Battery Maintenance

[koozy]

Those that have the OE battery can check the sight glass on the battery. If it's not green, then it's not operating at full potential. Battery power can affect power to critical components like the ECU, fuel pumps, and not so critical components as the accessories. Those that don't have a sight glass on their battery can use a multimeter to check battery voltage. An ideal healthy wet cell battery will be at 12.7+ volts at rest. 12.4 is required to start the car. The are other tools available to test battery load, but this is just to go over simple maintenance to extend performance and life.

The OE wet lead acid battery is not "maintenance free" if you want it to last long and provide the most power in it's lifespan. Battery acid in each cell naturally evaporates over time and use. So checking and topping off fluid every year is good idea, 2yrs at the most. If you don't do anything to maintain the battery during ownership it will probably last ~5yrs. average, which is about right at the rate at which the acid evaporates and the lead plates build sulfate on them. A slow and uneccessary death.

Warning: Don't do any of the following if you are not comfortable, find someone who is qualified instead. Battery sulfuric acid will eat through your clothes and dangerous to your eyes if it comes into contact.

To maintain the battery pop off the battery caps, make sure none of the lead plates are exposed above the acid level and top off the sulfuric battery acid with distilled water for each individual cell, keeping the level ~3/4" below the filler holes. Exposed lead plates is cancerous to the battery. After topping off the battery put it on a slow trickle charge at 4 amps or less and top off the charge. If you had a battery that didn't show green through the sight glass before, you may be rewarded with it turning green after simple maintenance.

The Magic Eye that is used in Motorcraft batteries provides 4 stages of indication, they are:
1. Green: battery is charged and the acid level is good.
2. Yellow: Battery is partially dis-charged and the acid level is good. Re-charge the battery.
3. Red: Battery is dis-charged and the acid level is good. Charge the battery.
4. Clear and bright: Acid level is low. Add distilled water if possible. Do not fast charge or jump start the battery.

My battery depicted below is from a 2014 model year. You can see the mfg. date is stamped on the battery in the 2nd photo. After ~3yrs. of use without maintaining it, it took in ~1 quart of water with the sight glass showing black or clear with one cell barely exposing lead plates. After maintaining it I've extended it's life, increased it's performance and got a green indicator through the sight glass.

Clean off any corrosion on the battery terminals and apply some dielectric or lithium grease on the terminals and battery posts.

clean terminal ready for service

 

[Intuit]

Thanks for the tip K. Didn't know about the Green. I was wiring up an amp earlier today and remember noticing that clear circle, but it never fully blipped on my curiosity radar. I'll check it out when I go back to finish up the wiring but in my mind's eye, are pretty sure it wasn't green.

AC chargers can put out some pretty "dirty" power so it's never a good idea to try to charge the battery while it's connected to the vehicle.

Speaking of wiring, there's a rubber grommet behind the driver mirror when opening the door. Great spot to run a power wire; no messing with the firewall. (those with heated mirrors will need to determine that for themselves) This stuff hides the bright red wire and provides the appearance of OEM. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0714QLHJ4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[KnockOff]

I was told you could top a battery off with distilled water? I have a jug in the garage if so. Bought it just for batterys.

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[koozy]

I was told you could top a battery off with distilled water? I have a jug in the garage if so. Bought it just for batterys.

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yes.

 

[KnockOff]

Good. I'll check mine out tomorrow.

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[koozy]

Updated first post with stage indication for The Magic Eye that is used with Ford Motorcraft batteries.

 

[TyphoonFiST]

Those that have the OE battery can check the sight glass on the battery. If it's not green, then it's not operating at full potential. Battery power can affect power to critical components like the ECU, fuel pumps, and not so critical components as the accessories. Those that don't have a sight glass on their battery can use a multimeter to check battery voltage. An ideal healthy wet cell battery will be at 12.7+ volts at rest. 12.4 is required to start the car. The are other tools available to test battery load, but this is just to go over simple maintenance to extend performance and life.

The OE wet lead acid battery is not "maintenance free" if you want it to last long and provide the most power in it's lifespan. Battery acid in each cell naturally evaporates over time and use. So checking and topping off fluid every year is good idea, 2yrs at the most. If you don't do anything to maintain the battery during ownership it will probably last ~5yrs. average, which is about right at the rate at which the acid evaporates and the lead plates build sulfate on them. A slow and uneccessary death.

Warning: Don't do any of the following if you are not comfortable, find someone who is qualified instead. Battery sulfuric acid will eat through your clothes and dangerous to your eyes if it comes into contact.

To maintain the battery pop off the battery caps, make sure none of the lead plates are exposed above the acid level and top off the sulfuric battery acid with distilled water for each individual cell, keeping the level ~3/4" below the filler holes. Exposed lead plates is cancerous to the battery. After topping off the battery put it on a slow trickle charge at 4 amps or less and top off the charge. If you had a battery that didn't show green through the sight glass before, you may be rewarded with it turning green after simple maintenance.

The Magic Eye that is used in Motorcraft batteries provides 4 stages of indication, they are:
1. Green: battery is charged and the acid level is good.
2. Yellow: Battery is partially dis-charged and the acid level is good. Re-charge the battery.
3. Red: Battery is dis-charged and the acid level is good. Charge the battery.
4. Clear and bright: Acid level is low. Add distilled water if possible. Do not fast charge or jump start the battery.

