[05stanggta]

Ok the first time my alternator went, this is what the stealership told me. That something got messed up in the battery, cell going bad whatever, so the battery continously pulled on the alternator in turn wearing it out. luckily my car was under warranty at the time so i didnt have to pay anything. well a few years have gone by since then and it seems that the same thing has happened again. the battery is bad and so is the alternator. i had both shucks and autozone test it. the batteries that i have had were just the oe motorcraft. i have since put in a new optima red top battery, and i am still waiting for the alternator. that will be here wednesday.

my question is, have any of you had this happen to your car? and if so, why is this happening?

[ia07gt]

i had a similar problem with my motorcraft batteries in the past most recent was in my mustang i fixed the problem with a super start batter with more CCA then stock.

Burnin ran into the same problem when she was up here visiting too. Most likely the alternator is fine and the batteries are just junk cheap motorcraft batteries.

[TheUNZippee!]

Optima Red Top


/Thread

[StangGTR07]

Wasn't their a TSB on alternators?

[TheUNZippee!]

I don't recall. There was kind of a TSB on batteries going dead, but to the best of my knowledge they never came up with a fix for it. My car does it. Park it for two weeks or so, and it's dead as a door nail. I have to keep a trickle charge on it when it's stored in the winter.

A few guys here have fixed the issue by running the big Optima batteries.

[05stanggta]

Originally Posted by ia07gt i had a similar problem with my motorcraft batteries in the past most recent was in my mustang i fixed the problem with a super start batter with more CCA then stock. Burnin ran into the same problem when she was up here visiting too. Most likely the alternator is fine and the batteries are just junk cheap motorcraft batteries.

idk. whats been happening is the battery goes to shit first, and then the alternator goes. the alternator failed when i took it to autozone and had it tested.

[stanglifemike]

Yellow Top Optima FTW!!!!
But no, I havent heard of Motorcraft batteries being junk. My 98 battery lasted me 5 years and I still have the MotorCraft in my 06. Also, my Dad's 98 Cobra still has the factory MotorCraft battery in it. It only has 22.5k on it but still....its an 11 year old battery and it fires right up first try everytime. Hope I didnt jinx him...

[silverstang]

Motorcraft batteries are usually pretty high quality. We rarely have issues with them to be honest. Have seen quite a few alternator problems out of these cars though. Heck all the 3v vehicles have had some alternator issues.

[05stanggta]

Originally Posted by silverstang Motorcraft batteries are usually pretty high quality. We rarely have issues with them to be honest. Have seen quite a few alternator problems out of these cars though. Heck all the 3v vehicles have had some alternator issues.

really? do you know why the 3v's are having these issues? is there a fix for it so it wont happen again?

[silverstang]

Originally Posted by 05stanggta really? do you know why the 3v's are having these issues? is there a fix for it so it wont happen again?

Honestly, I have no idea. I just don't see alternator issues with older 2v vehicles. It might have something to do with the fact that the vehicles equipped with a 3v engine ALSO have alot more electronic equipment throughout. Thats my only reasonable explanation. Other than just garbage parts from overseas.

[1rnkpny]

I've heard nothing but good things about Optima batteries. In all, there is only a handful of battery manufacturers. Unfortunately, alternators are an electrical component that can have a mind of there own. I've seen alternators last, 15 yrs and I've seen them last 1 month on a brand new vehicle. If you decide to go with an aftermarket alternator, try Bosch. They have a very strong track record. Resistance in a charging system can determine the life of an alternator and battery. You have to make sure that all connections are clean and grounds are tight. If there is any looseness of terminals and grounds, that would cause voltage spikes, which in turn put excessive wear and tear on a charging system, and possible premature failure.