Battery Replaced

[DWG]

OEM Ford Motorcraft batteries are only guaranteed for 3 years including the newer AGM battery. They generally fail around the 3 year mark so I try and replace them every 3 years. But seeing some of these batteries fail after 1 or 2 years is very scary especially since these newer cars cannot be put into neutral unless the car is running so they cannot be pushed to the side of the road if the engine shuts down. They must be jump started to move them.

Because of all of the battery failures mentioned on this forum I did buy the 12 volt battery monitor pictured above to at least keep an eye on the voltage drop when starting the Bronco. I know it is not a perfect test but it is simple and easy to do.

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[sajohnson]

Try one first. I have used mine on the four cars we own, aircraft batteries, and an off-grid 400 watt solar system for about five years. If the tester shows that the battery is dead or defective, the load tester will tell you the same thing. Sometimes the load tester will tell you that the battery is good and the cheap tester will advise you to replace it. My experience is that you should believe your cheap tester and not the load tester.

Interesting.

Which make and model tester do you use?

I admit to having no experience with them -- I'm just going by what I've read, here and elsewhere. The reviews are overwhelmingly negative.

Then there's the fact that the least expensive tester that is widely recommended is a Midtronics that's about $400, IIRC. Others range in price up to thousands of dollars Just in general, with most items, it is not necessary to buy the most expensive one -- there is usually a 'point of diminishing returns' that is a good value. That rule of thumb may not hold true with battery testers, but if it does, the Midtronics might be in that 'bang for the buck' ballpark. Usually, there is a reason why the items at the low end of the price range are so cheap -- and why buyers are willing to pay more.

Of course, none of that means your experience isn't valid. I have no reason to doubt it -- or most of the negative reviews I've read. Perhaps you have a "technician level" tester, like the Midtronics -- or maybe you bought a cheap one and got lucky. There appear to be dozens of them.

One question -- have you been able to confirm the results from the tester? Why do you trust it over the load tester? I don't care either way, just curious.

 

[BigBadWolf]

I put a battery maintainer on mine if I'm not gonna not start it for over a week.

 

[kshaw]

Interesting.

Which make and model tester do you use?

I admit to having no experience with them -- I'm just going by what I've read, here and elsewhere. The reviews are overwhelmingly negative.

Then there's the fact that the least expensive tester that is widely recommended is a Midtronics that's about $400, IIRC. Others range in price up to thousands of dollars Just in general, with most items, it is not necessary to buy the most expensive one -- there is usually a 'point of diminishing returns' that is a good value. That rule of thumb may not hold true with battery testers, but if it does, the Midtronics might be in that 'bang for the buck' ballpark. Usually, there is a reason why the items at the low end of the price range are so cheap -- and why buyers are willing to pay more.

Of course, none of that means your experience isn't valid. I have no reason to doubt it -- or most of the negative reviews I've read. Perhaps you have a "technician level" tester, like the Midtronics -- or maybe you bought a cheap one and got lucky. There appear to be dozens of them.

One question -- have you been able to confirm the results from the tester? Why do you trust it over the load tester? I don't care either way, just curious.

Here is the one I am using. It does everything but lithium batteries.

 

[sajohnson]

Here is the one I am using. It does everything but lithium batteries.

Coincidentally. that's the EXACT model my brother bought a few months ago.

I just emailed him about it. I said that since I'm not currently considering buying one, I haven't taken the time to check, but there may be some YT videos, or blog & forum entries in which someone compares one or more cheap testers with a known good pro model. That would be interesting to see -- if any of the cheap testers can consistently match (or come close to) the readings of an expensive model.

As it is, their accuracy is unknown (AFAIK). Some of them, including the MP0515A, may turn out to be alright.

 

[Dude]

Here is the one I am using. It does everything but lithium batteries.

And it is a little bit on sale for Amazon Black Friday.. usual price $28.45 but there is also a 10% off until Nov 29.

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