My battery depicted below is from a 2014 model year. You can see the mfg. date is stamped on the battery in the 2nd photo. After ~3yrs. of use without maintaining it, it took in ~1 quart of water with the sight glass showing black or clear. After maintaining it I've extended it's life, increased it's performance and got a green indicator through the sight glass.

Its been 2.1v for each cell in the battery since ice was cold and there is usually Qty-6 cells so a fully charged automotive battery is 12.6v...But then again But I'm not here to Start BITOG argument. I Do agree that the battery is one of the most neglected components in the Automobile though....a lot of people only care about it when it takes it in the pants and doesn't work.

 

[Intuit]

Its been 2.1v for each cell in the battery since ice was cold and there is usually Qty-6 cells so a fully charged automotive battery is 12.6v...But then again But I'm not here to Start BITOG argument. I Do agree that the battery is one of the most neglected components in the Automobile though....a lot of people only care about it when it takes it in the pants and doesn't work.

My assumption was that this reading was taken, fresh off of being charged. It normally takes a little time for it to drop to 12.6v after being charged.

 

[Intuit]

Had to shine a STRONG light to see that it was a very very very faint yellow, instead of clear. (so it was really clear with a very faint yellowish tint)
Topping the cells off put it at a strong red.
Peaking through the battery ports after popping the top, my plates were buried, but were by and large, sulfated. They're frosty white instead of matte black. (there are a few black patches)
http://batteryuniversity.com/index.php/learn/article/sulfation_and_how_to_prevent_it
A nice vigorous strong full (not over) charge should knock-off the sulfation.

 

[koozy]

Had to shine a STRONG light to see that it was a very very very faint yellow, instead of clear. (so it was really clear with a very faint yellowish tint)
Topping the cells off put it at a strong red.
Peaking through the battery ports after popping the top, my plates were buried, but were by and large, sulfated. They're frosty white instead of matte black. (there are a few black patches)
http://batteryuniversity.com/index.php/learn/article/sulfation_and_how_to_prevent_it
A nice vigorous strong full (not over) charge should knock-off the sulfation.

I was able to bring my battery from 'clear' to 'green', so it's possible. Took some time, but turned green. Every so often I'd give the battery a few light taps with a hammer just to send some vibration through the battery during its time on the charger to help knock loose any sulfate off the plates.

 

[me32]

Great write up koozy. Very small amount of people understand how batteries work and how to keep them in good shape so there car will continue to run worry free.

 

[koozy]

Great write up koozy. Very small amount of people understand how batteries work and how to keep them in good shape so there car will continue to run worry free.

Because so much time is being spent on what motor and gear oil to use and how much LOL

 

[TyphoonFiST]

Like I've said before....The battery is on of the most neglected parts in a vehicle. its one of those things that is forgotten about until its too late.

 

[me32]

Because so much time is being spent on what motor and gear oil to use and how much LOL

Lmao right. Just like the 10 oil threads floating around. Dont worry a newb will start another oil or gear oil thread soon

 

[me32]

Like I've said before....The battery is on of the most neglected parts in a vehicle. its one of those things that is forgotten about until its too late.

100% true. Even more important on newer cars.

 

[Intuit]

Because so much time is being spent on what motor and gear oil to use and how much LOL

Can't say I've seen any threads that recommended over or under filling. But otherwise correct.

With older vehicles you were okay ignoring the battery so long as you paid attention to crank speed. That's what would tip me off with my prior car. Slower crank? (of course accounting for the weather temp) Check the condition of the battery posts and fill level. If those are good, consider getting it tested. Unfortunately some of the more recent models have been known to glitch with a fading or defecting battery.

 

[Bosnian Fiesta]

Great post - battery maintenance is entirely overlooked nowadays. Everyone's happy to drop $150 on a new battery even though the old one can sometimes be reconditioned with minimal effort. A quality, desulfating charger can be had for like $50 and can extend the life of batteries significantly.

Just a quick point - the Magic Eye only monitors the condition of 1 of the 6 cells, so it shouldn't be your definitive indicator of battery condition. In my case the eye was a solid green (after 5 years), but the battery's resting charge was only 12.0V and 3/6 cells were badly sulfated. It's just the one with the eye was good.

 

[koozy]

I think the 'least' thing one can do if they don't want to invest the time to understand the function the battery plays, condition, state of charge, voltage, charging amps, etc. or top off the charge is to at least top it off with distilled water and not allow the plates be exposed. I think exposed plates is the worse offense that can happen to the battery.

 

[OguNinja]

Great post - battery maintenance is entirely overlooked nowadays. Everyone's happy to drop $150 on a new battery even though the old one can sometimes be reconditioned with minimal effort. A quality, desulfating charger can be had for like $50 and can extend the life of batteries significantly.

Just a quick point - the Magic Eye only monitors the condition of 1 of the 6 cells, so it shouldn't be your definitive indicator of battery condition. In my case the eye was a solid green (after 5 years), but the battery's resting charge was only 12.0V and 3/6 cells were badly sulfated. It's just the one with the eye was good.

I found out the hard way when my car would not start. Everything powered on but it would not start and the starter would just click a few times.
I checked the sight glass and it was green, but clearly something was wrong so I had it jump started and took it to the dealer. They replaced the battery, but I'll do better about maintaining it now until I get a dry cell battery.

 

[koozy]

Sight glass still shows green, not bad for a 4 yr. old battery.

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