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I am replacing my original Ford Motorcraft battery, as it no longer holds its charge after a few days and is now 8 years old.
It is rated at 12V, 500A cold-cranking, 53 AH capacity. I am having trouble matching the capacity, so I may have to get a more powerful one, such as 590A 65AH, rather than a weaker one. However, is there a danger that the car's charging system may suffer from overload with a more powerful battery? The Ford manual says that the spec. should match that of the original, but a new Ford battery is more than double the price of other brands!!!
Also, the Ford manual stresses that the battery MUST!! be lead-CALCIUM, as is indicated on the Ford battery with ''Ca''. However, I do not see any mention of calcium on the range of well known brands of batteries available at retailers.
Any comments are welcome, as I am confused.
Definately says calcium, not cadmium, in the Ford manual, and there is a "Ca" (chemical symbol for calcium) marking on the Ford battery, as the manual says there will be. I have read a bit more on the internet and this is something to do with the technology inside modern lead-acid batteries. I'm just a bit wary when manuals stress the importance of something - after all, the current battery is 8 years old and still works (if used daily), so obviously it is a good system. As I may sell the car soon, I don't want to pay top dollar for a Ford battery! If I was keeping the car I would thouroughly recommend the Ford battery!Definately says calcium, not cadmium, in the Ford manual, and there is a "Ca" (chemical symbol for calcium) marking on the Ford battery, as the manual says there will be. I have read a bit more on the internet and this is something to do with the technology inside modern lead-acid batteries. I'm just a bit wary when manuals stress the importance of something - after all, the current battery is 8 years old and still works (if used daily), so obviously it is a good system. As I may sell the car soon, I don't want to pay top dollar for a Ford battery! If I was keeping the car I would thouroughly recommend the Ford battery!
At last I have found a quality brand battery (Bosch/Varta) that meets the specification of Ford and my car. As expected, it is relatively expensive (still about 25% less than Ford's), but I suppose you get what you pay for. Thanks for all comments.At last I have found a quality brand battery (Bosch/Varta) that meets the specification of Ford and my car. As expected, it is relatively expensive (still about 25% less than Ford's), but I suppose you get what you pay for. Thanks for all comments.
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I am confused too. Are you sure it didn't say lead-cadmium battery??? In any case you can buy any battery off the shelf that is a 40R series. The size of the housing and the location of the terminals should be the same as the battery you are replacing. Having a 590 CCA battery versus a 500 CCA one just means you have more power in reserve for cold weather starts. Check with your local auto parts supplier, Wal-Mart, or Batteries Plus for prices. Don't waste the money going for an 84 month battery. A 60 month will do just fine, and the only thing you are buying with the 84+ month battery is a SLIGHTLY better replacement policy.
Ford buys their batteries from an outside vendor just like everyone else, and they are no better or worse, just more expensive because of dealer mark-up. The electricity coming out of a lead-acid battery, lead- cadmium, nickel-metal hydride, or lithium battery is the same, so I can't see what difference it would make.
Ford buys their batteries from an outside vendor just like everyone else, and they are no better or worse, just more expensive because of dealer mark-up. The electricity coming out of a lead-acid battery, lead- cadmium, nickel-metal hydride, or lithium battery is the same, so I can't see what difference it would make.
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It won't hurt your alternator if you put in a bigger battery. Never go to a smaller one. Remember to measure the battery box , including height,to be sure the new battery will fit.,
I can't un derstand why the make up of the battery would make any difference to the charging system. Perhaps you should checkat the auto parts store for some input. If there was a specific reason for a lead-calcium battery as opposed to any other one they should know. They wouldn't want to pay out warranty claims for something if they don't have to.
The ford battery is more because there so much better than a battery from a parts store cheapy,putting a bigger battery in will not effect the charging system you will have more capacity,or more cranking amps,but the problem is the limited amount of room under the hood hope this helps out
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Seems you have a dead battery. Could be anything related to the charging system (alternator, control, wiring) or the battery itself. It takes a methodic process of testing to determine the cause(s).
Start by having battery tested and charged. If the battery checks ok and holds a charge then "likely" the problem is with the charging system, but it's a multistep process of elimination and very few parts store do a complete full load battery test.
If the battery test fails then you'll need to replace the battery and then promptly have the charging system tested to verify its working or you'll have another dead battery.
Once the battery and charging system has been verified functional you need to have a parasitic current test done. Excessive parasitic draw can ruin a new battery in a few months depending on your driving habits. Is this a daily driver or every other week or longer?
The part number that you mentioned, "BX96-r" is a Motorcraft battery that is the original equipent (O.E.) for the '96 Ford Contour. There are aftermarket brands available that match or even exceed the specs of this battery. The actual "case size" is 96R. By staying with the mentioned case size, the dimensions of the replacement battery (the brand is irrelevant) will be identical to the original BX96-R. Make sure that the Cold Cranking Amps (CCA) and Reserve Capacity (RC) at at least equal or more than the battery you are replacing.
Sounds like the battery can no longer hold a charge and needs replacing but first have the alternator checked to make sure that is putting out a charge to your battery, most garages will do this test free of charge for you Hope this helps Steve
1st step is to disconnect the aftermarket unit. if the problem goes away then you have your culprit. nobody is going to tell you they installed something wrong, even if they did.
if that does not do it, then you know they are correct about their installation. there are two fuse panels, one with a few big fuses under the hood and one inside the vehicle with many small fuses. one by one you are going to remove overnite the big fuses until you figure out which one has the bad boy on it. when it is out the battery stays charged and when in, the battery drains. when you figure that one out then you can pull the smaller fuses which are downstream on the big fuse circuit, one by one, until you find the one which, when removed, does not cause the battery to drain out over 2 days. when you have that one out you know which few electrical doodads are on it and you replace or live without them. likely suspects are the alarm, power door locks, leveling if equipped.
Looks like you have replaced all of the key parts, and then some. At this point I would verify that the alternator is charging the battery. With engine off, check battery voltage. Start the engine and check thre voltage again. It should climb to charging voltage, around 13.0 to 13.5 volts. If it doesn't, check all connections. On a vehicle this old, I would start with the ground circuits.
Good luck.
Buzzy
Definately says calcium, not cadmium, in the Ford manual, and there is a "Ca" (chemical symbol for calcium) marking on the Ford battery, as the manual says there will be. I have read a bit more on the internet and this is something to do with the technology inside modern lead-acid batteries. I'm just a bit wary when manuals stress the importance of something - after all, the current battery is 8 years old and still works (if used daily), so obviously it is a good system. As I may sell the car soon, I don't want to pay top dollar for a Ford battery! If I was keeping the car I would thouroughly recommend the Ford battery!
At last I have found a quality brand battery (Bosch/Varta) that meets the specification of Ford and my car. As expected, it is relatively expensive (still about 25% less than Ford's), but I suppose you get what you pay for. Thanks for all comments.
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