Ford Fusion1.4 tdci - Motorcraft Superstart 590a 60ah Battery

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Fri 2 Dec 2011 11:26
Ford Fusion1.4 tdci - Motorcraft Superstart 590a 60ah Battery - Bigdaveg

I do less miles these days (car last used on Monday), jumped in my car this morning and hey presto flat battery, I've taken it off and the status light indicates RED, does this mean the battery is knacked and needs replacing or would using a battery charger fix the problem, I have looked around on the net, a lot of advice is american and car specific.

The battery is a sealed unit of unknown age.

Any info/advice given will be greatly appreciated.

Edited by Bigdaveg on 02/12/2011 at 11:29

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Fri 2 Dec 2011 11:45
Ford Fusion1.4 tdci - Motorcraft Superstart 590a 60ah Battery - Bigdaveg

I have just found this:

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 or drive the vehicle.
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. If not, change out the battery.

Would this be accurate ?.

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Fri 2 Dec 2011 11:59
Ford Fusion1.4 tdci - Motorcraft Superstart 590a 60ah Battery - madf

Accurate?

Based on my experience with similar yes.

I bought my repalcements on-line using calcium.... an the biggest I could use.

(If you can get a Japanese battery , do so. They appear to last for a decade or more. Son's Yaris is 11 and on original battery. Mine is 8 and ditto)

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Fri 2 Dec 2011 12:26
Ford Fusion1.4 tdci - Motorcraft Superstart 590a 60ah Battery - Bigdaveg

I'm currently charging the battery & looking around to see what's available, should the charging not work.

There are quite a few batteries for the 1.4tdci fusion, my particular favourite at the moment is a Bosch S4004 (4 year Guarantee) at £63 delivered, the ah is right but CCA is 50 less than my current battery, any idea's if that would make a difference ?.

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Fri 2 Dec 2011 12:48
Ford Fusion1.4 tdci - Motorcraft Superstart 590a 60ah Battery - madf

A diesel in winter needs all the help it can get to start.

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Fri 2 Dec 2011 13:23
Ford Fusion1.4 tdci - Motorcraft Superstart 590a 60ah Battery - RT
(If you can get a Japanese battery , do so. They appear to last for a decade or more. Son's Yaris is 11 and on original battery. Mine is 8 and ditto)

I disagree with that totally - my Subaru Outback had a Panasonic battery as original equipment - after 2.5 years from new it was unable to hold a charge for long. I replaced it with a Bosch Silver S5, the biggest that would fit the tray, and it was much better.

With previous Vauxhalls I always rated the OE battery, they all lasted between 12 and 14 years from new.

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Fri 2 Dec 2011 14:34
Ford Fusion1.4 tdci - Motorcraft Superstart 590a 60ah Battery - elekie&a/c doctor

The CCA (cold cranking amps) is important ,especially on a diesel.You can go higher than spec but I would not go lower.Also be carefull with the cca ratings as there are different measurements eg;EN,Din ,and Sae.so make sure you compare like for like.hth

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Fri 2 Dec 2011 14:29
Ford Fusion1.4 tdci - Motorcraft Superstart 590a 60ah Battery - TeeCee

3. Red: Battery is dis-charged and the acid level is good. Charge the battery.

Hmm, probably deducing this from a combination of the electrolyte level and the volts across it. So having a cell or two gone would produce red (acid fine, low volts), but no amount of charging will fix it.

Ideally it'd monitor the cell voltages individually but, if it were, I'd expect to see a colour for "cell knackered - bin it".

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Fri 2 Dec 2011 14:38
Ford Fusion1.4 tdci - Motorcraft Superstart 590a 60ah Battery - daveyjp

The pain of a sealed battery. Many years ago my Fiesta diesel was struggling to start - the battery was 4 years old so I suspected the worst.

Back then the battery still had the 6 caps - I removed them and one cell was low on fluid. Topped it up and never had another problem.

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Fri 2 Dec 2011 14:49
Ford Fusion1.4 tdci - Motorcraft Superstart 590a 60ah Battery - RT

The pain of a sealed battery. Many years ago my Fiesta diesel was struggling to start - the battery was 4 years old so I suspected the worst.

Back then the battery still had the 6 caps - I removed them and one cell was low on fluid. Topped it up and never had another problem.

Properly sealed, ie zero maintenance, batteries have a gas re-combitant system so no fluid is ever lost (as long as it's never over-charged).

Many low maintenance batteries are just conventional capped cells with a big sticker on top!

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Fri 2 Dec 2011 16:31
Ford Fusion1.4 tdci - Motorcraft Superstart 590a 60ah Battery - jc2

My sealed Motorcraft battery was stil working after ten years.

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If you cover no more than 100 miles per day and have easy access to a charging point at home or work, then an EV is ideal for you.

Is an electric car right for me?