Battery Life

driller

driller

El Presidente
steve said:
The battery in my turbo flex with the tow package has insulation around it. Maybe to protect it from the heat? We were trying to figure that out on the Flex forum.
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Most definitely the battery is shielded from excessive heat.

Two reasons I know this...

I don't know about the Flex but I do know under hood temperatures are definitely higher on turbocharged vehicles vs. naturally aspirated identical counterparts.

Heat will KILL a battery. I'm sure Mike can attest to it and I know I have seen battery life "estimates" on construction equipment compared to normally observed operating temperatures.

And I have personally experienced heat killing my light-weight drag racing battery... to the point where the car stalled and would not crank at the time-slip booth. I noticed the battery was definitely hot and by the time I walked to the pits and secured a volunteer to come give the car a jump, it had cooled to the point where the car cranked right over and started before the jumper cables were even brought out.
 
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steve

With "LOD" Since 1997
The thing was not everyone that had the ecoboost had the insulation, I have the tow package so it may also be related to that. Or it could be something they have added to later models.
 
driller

driller

El Presidente
steve said:
The thing was not everyone that had the ecoboost had the insulation, I have the tow package so it may also be related to that. Or it could be something they have added to later models.
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I agree that's weird. I remember back when F250 turbocharged diesels had insulating blankets on their batteries while the gas versions did not. Perhaps it does have something to do with having a tow package?
 
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steve

With "LOD" Since 1997
Or maybe it just depends if the factory had the battery blanket in stock the day of the build, lol
 
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beerdog

New member
The blanket is ment for protection against direct heat sources such as being close to an exhaust manifold. It does nothing about controlling the general heat in the engine compartment since everything is heating up at the same time. Remember...heat is what degrades the battery. Cold does not degrade the battery. Cold simply exposes a bad battery when you apply the start load.

Also, remember that batteries will definetly freeze or get very slushy. Not really a factor for Mike.
 
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beerdog

New member
We did some talking. There is not much performance differences between battery brands. This is as long as you are comparing the same grade. What I mean by grade is the different levels you see at the store. comparing a 100$ "grade Motorcraft with $150 "grade" interstate would not be fair. The differences are in the amount of lead, plates, etc. As long as the batteries are an equivalent grade they will perform essentially the same. One way to evaluate them is to compare the group type and weight. Heavier the better (and more cost).

- - - Updated - - -

If you want to learn more about batteries visit this site and read up.

http://batterycouncil.org/
 
tonybrooklyn

tonybrooklyn

New member
The original Motocraft lasted the longest on my Mark VIII and my Continental Both failed at over 7 years the Continental was one month short of 8 years.
The original Delco went 9 years in my Corvette. Any aftermarket that is not original seems to last 3-5 years .
 
Mad1stGen

Mad1stGen

Booster
beerdog said:
After market batteries are not much different than OEM.
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They might be coming from the same plant, but the quality control must be different. All original batteries in my cars last easy 7-10 years, while most aftermarket replacements are lucky to live 3-4.
 
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beerdog

New member
many are the exact same battery. just different colors and labels. There could be differences in the designs and lead quantity. OEM's buy enough that they may tweak the designs. They do want the majority of the batteries to last well beyond the warranty period. Battery replacement costs are actually the #1 warranty cost category at every single car oem worldwide.
 
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beerdog

New member
looks good. Battery tender is good. So is Schumacher for $30. They also make solar tenders that go on your dash. Great timing on the freebie!
 
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bhans40

New member
Don't want to hijack this thread.....Going to leave my car at a park and fly Wednesday for 12 days.....should I disconnect the battery?
 
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