My stock battery (heavy duty active alarm) says Johnson Controls on it.
They also make Interstate batteries (which has always been my favorite).

 

Scott I think the only place to buy Motorcraft Batteires is form the Dealer. Only other place may be one of the online retailer for ford parts but my guess is the shipping would kill any benefit on price.

 

Here's the three manufacturers of batteries and the retail brands if anyone's interested:

-Delphi makes ACDelco and some EverStart (Wal-Mart) models.

-Exide makes Champion, Exide, Napa, and some EverStart batteries.

-Johnson Controls makes Diehard (Sears), Duralast (AutoZone), Interstate, Kirkland (Costco), Motorcraft (Ford), and some EverStarts.

 

Check out Rocky's TSB attachment a few posts above yours.

 

Mine was dead again today. It's the first time the car has been started in about 3 weeks. I just jump-boxed it and I was up and running in moments. Took the car on a nice jaunt to the Jersey shore and back. Probably about 80 miles. Hopefully all will be okay now for a bit. Every winter though, same thing.

 

This is not required to keep the battery charged, it is to fully charge it up from dead to full. The reason it takes 2 hours is not because the charging system sucks, it is because a battery can only accept a charge so fast. If you put a battery charger on it, it will take probably 2 hours to fully charge...or you can drive around for 2 hours and the engine can charge it. Either way, it will take a while to charge if it is completely dead.

 

They don't define "fully discharged" conditions or a fully charged condition. At 1500 RPM engine speed, the alternator can usually provide near full charging capacity. Usually they provide 80% current at idle speed. Ford should have just stated exact charging requirements rather than require wasting 2 hours of fuel.

 

I have the new Sears platinum battery in my wifes 05 Aviator. It was expensive but the 4yr replacement was worth it to me here in AZ. The original didn't die but I could tell the starter was spinning slower than normal. I looked into the Optima but it was too small and I couldn't see any way to secure it in the huge battery tray. My 06 Mustang is starting to spin the starter slower also. I will replace it before summer hits, probably with the Sears just because of the longer free replacement period.

 

Does anyone know what "Group" our batteries belong to? Group 65, 34/ 78? I suspect it is the group 34/78 based on the battery dimensions I have checked out so far.
Scott

 

When my battery turned up dead, recently, I was gonna replace it with something else, and probably something with more CCA, but the battery was covered under warranty and you just can't pass up free.

 

I had not considered the possiblity of mine still being under warranty. What is the warranty on our batteries? My car will be out of warranty on March 18, 08. I need to check into this. Duh!!
Scott

Edit to this post...
I called the dealer this afternoon to see what the warranty was on the original battery in the car. My car is under the 36/36 month warranty ( bumper to bumper) until 3/18/08. He said if my battery is truely bad I could get a "FREE" replacement. If...I would have my car towed to the dealership so they could check the entire charging system to make sure there is nothing else wrong. At present my car is up in the air on ramps front and rear with the entire exhaust system removed including the motor mounts waiting on my OBX headers and Prothanes to be delivered. I tried to explain the the car was in storage for the winter and I could bring pictures of the car, paperwork for the original sale and the battery for them to check. Well that was just not good enough. :-( They said they had to check the car...period!!!! No explaination made any difference. Since my car is up on ramps, entire exhaust system including stock exhaust manifolds laying on the floor along with the stock motor mounts, it would be real hard to tow anywhere. So... I guess I screwed myself. I will be out looking for a replacement battery tomorrow. So for you guys who's battery dies before you warranty is up...you can get a free replacement.
Scott

 

Want to thank everyone for their opinions. But I made a choice today on what to buy as a replacement battery and my choice will surprise some. I decided to replace my battery with a stock Motorcraft battery. Their are several reasons. First and foremost...was really the size of the battery. Since our batteries have thermal blankets and a strap to hold them in place size does matter. The Optima replacement turned out to be a yellow top that said deep cycle/ starting battery. Deep cycle batteries should not be used as starting batteries in my opinion. It was also 1 1/2 inch shorter in length and 1/2 inch narrower. The thermal blanket would have been very loose and I was afraid the strap would not contain it properly. The Sears Diehard Gold was also somewhat undersize and about the same price as the Motorcraft. Bottomline the Optima was $160 and the Motorcraft and Diehard were $100 with the same warranty. So I decided to go with what I knew fit correctly. Thanks for the help!
Scott

 

Wise Choice!

 

My battery is fine but I got some of that weird crud growing on the battery terminals - not sure what it is. It looks like corral - i guess that's my best desription.

 

Uhh...that is not a good sign. You should clean it or have it cleaned soon. That is a sure sign that she will not start some day or even worst you are leaking some acid. Not good!
Scott

 

Agreed this is the beginning sign that the battery is on it's way out.

Good choice on Battery Replacement Scott.

Like I said previously the Motorcraft batteries are good batteries.

 

Yeah, I recently had my alternator go bad, and the battery stopped holding a charge. So when the dealership replaced the alternator, they replaced the battery too, all free because I'm still under warranty....but I'm working on that, one mile at a time.

Yeah, careful with that. It's crystalized battery acid (it's actually not, but if that keeps you from playing with it bare-handed, all the better. )

You can wipe it off with a rag (careful you don't connect yourself up ) or get some terminal cleaner...but it's not worth it. Get yerself a new battery before you get stuck somewhere. Check if yer warranty will clear it.

 

If you want to have some fun, take a voltmeter (in DC mode), stick one probe on the negative terminal, and touch the other probe to the top of the battery in different locations. The main point is that the "crud" you see on the top of the battery is conductive, and essentially creates a high-impedance short to ground. What THAT means is that your battery is draining itself just sitting there... If you don't want to spray red or green goop all over the place (terminal cleaner), do the following:

From the store, buy a box of baking soda, a pair of disposable rubber gloves, and a CHEAP paintbrush or basting brush, a roll of paper towels, and a six-pack of your favorite adult beverage.

First, open the hood, then open an adult beverage. Using a highball glass from home, mix up a solution of water and baking soda, using the brush to mix until you have a thin, pasty solution. Consume the adult beverage while preparing your materials and mixing.

Next, open another adult beverage, put on the rubber gloves, and LIBERALLY paint the top of the battery with the paste. The alkaline paste will react with the conductive acid on the top of the battery, and through the wonders of chemistry, converts both of them into an inert salt. Use some wet paper towels to mop up the paste from the top of the battery. Follow with dry towels to clean the battery. Repeat the whole process just for good measure, to make sure you got it all. Dispose of rubber gloves and brush, dump the remainder of the paste solution, and consume the adult beverage that has now gotten warm.

Finally, close the hood, open another adult beverage, and carry it and the glass inside to the sink. Thoroughly wash and dry the glass to maintain marital harmony, and to make future mods easier to get away with. Consume the adult beverage, while offering the remainder of the six-pack to your spouse. Bask in the glory of a happy spouse, AND a clean battery!

The "crud" comes from acid vapors generated from recharge-heat venting from the battery and condensing on the top. If the battery is a completely sealed unit (mantenance-free does NOT mean sealed!), then this is indicative of a crack, but most lead-acid batteries are vented to equalize pressure resulting from temp changes due to charge/discharge cycles. Gel-Cell batteries are a different animal alltogether.

 

Dave,
This is a very informative post. But I am still a little confused about one thing. Is it the baking soda paste or the adult beverages that is really doing the work??
Scott

 

The both work equally well on there intended subject!