Taliska Posted August 25, 2004 Report Posted August 25, 2004 Hi all, Just had the battery fail on me (only 1 year old) and was replaced on holiday (hopefully under warranty). The handbook says that you must only put Silver Calcium batteries in and they must be the same rating. Question 1.What's the difference between these Silver Calcium things and the old things that were simply called Lead Acids? Question 2.Why is getting the same rating essential? In my previous cars, I've always put heavy duty replacements in, when I've bought them myself, without any apparent adverse effects. Thanks all, Taliska Quote
Guest fredt Posted August 25, 2004 Report Posted August 25, 2004 The Calcium/Lead batteries IIRC have a higher lead content, meaning the electricity can move around easier! which means better cold starting voltage the silver content is meant to increase battery life in higher temperatures! they are also meant last longer :D but not in your case :D and have a longer shelf life! i'm told the reason you dont uprate the battery size is due to the alternators capeability to charge the battery! due to the higher charge current needed, it means that the battery does not get a full charge after heavy use and will eventually fail due to insufficient chargeing! a lot of the mains battery chargers do not provide the current needed to give a full charge to the Calcium/Lead batteries but due to the resistance readings they cut out and register a full charge! its then that the battery dies again when under a heavy load or in the cold mornings :D Quote
johnb80 Posted August 26, 2004 Report Posted August 26, 2004 Hi Fredt,I wouldn't have thought it mattered to the alternator at all nor the ability to start the car over time. The battery is just like a fuel tank (no I know the battery case is plastic and much smaller, it's at the front not the back etc etc) in that an amount of fuel is given out i.e. starting then when the engine has started the battery is then refuelled. It doesn't matter how big the battery is so long as it has enough capacity to start the engine. The alternator will continue to charge (fill up the tank) until it is full. If indeed the journey is too short and the battery ie not fully charged provided more has been put in than has been taken out the battery will eventually fully charge. If on the other hand the journey is too short and the initial start took out more than is put back in by the journey eventually the battery will go flat (reminds me of my bank account :D ) This will occur no matter what battery is fitted. The above of course is only my humble opinion. Regards - John Quote
seatkid Posted August 26, 2004 Report Posted August 26, 2004 Silver Calcium technology aka Calcium-Calcium technology - the grids use calcium instead of antimony. Main benefits are true lifetime maintainance-free operation (much reduced water usage) higher starting currents and increased mechanical shock resistance. Main drawbacks are poor deep discharge and prolonged discharge performance which can easily kill the battery. Requires a higher charging voltage (over 15 volts) to acheive a full charge, Ford alternators (smart charge technology) are adapted for this - in this case, old technology batteries must not be used (due to explosion hazard). AFAIK VAG engined Galaxies use conventional alternators which mean that with stop-start or short run motoring, calcium-calcium batteries never get fully charged and a short life is to be expected. <_< No harm in fitting a larger battery particularly if you do a lot of stop-start or cold climate work. - a smaller battery will not last as long but is a lot lighter. My Alhambras all came with a 92Ah battery which is physically up to the max in the tray. Possibly your battery failed at one year due to it being in a showroom and draining down for too long. Have you tried asking for a warranty replacement? Quote
Guest fredt Posted August 26, 2004 Report Posted August 26, 2004 Hi Fredt,I wouldn't have thought it mattered to the alternator at all nor the ability to start the car over time. The battery is just like a fuel tank (no I know the battery case is plastic and much smaller, it's at the front not the back etc etc) in that an amount of fuel is given out i.e. starting then when the engine has started the battery is then refuelled. It doesn't matter how big the battery is so long as it has enough capacity to start the engine. The alternator will continue to charge (fill up the tank) until it is full. If indeed the journey is too short and the battery ie not fully charged provided more has been put in than has been taken out the battery will eventually fully charge. If on the other hand the journey is too short and the initial start took out more than is put back in by the journey eventually the battery will go flat (reminds me of my bank account <_< ) This will occur no matter what battery is fitted. The above of course is only my humble opinion. Regards - John true, with a standard lead acid battery, but these new fangled Silver Calcium battery's need a bigger kick to recharge them! seat kids explaination tells why if your Galaxy has had one fitted as standard from new? then I cant see why you cant uprate it as your alternator and charge circuit should be up to the job? the problem arise when you upgrade to a Silver Calcium battery due to your system not being able to provide a high enough charge voltage which in turn leads to a shorter battery life Quote
