As an FYI to the group... I have a 2004 SCREW 4.6.

I got ZERO symtoms that my battery was going dead - just one morning - nothing.

REASON FOR THE POST> When I got a jump I was ok, but then the truck completely shut down again after running a short bit in my driveway.

Took battery out had it checked (36 months). It was MARGINAL. I replaced it.

MORAL OF STORY> Our trucks will completely shut off if the electrical system fails to produce at least 14 amps. My battery was as I said, marginal, but I had never encountered a vehicle completley shutting itself off as mine did after a jump. Led me to believe that perhaps the alt was going bad or something...THANKFULLY NOT.

Just wanted to pass this along.

Peace, JT.

 

did you repace it with a ford battery?

 

There are usually no symptoms now adays. Batteries in the olden days used to slowly die for the last year or so of their life, and now batteries just die. They last longer now, on average than they used to though.

The typical battery life is only 3-5 years for most parts of the US...and the warmer the place you live, the shorter the expected life.

And unlike older vehicles, they still depened a great deal on the battery. Meaning that older vehicles would run without a battery at all, but modern vehicles (most vehicles 1996 and up) will not run at all if the battery is completely dead.

Oh...and 14 amps is pretty low...I think 95% of vehicles out there on the road today would die if the battery was only putting out 14 amps, and I think that there isn't a vehicle out there that would start if the battery put out 14 amps. Or did you mean volts? Because a normal battery only holds 12.65 volts, or roughly 2.1 volts per cell. An alternator on the other hand, should put out ~14 volts.

 

I meant volts - sorry!

And mercy no I did not put in a Motorcraft battery. RIPOFF - 36 mos for $89 or the O'Reilly 72 mos for $49?

It was a NO BRAINER!!! - JT.

 

I dunno, I'll probably buy another Motorcraft battery when the time comes.

My OEM battery is 98 mos old.

 

Being that Johnson Controls makes Motorcraft, Diehard, Duralast, Interstate, Autocraft, Kirkland, Everstart, and some other no-name brands, I think you'll be ok paying $50 instead of $100 for the Motorcraft.

 

my battery on my 97 just died suddenly as well a few weeks ago. i was like what the hell???. it was only maybye 30 months old.