Which Is Correct Battery

[TomUK]

I think the battery on my 2005 Focus Ghia 1.8 petrol model is kaput. Failed on Saturday, trickle charged for 24 hours (on the car) started ok next morning, went 6 miles to shops, parked up and then 6 miles back. Got home, switched off, emptied boot and went to put it in the garage - flat again. This is original 2005 battery so not done bad I suppose.

After the 24 hour charging mentioned above, I switched off the charger but wnet out and left it connected to the car for a few hours. Could the charger drain the battery if left connected but unplugged? (just a thought).

Anyway it's looking like a new battery purchase. The factory fitted one is a Motorcraft Silver Calcium 43 amp hours capacity version. However, looking at various suppliers specs. I see that the 43Ah is recommended for the 1.4 and 1.6 engines, but they all list 50 or 54 Ah for the 1.8 engine. Strange that my car has the smaller capacity. Was there a re-think along the way by Ford?

[Mr_Spock]

I did put in a 75Ah Silver Calcium last year, replacing the 52Ah original battery. This is the biggest battery that would fit in the battery box - that I could find. More Ah is better :)

[FOCA]

A charger has a rectifier built into it so the current cannot drain back from the battery back into the charger - The electrical power can only go one way even if the charger is left switched off/ connected overnight.

The smaller the battery the cheaper it is - so the 43AH is cheaper than the 54AH - the 43AH could have been fitted to save money - of course, a 75AH would be even more expensive - another consideration is the weight - a 75AH could weigh 19kgs - a lot of weight, and significant enough to affect the performance/ economy a little, i fitted a 52AH (540 cold cranking amps) it was very affordable and weighed about 12kgs - got me through 2 winters so far (2 Litre Mondeo diesel)- as your 43AH has done you 8 years perhaps you should "weigh" up your options - mabee go up just a little/ see what is available at a reasonable price

[Mr_Spock]

Good information FOCA :)

And of course - replace the battery with a Silver Calcium or Calcium battery - as the Focus charging system is specially tuned for this type of battery.

[artscot79]

silver calcium :)

[Mr_Spock]

Yes, sorry :)

[artscot79]

Just me having a laugh sorry

[Mr_Spock]

Me too :D

Now where did I get Cadmium from??

[FOCA]

Me too :D

Now where did I get Cadmium from??

Probably from Nickel-Cadmium or ni-cads - popular before being virtually superceded by Nickel Metal- hyrride or Ni-MH, the ni-cads suffered from "memory" effect and had to go through the full charge- discharge cycle (had to be completely discharged befor being re-charged) ()

Its the opposite of a lead acid / silver-calcium - that needs a high charge in it at all times or can be damaged - it pays to be clued up on these things

I suppose the extra weight/ expense of a 75Ah battery could be useful if you lived in a cold country and/or had a lot of audio gear in your car

[Mr_Spock]

Probably from Nickel-Cadmium or ni-cads - popular before being virtually superceded by Nickel Metal- hyrride or Ni-MH, the ni-cads suffered from "memory" effect and had to go through the full charge- discharge cycle (had to be completely discharged befor being re-charged) ()

Its the opposite of a lead acid / silver-calcium - that needs a high charge in it at all times or can be damaged - it pays to be clued up on these things

I suppose the extra weight/ expense of a 75Ah battery could be useful if you lived in a cold country and/or had a lot of audio gear in your car

That sure is where it came from :)

And it sure is, as you write, good to have a big battery when it is ice cold in the winter. I have also installed a 240V AC heating/charging system, with a timer, in the car. It includes a fan heater inside the car, a engine block heater and a 12V charger. Typical - you plug it in when you park the car after work (usually parking lots for work in Norway have 240V AC outlets - so you can plug it in there too) , and the timer switch on the fan heater and the engine block heater - a couple of hours before you drive to work in the morning. The 12V charger works all the time the car is connected to 240V.

It is very nice to get in a varm car in the icy winter :)

[TomUK]

Thanks to you all for your input. Regarding FOCA's idea about 43Ah fitted to save money - I should stress that I've had the car from new and the 43Ah battery is the original equipment, so Ford themselves fitted it during production. Perhaps they decided to fit larger capacity batteries after my vehicle was made. This original battery has lasted 8.5 years so I can't complain.

Also, my mechanic mate suggests that because the vehicles are exported all over the world, Ford do fit batteries to suit the territory they are going too, whether that be very cold or even very hot climates.

Getting a 43Ah version - don't expect to have the car longer than two more years, so guarantee will cover that.

[jeebowhite]

Bosch S4 or S5 (I think that's the name / model) are perfect! I bought one from EuroCarParts at the start of the year, battery cost about £75 and it more than does the job...