iainkirk Posted August 31, 2004 Report Posted August 31, 2004 My battery failed over the weekend. Just under 12 months old. Didn't your Gal come from the same place as mine Taliska? Quote
Taliska Posted September 1, 2004 Author Report Posted September 1, 2004 Hi Iain, Mine came from a Mr Shipton from Burton-on-Trent! As I recall, the battery was flat when I picked it up, so I guess that it had got flat and stayed flat while in storage. Funny that it should take a whole year to die, although mine showed signs of dying while camping at May Bank Holiday. Have written to Ford and hope to get the cheque back soon! Taliska Quote
iainkirk Posted September 1, 2004 Report Posted September 1, 2004 Taliska - I recall the original importer of yours (and mine) from a previous post was SPA Rentals. I wonder if our Galaxies were manufactured at a similar time and there is a duff batch of batteries? Quote
Keithb Posted September 1, 2004 Report Posted September 1, 2004 Anyone else had batterry problems as well? Mine was replaced under warranty early August. My car was registered 1st Jan 2003. Quote
Taliska Posted September 1, 2004 Author Report Posted September 1, 2004 Taliska - I recall the original importer of yours (and mine) from a previous post was SPA Rentals. I wonder if our Galaxies were manufactured at a similar time and there is a duff batch of batteries? Not sure what date it was manufactured on... I guess 2003 somewhen. My original battery was black and a shade larger than the white MotorCraft replacement - it didn't have Silver-Calcium written on it either that I noticed! I think possibly bad (or non-existent) maintenance while owned by SPA Rentals and Shiptons might have contributed to its downfall. :rolleyes: I wonder if you're aware of the warranty... I bought mine early October 2003, but I asked Ford to check the warranty dates on their computer and they said the warranty started on 14/8/03 - I suppose that this is when SPA Rentals bought the car! This means that I have two less months warranty than the two full years that Shiptons confirmed I had. Shiptons are not terribly forthcoming at rectifying this, which is a pity as I liked their service. Taliska Quote
Taliska Posted September 1, 2004 Author Report Posted September 1, 2004 Anyone else had batterry problems as well? Mine was replaced under warranty early August. My car was registered 1st Jan 2003.Perhaps we should start a poll? :rolleyes: Taliska Quote
iainkirk Posted September 2, 2004 Report Posted September 2, 2004 My warranty started on 14/8/03 as well! You probably don't want to know when your Galaxy was probably manufactured in that case, as you might be shocked! However I bought my Galaxy on 1st September 2003, so I only lose 2 weeks warranty. I got mine from Motorpoint. What is more important to me is the unlimited mileage part of the 2 year Ford Europe warranty. As my Galaxy will have covered approx 90,000 miles by 14/8/05, that beats the Ford UK 3-year 60,000 mile warranty hands down in my case! Anyway, my battery was replaced by Ford dealer this morning. The anticipated response came from Ford UK - "the warranty on your battery is only 1 year and expired on 14/8/04, so the replacement will be charged to you", until I pointed out that I had a 2 year Ford Europe warranty at which point they shut up and confirmed that I wouldn't be charged! :D The Ford UK warranty only covers the battery for 12 months :rolleyes: Same as you Taliska, normal Motorcraft 71Ah Lead Acid battery fitted - no doubt you only get the higher spec one when you're paying the bill! Quote
Taliska Posted September 2, 2004 Author Report Posted September 2, 2004 You probably don't want to know when your Galaxy was probably manufactured in that case, as you might be shocked! Go on then, when was it manufactured ??? :( However I bought my Galaxy on 1st September 2003, so I only lose 2 weeks warranty. I got mine from Motorpoint. When I was looking, Motorpoint were Quote
iainkirk Posted September 3, 2004 Report Posted September 3, 2004 Manufacture date: Can be confirmed by your VIN, but may have been December 2002/January 2003. Ford UK Warranty: One year manufacturer's warranty, 30,000 mile limit, plus 2 years Ford Protect (ie insurance based) warranty, maximum mileage at 3 years = 60,000. Yup, Motorpoint were Quote
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