[kclight01]

I think a new battery reads 12.6v or a little higher when checked at the terminals. I have notes where I compared the voltage at the terminals to the display voltage on the cluster and found it was ~0.5v lower. I've been reading 11.9v on the display in the mornings for a year or so now. I checked the battery over the past few months and had 12.5v at the battery, which should be good. After 2 days sitting, I went to crank and the battery was weak/slow to turn, but then fired up. I let it run to charge but then shut off and used a trickle charger for the rest of the day (about 6 hours), it read "charged". Today, after work (I drove another vehicle), I did not start the car but I checked the display voltage and it was 11.6v. I did not even try to crank because I am thinking that the voltage at the terminals should be ~12.1v (~.5v higher than the display) which would be too low to crank. Does all that sound right?

 

[huberoy123]

if I had this issue, I would take it to an auto supply store and have them check it. If it's the battery that came with the car, I would go out and purchase myself a new one. Good luck.

 

[kclight01]

Yes that's the plan and the only way to know, unless I my own tester. No, its not the original battery, they last 3 years max in the south.

 

[JBert]

yes that sounds about right; and it also sounds like your battery is getting old and tired, or you have some kind of current draw/drain when the car is shut off

 

[kclight01]

Thanks, yeah, it's almost 3 years old but I was hoping to get a little more life out of it with a tender. No evidence of a current draw or anything like that, it's been consistent for a while ~12.5v cold. I was trying to monitor it from the display voltage recently.

 

[Cobrajet67]

It does sound like your battery is done for like others have said. Some older battery tenders will actually overcharge the battery which reduces it's life.
My suggestion is to go buy yourself a Motorcraft and it should last double the time you got out of your last battery. Every Motorcraft battery that I've ever had has lasted at least 7 years. Most Motorcraft batteries are also still prorated like all the battery companies used to do.
Some generic batteries are just awful and don't last for more than 2-4 years. You can usually identify a crappy made battery when it only comes with a 1 or 2 year free replacement warranty.

 

[JBert]

two ways you can look at the battery thing:
1) pay more to get a "good" one, in hopes that it will last longer
2) buy a cheap one and replace it when it dies

I go with option #2 because I have never really seen any difference between the cheap batteries I buy at Walmart and the more expensive ones that I have bought elsewhere

 

[Cobrajet67]

two ways you can look at the battery thing:
1) pay more to get a "good" one, in hopes that it will last longer
2) buy a cheap one and replace it when it dies

I go with option #2 because I have never really seen any difference between the cheap batteries I buy at Walmart and the more expensive ones that I have bought elsewhere

There's not actually that much of a difference in price between a questionable Walmart brand battery and a higher quality Motorcraft with a FAR superior warranty. About $25 give or take for similar level comparisons. The Ford dealers have great pricing on certain things like tires and batteries. The tires I buy are always at the Ford dealer because it turns out that they're the least expensive than anywhere else by a few bucks per tire and they often have rebates and promotions on top of that.
Anyway, as I said above I've never had a Motorcraft battery die in less than 7 years on me. The last time I bought something other than a Motorcraft I bought an Autozone junker that lasted only 3 years which at the time was only a few months after their short warranty period ended. I've never bought anything other than Motorcraft since and I have yet to be disappointed with their life or nice long 84 month warranty. Just my 2¢.

 

[JBert]

makes sense, Motorcraft is probably worth a try . . . . meanwhile my Walmart batteries are going strong

 

[Yadkin]

Yes that's the plan and the only way to know, unless I my own tester. No, its not the original battery, they last 3 years max in the south.

My car batteries typically last 6 or 7 years. You probably have a problem with your charging system or a parasitic draw.

 

[Cobrajet67]

The simple checks here are put a voltmeter on the back of the alternator on charging stud when running. You should have over 14v. Load test the battery or at least look at the production date or date code on it to get an idea of the age.

 

[Yadkin]

14 volts plus or minus about a half, depending on many issues. Modern cars control the alternator output with computer algorithms. I wouldn't be surprised if the OP's '13 had that type of system.

 

[kclight01]

I've checked the alternator before, everything was normal. I'd definitely go for a oem motorcraft replacement battery if I didnt have to go to the dealer. I was thinking of giving the "cheaper" costsco/interstate battery a try and get another 3 years or so.

 

[Cobrajet67]

Interstate is probably the only other battery brand I'd consider buying if it wasn't for a Ford vehicle. They still actually make a premium level battery that has a decent warranty.