Should I replace my battery?

[Gobird]

Re: Should I replace my battery?

archiea, It gave no warning, it just went. I have found that the newer cars tend to do that, not like the cars in the past. The one on my F-150 acted the same way. Now I didn't try to charge the one in the Bird because it was already 7 years old and I wasn't about to take a chance while on a trip with it going dead while we were 500 to 600 miles away from home.

[NRALifer]

Re: Should I replace my battery?

x

[94mcd]

Re: Should I replace my battery?

maybe I should just carry one of those little portable jump starters in my massive trunk?

I keep one in both of our cars and even one in the garage. The one in the Thunderbird is a small Black and Decker that doesn't take up much space but powerful enough to start a car.

[joe166]

Re: Should I replace my battery?

What's the group size of the battery? Is it a normal lead-acid, sealed lead-acid, AGM, gel? Has anybody replaced theirs with anything other than the one you can get through the dealer?

:):)

A lot of people have tried. I think there is one or maybe two options. Use the search function and you can see what they are but the factory battery, while expensive can be found at a discount from time to time at dealers.

Our options are severely limited because the battery, being located in the spare tire well, under the trunk floor requires a vent tube to prevent accidental overflow and subsequent serious repercussions involving dangerous gases and dissolving metal parts.

[V8 Cat]

Re: Should I replace my battery?

archiea, It gave no warning, it just went. I have found that the newer cars tend to do that, not like the cars in the past.

This is my experience also with newer cars with a lot of electronics - fine one day a dead as a door-nail the next. My experience also shows the batteries generally last around 5 to 7 years in these vehicles.

[Leroy]

Re: Should I replace my battery?

NRALifer, I've done some research on replacement batteries for these cars and found that the choices are limited due to the need to have a vented battery. But there are other batteries available. The best one I've found I think is the Odyssey battery. It's a drycell battery that doesn't use acid or a gel electrolyte. It's a sealed battery that can be mounted in any position. It's not considered hazardous material and can be shipped Air Freight, other batteries can only be shipped by ground. The odyssey out lasts all other batteries and when it fails it's a slowly looses power not all at once. They make one that will fit the Thunderbird but the draw back is the price. If I remember right I was qoated $338.00 for one. Leroy

[NRALifer]

Re: Should I replace my battery?

x

[SixPac]

Re: Should I replace my battery?

The light indicator on our 5 year old battery glows red, not green. Is it time to replace it? The current battery cranks fine.

[5bird7]

Re: Should I replace my battery?

have you tried recharging the battery, Sixpac? red indicates it's low on charge.

[2Redbirds57/02]

Re: Should I replace my battery?

The light indicator on our 5 year old battery glows red, not green. Is it time to replace it? The current battery cranks fine.

Charlie, the indicator light glows red on my battery, but when it was tested under load it showed that it was 80% good. The service manager said those lights were not always accurate. I carry jumper cables, maybe one of our cars will crank while in Wilmington.