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Potential battery issues


lloydyyy
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Bit of history; I've had my 2008 Mk6.5 Fiesta for just under 7 years and the battery seems to the original Ford silver calcium battery. At the moment I car share with a friend for work journeys and my car was left standing on my drive for a week a few weeks ago, but when I went to drive it on the weekend on the same week the car struggled to start - as if the battery was dead.

Tonight, same thing happened and the car has only been standing for a couple of days. I went to turn the ignition over and the symptoms were that of a dead battery, but the car started after a second or so. My hunch is that the battery is on its way out, but I wanted to post here to ask for some advice before taking the next step. The car has never suffered any issues starting, even in freezing temperatures, until recently.

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I would have thought that 7 years was a good age for a battery and I would suspect that the battery is on its last legs.

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48 minutes ago, Bobr said:

I would have thought that 7 years was a good age for a battery and I would suspect that the battery is on its last legs.

Agreed. Would it be worth having my battery tested to be sure?

What are the recommendations for a battery? I was looking at Bosch but Yuasa seem to be recommended as well.

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I've often, in the past, used Bosch batteries and have never had a problem with them.  A previous Fiesta had a Bosch battery in 2008 and that one is still going strong.

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My 2007 Fiesta 1.6tdci now owned my brother had  a new battery last month. The original lasted 10yrs 3 months. Excellent, I don't reckon many last that long.

My wife's 2010 Mazda2 had a new battery this week. Lasted 6yrs 11 months.

If it is 2008 car and battery is original I think it has done well.

As the weather suddenly turns cold, it is the time when batteries that have been getting towards the end of their lives do suddenly give up and die. 

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6 minutes ago, isetta said:

My 2007 Fiesta 1.6tdci now owned my brother had  a new battery last month. The original lasted 10yrs 3 months. Excellent, I don't reckon many last that long.

My wife's 2010 Mazda2 had a new battery this week. Lasted 6yrs 11 months.

If it is 2008 car and battery is original I think it has done well.

As the weather suddenly turns cold, it is the time when batteries that have been getting towards the end of their lives do suddenly give up and die. 

My battery is Ford branded, so I reckon it's the original. I think I'll replace my battery just in case - it's old enough anyway and I think it's on its way out. Just had a quick look on ECP and they have the Bosch S3, S4 and S5 - no idea which one to pick for my Fiesta, or if perhaps Yuasa is any better.

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when I got my wife's Mazda2 battery this week from ECP there was SAVE33 discount code available for 33% off. With ECP you always need to see if there is a discount code you can use. Otherwise they are expensive compared to some other places.

I went for the Lion brand , which I assume is their own brand. I don't expect it to last as long as the original Yuasa battery.

When I had a lot of Japanese motorbikes in the 1980s Yuasa seemed to be the best brand for motorbike batteries. I do not know how good they are now for replacement car batteries.

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Would anyone be able to offer some advice on how to clean the battery terminals, and a decent battery terminal grease? Would I need to coat the terminals and battery poles before connecting the terminals, or apply grease only after connecting the terminals?

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I have always used Vaseline after connecting the terminals.

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I have always cleaned with wire wool (but make sure you clear up the wire wool fragment debris). Like Bobr I always grease with vaseline (petroleum jelly). I put it on before connecting so it is in the actual joint

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Thanks, guys. I thought I'd check because I've read a few conflicting posts online; some suggest to put Vaseline on the battery posts before connecting the clamps, and others suggest to put Vaseline on after connecting the clamps.

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If you use wire wool, make sure you don't accidentally connect the positive post and any part of the chassis / engine as wire wool will conduct and catch fire.

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The car struggled a bit to start again this morning, it was frosty outside, so I think I'd better replace the battery this weekend before it gives up the ghost. Looking at the Bosch S4 - or would the S5 be better? Was looking at Yuasa - they claim their batteries are silver calcium...

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Just checked the voltages using the instrument cluster method. The output is about 12v when the engine is off and between 14.3v-14.5v when the engine is running.

Edit: The car is currently on about 85k miles.

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Bosch S4 063 from CarParts4Less is £50.67 delivered, and from Tayna it's £56.92 delivered.

The Bosch S4 is 207mm in length whereas the only battery (according to the reg lookup) from Tayna is a 065 Enduroline and that's 242mm in length. Strange...

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The terminals seem to be clamped tightly. Would you say the terminals are in good condition?

20171114_154418-min.jpg

20171114_154625-min.jpg

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Can't really tell as much till you get them off. Certainly seen worse in my time.

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063 battery is not as long as 065 battery as it is lower capacity (ampereHour) and lower CCA (cold cranking amps). I don't think we know what engine you have. If it is diesel you probably ought to have the higher capacity battery.  Diesels use more electrical power to start as the compression ratio is higher and also the glow plugs are using a load of electrical power when you are starting it. 

have you measured length of your existing battery?  

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Corrosion is something I was dreading. Is it worth just getting the terminals replaced? My Fiesta Mk6.5 has a 1.25 petrol engine, and it's a 2008 plate (02-08).

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I reckon you will be OK with the smaller 063 battery then. It does not really look like it needs new terminals.  most important part clean up the inner part of the circle where it touches the battery posts. When you take it off you might find it does not even need cleaning much there. 

If you replace the terminals you need to connect the new terminals to the cables and that is never as good as the original connections and creates another potential weak point for the future so I would not do it unless absolutely neccessary.

make sure you have your radio code as it will need inputting into the radio when you switch it on after battery disconnection.

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29 minutes ago, isetta said:

I reckon you will be OK with the smaller 063 battery then. It does not really look like it needs new terminals.  most important part clean up the inner part of the circle where it touches the battery posts. When you take it off you might find it does not even need cleaning much there. 

If you replace the terminals you need to connect the new terminals to the cables and that is never as good as the original connections and creates another potential weak point for the future so I would not do it unless absolutely neccessary.

make sure you have your radio code as it will need inputting into the radio when you switch it on after battery disconnection.

I'll clean them up this weekend and fit the new battery anyway, and I'll post some photos of the terminals after a good clean.

I found some spare negative and positive terminal cables on eBay. They look relatively easy to fit - no re-wiring of cables nor soldering, or am I completely wrong?

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I thought you meant buying new terminals like in the pic here. the cables are held in the hole (tubular part) by the cross head screws which is not as good as the way the car makers do it.

41zbX0IPX3L._SY300_.jpg

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I'd definitely replace the terminal clamps if they were that easy. I'd consider replacing the terminals on my Fiesta but I can't see where the other end is fastened to.

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There's nothing wrong with your clamps.   They just want a bit of cleaning up with wire wool.

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