Hi all,

Mums fiesta - 2011 Fiesta Titanium 1.6tdci.

Wouldn't start this morning - arrived to notice folding mirrors very slow, and clicking on turning the key, battery voltage 12.2 but dropped to 5v on attempting to start. Jumped with my Focus, and left to run for 15-20 minutes whilst I investigated the leaky engine mount on my own car. Jumped on first turn of the key with my car attached. Whilst charging by itself, the highest voltage I saw was 13.3V - whilst being charged by my Focus it was at 13.9V.

Started 3-4 times after letting it run, then went slow and clicky again. Currently attached to the battery charger to give it a good charge. There is what appears to be a little eye on top of the battery which is black. The battery is most probably the original for the car.

I'm guessing a battery problem foremost, but am concerned about the alternator - it does definitely kick in about 5 seconds after starting raising the voltage up to 13.3V - I can't get to the alternator plug to unplug it and see if it will change it's charging voltage - but obviously if the battery is toast then the battery charging side of it is going to be wonky aswell anyway.

Anyone else have any ideas?

 

I've just had the exact same issue with my car, took it to the ford dealer where I bought it from, they tested the battery and the alternator and diagnosed the battery. I replaced it and it's been fine since.

Do you know what type they replaced it with?

I'm almost certain that it's a 075 (60Ah) battery in the car, but all the sites (Halfords, Batteryshop, etc) are saying it's a 100 (72-75Ah).

Edit: No, it's the wrong size for 075 - 175mm tall, 175mm wide, and 278mm long, but no 60Ah batteries come in that size... Ford you confuse again.

You can also check the age of the battery by checking the date stamp on the battery itself. Chances are if it's the original (which it looks to be from the photo) and over 5+ years old it's likely knackered.

If I were you I'd get a new battery fitted and if issues continue, go from there - but start with the easier/cheaper fixes first.

Do you know what type they replaced it with?
I'm almost certain that it's a 075 (60Ah) battery in the car, but all the sites (Halfords, Batteryshop, etc) are saying it's a 100 (72-75Ah).
Edit: No, it's the wrong size for 075 - 175mm tall, 175mm wide, and 278mm long, but no 60Ah batteries come in that size... Ford you confuse again.

I replaced it myself as I wasn't willing to pay in excess of £100 from ford, I got one from Euro carparts it was a 065 52AH not sure of the dimensions but it fitted perfectly.
Mine is a titanium 1.6 petrol though

my previous car, now in brother's care is a July 2007 Fiesta 1.6tdci. Done about 155k miles. Still has original battery in it. Can't believe it has not failed yet.

Is the car 'econetic' ?  I think there is something odd about the Econetic in that it only charges the battery when the engine is decelerating or something like that. My current car is Econetic version and I believe I read that somewhere with the comment that it can confuse troubleshooting charging faults

A guy that checked my battery simply checked it's strength by putting the lights on; he said if they dimmed, it's likely to be the battery. He recharged it, I went for a 50 mile drive and the battery lasted another 3 years. A similar thing happened a year earlier following a week of work. On both occasions it was at the end of winter.

The original battery on my Focus ST ended up lasting just over 9 years and that was with using the car just once a week.... twice at the most. I was frustrated that I had to change it the month before I traded the car in.