Time For A New Battery

[GT Pony]

Looking for a good quality battery that will last longer than the OEM. Looks like the battery group size is a 96R, and has 590 CCA.

I've had good luck with Interstate and AC Delco (Professional series) batteries in the past.

I've read a lot of guys here have had battery problem, so did you go with something other than a Motorcraft battery ... if so what?

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[Coyote Red]

There are lightweight alternatives but I am at 32,000 miles and no worries here. Your preference.

 

[Chef jpd]

I fit an XS Power D4700. Much more power, and AGM. But, pricey and heavy.

 

[Cobra Jet]

Are you still under warranty?

If so, get Ford to replace the battery with a new one. After it’s replaced, list it for sale and use some of the $ from the sale to offset your cost of an aftermarket replacement.

 

[tal]

I fit an XS Power D4700. Much more power, and AGM. But, pricey and heavy.

How did you get it to fit? Was it alot of work?

 

[Sighlense]

I went with Interstate. Proven product that doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

 

[Dr. Norts]

Are you still under warranty?

If so, get Ford to replace the battery with a new one. After it’s replaced, list it for sale and use some of the $ from the sale to offset your cost of an aftermarket replacement.

This won't work. Warranty on a battery in a new Ford vehicle is something stupid like 12 months /12000km whatever comes first. They consider it a wearable item like tires/windshield wipers/brakes. Which also won't be warrantied no matter what time/km your at. Stupid I know but I don't make these rules.

The replacement ones from Ford come with 3 year free replacement and after that it's 37-100 months prorated.

 

[BurnCycle]

A little late to the party here but Ford will cover the battery under the OEM warranty. I dealing with the issue now on my 2016 GT with 23,800 miles on it. After a little chat session with them they confirmed it. So now I'm waiting for the car to get picked up and towed to the dealership.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

A little late to the party here but Ford will cover the battery under the OEM warranty. I dealing with the issue now on my 2016 GT with 23,800 miles on it. After a little chat session with them they confirmed it. So now I'm waiting for the car to get picked up and towed to the dealership.

Mine died around 7K miles IIRC. I didn't want to risk towing or dealer damage so took the battery in for them to test/confirm and when they did, I talked them into giving me a new battery to install myself. I emailed them a pic of the battery installed and of the dash odometer with paperwork in frame so they could have the exact mileage.

 

[VinnAY]

When mine died I just went with the $100 piece plus core from Oreilly. Little known on mine and others is that the battery isn't maint-free. Since it lives under that cover in the engine bay you won't see the caps which are a clue that it's not maint free (sealed). By the time mine was dying I looked at it and yep all the cells were bone dry. Refilled and charged but it never came back, had to replace it. the Ford dealer down the street fought me about just getting in the door so I just cashed out of pocket and got on with life.

 

[GT Pony]

My 2015 is out of factory warranty, so I just ended up buying an AC Delco (Professional Series) batteries, part number 96RPS. The S550 Mustang takes a battery group 96R. Nice battery, and fits perfectly. Even has a fold down handle on top so it's easy to install and remove from the car.

After I installed the new battery, I compared the dash voltage readings while driving around to the OEM battery, and that pretty much showed the OEM battery was not healthy. With the OEM battery, the dash voltage would always be above 14 volts. With the new battery, the dash voltage stays at 12.5~12.7 volts while cruising around at a steady 2500~3000 RPM.

I think my OEM battery was having high internal resistance, and it also vented acid into the battery box, which I wasn't real happy about since it drains out the bottom of the battery box and down on the backside of the RH wheel well liner and then down on the RH frame area just behind the RH front wheel.

 

[69mach1-395]

Why would a higher voltage indicate a bad battery? It's usually the other way around...

 

[GT Pony]

Why would a higher voltage indicate a bad battery? It's usually the other way around...

I'm talking about the charging voltage while the car is running. If the battery has high internal resistance, then the charging system will increase the charging voltage to try and push current into the battery to keep it charged up.

The charging system on the Mustang is a "smart system", that's why you'll see the dash voltage fluctuate while driving around. But as I mentioned above, after driving a while the dash voltage should stay constant at ~12.5 volts while cruising steady at 2500~3000 RPM. If the dash voltage is always above 14 volts after driving awhile, then the battery may be going bad.

 

[69mach1-395]

Okay, thanks for that. Mine is in the 13s so I should probably check the water levels...

 

[Dr. Norts]

Okay, thanks for that. Mine is in the 13s so I should probably check the water levels...

Make sure you check them after a full charge. Water level will change depending on the charge state of the battery. Higher open circuit voltage = higher water level and lower voltage water level will be lower.

A more accurate way to judge battery health is by taking a S.G (specific gravity) measurement of each cell. This gives the best and most accurate representation of the batteries health but takes special tools and you need to know what S.G your actually looking for.

The easiest way to test a battery for your regular Joe is have it load tested. That takes all the guess work out of it.

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