD dealer here in town where they have a GT mechanic and the owner of the dealership has his own GT

I just dont know how they can do it any easier than i can , I am always concerend about denting the fender while reaching into get the battery

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to make the battery change less dramatic

HHGT · Dec 12, 2011

gtforme said:
With all due respect HHGT I have looked at the battery and I dont even know how to reach it , never mind take it out , I have considered taking the car into the local FORD dealer here in town where they have a GT mechanic and the owner of the dealership has his own GT

I just dont know how they can do it any easier than i can , I am always concerend about denting the fender while reaching into get the battery

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to make the battery change less dramatic

Call me anytime after Wednesday and I can walk you though it, its pretty easy.

I'll Pm u my cell.

nota4re · Dec 12, 2011

I start the car after being on the tender and some of the guages dont work , I let the car run for 20 minutes or so and then turn the car off and restart and all guages work every time , touch wood , this has gone on for quite a while now

Normal - and indicative of an end-of-life battery. If the gauges fail to see 12v or more, they may not initialize. If they don't initialize, they will be ignored during the entire duration of that start/rin cycle. When you turn the car off and then re-fire it, the battery has been temporaily spiked by the alternator during the brief run and any borderline low-voltage failed initializations will likely be overcome.

Make it a habit to turn the key on and then wait a few seconds before pressing the start button. This *could* be a healthy practice for gauge longevity..... then again it may have nothing to do with it:confused

BlackICE · Dec 12, 2011

nota4re said:
...Make it a habit to turn the key on and then wait a few seconds before pressing the start button. This *could* be a healthy practice for gauge longevity..... then again it may have nothing to do with it:confused

:agree: IMO this is a good practice even if there isn't any good statistical data to support this procedure. It is a superstitious practice of mine.

gtforme · Dec 18, 2011

Well guys the forum proves once again to be an extremely good source of informationm , as most of you know a battery change in these cars is not as major of an under taking as some might think (me most recently), I learned that today with very informative help from HHGT and Superfly ,without their advise I would surely have made a mess of this situation

Thanks guys and thanks to all the other forum members that are there when we need each other

Incidently I went with the gold series Sears Diehard battery , fit like a dream and comes with 720 CCA and a 100 month warranty

Merry Christmas guys

HHGT · Dec 18, 2011

Heavy SOB hah Rob? Call any time. :thumbsup:thumbsup

Superfly · Dec 18, 2011

Haha, that's great Rob. I agree with Sam, call him anytime. LOL, I joke, you can always call me anytime too brother. Glad it went well. And it was great speaking with you today.

MNJason · Dec 18, 2011

Anyone want to summarize the procedure for the rest of us? I'm getting ready to do this in a few days.

Thanks!

gtforme · Dec 18, 2011

MNJason and anyone else that wants to read this I can summarize the procedure in detail as it is fresh in my mind

Step 1- Remove the trunck liner by removing 3 twist lock screw, 2 at top , 1 at bottom of liner
Step2- Be shocked at where the battery is located and wonder how in the world am I going to get at that thing without damaging the car
or having a hernia
Step 3- Remove the negative battery terminal
Step 4- Remove the positive battery terminal
Step 5- Take an 8mm socket with an extension and undue the rod that is directly behind the battery , this rod is simply a hold down clamp for the
battery and needs to be undone completely until it is loose in the battery compartment , dont worry it will not fall under the car , just
dont lose the socket , that might be more difficult to find later
Step 6- Remove the battery while being very careful not to lean on the fenders as they will dent , I had a buddy help me and we both took a side
of the battery and hoited it out , may have been overkill but better safe than having a dented fender
Step 7- Put the new battery back in the same way you got it out with the help of a buddy
Step 8- Position the battery rod clamp on the edge of the new battery and tighten it down
Step 9 - Connect the positive battery terminal
Step 10- Connect the negative battery terminal
Step 11- Replace the trunck liner
Step 12- Have a beer

Hope this helps

HHGT · Dec 18, 2011

I would add three things to Rob's list.

Charge the new battery overnight
Check the ground fo corrosion - sorry Rob I forgot to remind you yesterday.
When you are ready to crank her up, make sure all the guages come to life first.

MNJason · Dec 18, 2011

Excellent list! So next question: The car is in hibernation until April (or so) on a tender. Should I just wait until spring? I have never had 1 issue with the battery, just wanted to replace since its 7 years old.

HHGT · Dec 18, 2011

If it was me and I was planning on replacing it anyway and since I dont trust the OEM battery, I would just disconnect the battery.

Cobraguy · Dec 18, 2011

I just replaced the original battery in my '05 last week ....it wasn't causing me any problems but IMO expecting more than 6 yrs of reliable battery service from a late model car is unrealistic. I would add a few steps to the procedure.
First...There has been some debate as to whether or not interupting the cars memory by disconnecting the power source is an issue (guages) so it is no big deal to hook up a 2 amp battery charger to the cables till the swap is complete...just make sure to wrap a rag around the positive cable to eliminate the chance of shorting it out when you pull it out of the way.
Second....and most importantly...cover the fenders with several folded beach towels with something flexible yet somewhat solid sandwiched between the towels (I used discarded pieces of flexible sign board). This way, if you do accidentally drop an elbow or god forbid a battery on it, your fender is protected. Since I am right handed I only covered the right fender and did all the work from that side by myself. The battery is not that heavy if you leverage it properly.
Total time for the r and r was 35 minutes......so simple, even a caveman could do it !

gtforme said:
MNJason and anyone else that wants to read this I can summarize the procedure in detail as it is fresh in my mind

Step 1- Remove the trunck liner by removing 3 twist lock screw, 2 at top , 1 at bottom of liner
Step2- Be shocked at where the battery is located and wonder how in the world am I going to get at that thing without damaging the car
or having a hernia
Step 3- Remove the negative battery terminal
Step 4- Remove the positive battery terminal
Step 5- Take an 8mm socket with an extension and undue the rod that is directly behind the battery , this rod is simply a hold down clamp for the
battery and needs to be undone completely until it is loose in the battery compartment , dont worry it will not fall under the car , just
dont lose the socket , that might be more difficult to find later
Step 6- Remove the battery while being very careful not to lean on the fenders as they will dent , I had a buddy help me and we both took a side
of the battery and hoited it out , may have been overkill but better safe than having a dented fender
Step 7- Put the new battery back in the same way you got it out with the help of a buddy
Step 8- Position the battery rod clamp on the edge of the new battery and tighten it down
Step 9 - Connect the positive battery terminal
Step 10- Connect the negative battery terminal
Step 11- Replace the trunck liner
Step 12- Have a beer

Hope this helps

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