Focus TDCI - Halfords Batteries

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Fri 29 Oct 2010 20:33
Focus TDCI - Halfords Batteries - iantor
Hi all, just a quick question, sent a friend to Halfords in Dundee today (as I was at work) to purchase a new battery for my 2003 1.8 TDCI Focus. The car has been sat for the best part of 2 years whilst i worked out of the country so serviced it but the battery was knackered. He came back with a 540A cranking battery for a shocking £95 (Calcium Based as it should be), Fitted it but car failed to crank anywhere near fast enough for a start, Hooked it up to to a corsa diesel and gave it 20mins and the crank was a little better but still not enough to start.

My question is - Is the battery capable of cranking this car and if so what would cause the sluggish crank speed?

Many thanks
Ian
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Fri 29 Oct 2010 23:20
Focus TDCI - Halfords Batteries - tdc

How many miles has your car done?If mileage is getting on a bit/been stood,then worth replacing all glow plugs(bit fiddly,£12ea) and removing and cleaning up starter motor(easy)

A mate`s got the`04 estate and it still sounds slow even after a new battery.Wonder if they fitted the correct size too?Will check when he visits.

`04 was when they upped the battery size&power from 680cca(cold cranking amps) 72ah 278x175x175mm to 720cca 80ah 317x175x175mm.

The battery you have is not powerful enough for the diesel engined Focus and you should be paying between £50-£80...£80 buys you a Varta.

Sounds like your battery is not fully charged also.

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