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Car Forum / Driving, Maintenance, Tuning / General Car Topics / December 2008Replacing A Battery
I took my 1999 Mercury Villager to a Ford dealer, because the 3-year old battery was not holding a charge (very slow cranking a few days after charging battery by highway driving for 20 miles). Battery cable connections felt secure...no looseness. They did a check with their battery meter and said battery was "a little down". They installed a new battery for $100.00. Afterwards, the shop supervisor said the metal battery post clamp on the positive terminal had a crack in it, probably from corrosion and wear, and I should come back to have them replace the metal clamp between the battery cable and the battery post ($10-$20). I asked it maybe the cracked post clamp could have caused slow cranking. He said he didn't know. Any chance that a crack in the battery clamp could be the cause of very slow cranking for a battery that was well charged by driving on the highway for 45-min? Also, my wife is wondering if the mechanic cracked the positive terminal clamp when removing the battery cable. Just wondering. Thanks! Scott "Scott" wrote: I took my 1999 Mercury Villager to a Ford dealer, because the 3-year old battery > was not holding a charge (very slow cranking a few days after charging > battery > by highway driving for 20 miles). ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ If it was a three-year-warranty battery, it was due for replacement. They seldom perform well near the end of the warranty period. If the battery was allowed to remain discharged that makes things worse. I guess a dealer might charge $100 for a battery, but that seems way too high to me. I'm used to paying about $40 to $50. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ (clip) Any chance that a crack in the battery clamp could be the cause of very slow > cranking for a battery that was well charged by driving on the highway for > 45-min? ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ You said the cranking was slow after a few days. How did it crank immediately after charging it by driving? If the crack was causing the slow cranking, it would have behaved that way even with the battery charged. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Also, my wife is wondering if the mechanic cracked the positive terminal clamp > when removing the battery cable. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Forget that. Mechanics replace batteries every day without cracking the clamps--it's extremely unlikely. Since they called it to your attention and didn't act responsible, there is no chance they will take the blame now. > Just wondering. > > Thanks! > Scott > "Scott" wrote: I took my 1999 Mercury Villager to a Ford dealer, because > the 3-year old battery [quoted text clipped - 29 lines] > > Thanks! > > Scott After charging on the highway, it cranked over very briskly. After sitting for several days, it barely cranked the engine. You're right, a 3-year old battery is on it's last legs. The $100 was for a 100- month battery. I debated about buying a cheaper battery, but decided on quality, because the here in Minnesota get pretty cold, and the car sits outside. Thanks for your answers. You've helped a lot! Scott |
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