Automotive → [Help] Eating up car batteries

I'm about to replace the battery on my 05 Escape for the 3rd (4th battery including factory) time since i bought it in Dec 06.

The First time the alternator/battery went, replaced both
About a year later the battery went again , replaced under warranty
yesterday it died again

WTF is going on, I went 10yrs on my 93 tempo before I had to replace it, I can understand 5-7yrs but not every 2 or so years.
No warnings it just up and stopped working.

Is there a short somewhere nobody is finding?

Any particular brand of batteries? I went through 4 DieHard's in 5 years back in the 90's. Finally demanded Sears refund my money rather than paying the pro-rate charge to get yet another DieHard. (They always died just outside the 12-month free replacement period).

Then I put in a DuraLast Gold from Autozone and it lasted 10 years. Installed it when I lived in Colorado, so it lived through -15 degree cold temps for a few years and then moved to Texas where it had to endure up to 114 degree ambient temps and underhood temps that make things too hot to touch.

Ford OEM Motorcraft
I'm in Canada, but it's not so cold that this should happen.
The Tempo has a stock OEM battery that lasted the 10yrs

I'm, charging as we speak, and will take it in tomorrow no time today to scream about this problem.

I figure 2-4 years for a battery now days. Hasn't seemed to matter if they are "good" quality or cheap ones. Used to be pretty rare to replace a battery for me. Last 10-15 years they don't last very long. That includes the house batteries in the motorhome.

I now look for the best warranty and buy the battery from that.

My Flex has been starting slow when it's cold lately. I'm pretty sure it's the factory battery, which is right around 3 years old. Given how cold Colorado has been lately, it's probably better to replace it.

I remember when batteries lasted a good long time. I had to replace the battery in my Crown Vic at least twice in the 7 years I owned it, maybe 3 times. I guess I'll buy one with a long warranty and hope for the best.

There are several possibilities, including but not limited to:
a) crappy batteries
b) insufficient charging system (undercharging)
c) overcharging
d) parasitic drain
e) driving pattern/habit that leads to a not fully charged battery

All 4 batteries being crappy is highly unlikely.
I don't know anything about the Escape's charging system, but the 90A (factory) alternator in my '95 Bronco was slightly undersized and when it failed I replaced it with a 130A alternator.
A simple voltage or current drain test should be able to test for c) and d). Methinks overcharging is very unlikely.

Same thing happened to me with Diehards. Every time they replaced it it was prorated.

But, I had to replace about every year and a half.

Dave

Do you happen to leave any consumer plugged in? GPS, sat radio, cell charger...? Car batteries are not made to do anything more than deliver a high current for 1 second.

Nope, canceled satellite, too expensive, GPS is woefully out of date, I use my phone.

In terms of driving, mostly city, 15-20ms each way, 5 days a week.

Look for a shitty ground to the chassis and check the connectors to the alternator for corrosion or heat damage? Foci had these problems for that year.

This is your problem, with a standard alternator, your looking at best case about 200 watt hrs or about 20% put back in. This will lead to cronic undercharging and sulfation of the battery plates. If you can use a trickle charger to keep the battery fully charged

Does your car have any alarm system? Even a factory system is a parasitic drain over time if the car isn't given enough time to charge the battery in normal use.

NefCanuck

I drove 6 minutes to and from the train station for a decade, and my battery lasted just fine.

That really depends on the sizing of the charging system and a few other variables.

It may be his problem, but it's not possible to say until other possibilities are eliminated, or this one is confirmed in some way.

You in AZ? 2 years is good out here with the heat. I average 21 months on a battery (cheap or expensive batteries dont matter) The 5-7 year battery wartinties pay off very quickly.

Just to take this in a different direction:
1st a repeat: look for the connections from the battery to grounds and to/from alternator. Disconnect & get after them with steel-wool until shiny, apply some dielectric grease and make sure the connections are tight. Helps to get power both to and from battery.

If you can find this chemical, it will prevent sulfation from undercharged battery: EDTA. My batteries last 10+ years in the vehicle, then I re-purpose them. Sorry, don't have a source handy. The easiest is pharmaceutical grade liquid, The salt type works well but harder to dissolve within battery. Best, though not necessary, to add to a new battery.

Wear safety goggles when working around car batteries.

edit: here's my source -been a few years though. »www.webspawner.com/users/edta