About a month ago I went to start my 01 navigator and the battery was dead, so I jumped it and it started fine and I drove it around for a while to charge it up. It has been running and starting fine until just the other day when I went to start it and it was dead again, so I jumped it and it is starting fine now. One thing I have noticed is that when I am driving and if I push up on the window button, the head lights will dim. The battery is a Motor BXT65-850 tough max and it is about 6 1/2 years old. Is my battery just going bad or does it sound like a different problem? when ever I have had a battery go bad in my other cars they just are dead and you cannot jump them or anything, that is why I am a little confused with this.

 

I've been able to jump a dead battery and get a start. The dimming headlights sure sounds like a bad battery or corosion on the terminals. 6.5 years? I'd say you got your $$'s worth. Go to a battery shop or parts house and ask to have it load tested.

 

The factory battery on my '01 Expy lasted over 7 years. The only way I found out it was shot was when the dome light was left on during a tail gate party off load. Not a long period of time either. Needed a jump, but it would start fine thereafter on its' own. You are due for a change out.
If I get 61/2 years out of my AZ replacement I will be happy.

 

The alternator doesn't charge a dead battery. I bet if you left your truck unstarted for a set period of time (over night?) the dying battery will consistently fail to crank at the end of that period (next morning). The down time period for your truck could be longer or shorter now, but eventually it will be shorter.

 

Put a battery in it.

 

I went and had it load tested today at autozone, they said it was only 13% charged, so I am going to put it on a charger over night and take it back to be tested again. If I need to get a new battery I am going to get the same one I have from ford but I just want to make sure it is the battery and not the alternator before I spend $120 on a new battery. My ford dealer are jerks and wanted to charge me to load test the battery so I just took it to auto zone.

 

At 6.5 years you are just prolonging the pain. If you go to the dealer you will surely pay more than you need to. Just go to an autoparts store or Sears and get a good name brand. There actually aren't that many manufacturers of batteries, there are just lots of stickers for the different brands applied to them.

 

A comparable battery at autozone is $130 so I am fine paying $120 for the ford battery, plus my brother has the original ford battery in his mercury marquis and it is 11 years old! I hear nothing but great things about ford batteries.

 

That's very unusual for the dealer to be below AZ. In any event your battery with the Motorcraft sticker is made by Johnson Controls, who makes Interstate among other brands.

 

My battery charger lives at a neighbor's house. My own fault, but the guy refuses to believe he needs a new car battery. "It can't be more than eight years old..." he tells me. C'mon man!

 

I know that kind very well.

 

If AZ is treating you right, think about buying their battery. I've had the same luck or better with their sticker as with anybody's.

Bought a battery not long ago for my E350 from NAPA. There is a good discount on batteries (and other parts) with your AAA card.

 

its the battery. It is an older battery you have got your use out of it. I only usally get 6 years out of a battery max. The best battery i have ever had was an interstate battery and it was great. I bout an autozone battery and i have swapped out 3 times now. So I would get another brand.

 

There's nothing wrong with an Auto Zone battery. You have a standard 65 series battery and AZ has a 3 year free replacement on the DLG. Anyone that gets over 5 years out of a 5 year battery has done good.

 

I have never had the gold series I just had the red top for my mustang and it sucked I have taken back 3 or 4 times. What I liked about my interstate battery was the fact my car was down for a year while i was working on it and I put the interstate battery back in after setting out for a year in my storage building were it got pretty cold in the winter and it started my car right up with no problems. I didn't charge it or anything. eversince then I have been amazed with their batteries. the battery still lasted a long time after that as well.