Question?
Have 99 Ford Explorer V6 4.0
I have the same original Motorcraft battery in this vehicle. Lately i have been having starting problems that I think may be because of other things, but today I stopped at a auto part store to test my battery since it is getting much colder here ( Minnesota ).
He did the test and said my Alternator was good but that my battery was down to 487 CCA.
I know the original battery had a CCA of 650. Does this mean it is time for me to change battery or will the 487 CCA be sufficient enough?
I don't want to have battery problems when I am out and about.
My truck sits out all night. Not sure how to tell when to get a new battery especially now that it has been tested and they say 487 CCA. Anybody know if 487 CCA is good?

 

It means its weak and where we live, I'm in NW Iowa, you will have problems with it. It may work for a while, and then it may not start tomorrow.

 

Unless the temperature of the battery happened to be just right at the time, I don't know how he tested CCA. He could test cranking amps at the temp at the time. The lead/acid battery relies upon chemical reaction to create electron flows between conductors, thus giving you the power to turn over the engine. The old rule of thumb is that for every 10°C a typical rate of reaction will double (Temp up) or half (Temp down). That's why a battery will have a lower CCA rating than a CA rating. All that being said, your battery could be good for the rest of the season, or it could not work this evening. After 5 to 6 years, it probably has sulfate build up on the plates, unless you've been using a desulfanator, and that will lower the cranking amp capacity. Also, sometimes a battery can have a small part to break loose and result in an internal short in a cell. That will result in a very sudden failure and be difficult to even jump it off. I had a small fire truck once that I pulled out of our station to clean the station and it cranked like a champ. A short time later I went outside to crank it and bring it back in, and nothing. It shorted that quickly with no warning in warm weather. All that being said, with a typical 6 year old battery, I'd consider preemptive replacement or investing in a portable jump starter pack (those things are very handy).

 

I went ahead and purchased a new DieHard Gold from Sears. 875 CCA. I was going to buy another Motorcraft from a Ford Dealer which was 650 CCA. But they wanted the same price that the Die Hard cost. So I thought I would be better going with more CCA since the price was the same.
Even after replacing my battery, my truck still takes a few seconds of cranking time for it to fire up. Not sure what my problem is with it not firing right up.

 

Try turning the switch to the run position for a couple of seconds to let the fuel pump build up pressure and then starting it. That could make a difference.

 

I just replaced my battery in my 97 xply, and it had a cheesey battery in it..it was not even a group 65 battery...the former owner did not maintain this machine...I bought a battery from the local wallyworld and it has 875cca and paid 59.00 for it(before tax).....so far so good....and it has been kinda cool here in the chicago area.....

 

Jerry, wouldn't you amit that I shouldn't have to put the key in the run position to let the fuel pump prime. I should be able to turn the key like I use to in the older days and it shoud just fire right up.
But if I am priming the fuel pump before starting it as you have suggested, does that mean I have bad fuel pressure because of me doing that, or as vehicles get older that's just one of the ways I may have to start "starting" it?
I just want it to fire up right away. It does have 103,000 miles on it and I had replaced the original Fuel Pump and Fuel Filter in September.

 

Yeah, I didn't say you should have too, I merely suggested trying it to see if it makes a difference. I know on my older explorer, it used to fire up after barely turning over. But today, it turns over a couple of times. I was wondering if the pump or filter were getting older, but since you replaced them recently, they should be OK. Another thing you could try is a Seafoam or similar treatment to clean the top end. Sometimes, that can make a difference.

 

Have your plugs been changed? With your mileage, you are due to have the plugs changed.

 

Back in September I had a few things done. I had my Spark Plugs changed and Fuel Filter. They said my Spark Plug wires were still good. So just replaced the Plugs.
Then about 2 weeks later I went in and had my fuel pump replaced. My Explorer was taking a few seconds to start before the tune up and I thought maybe getting the tune up and fuel filter would help and it didn't.
So then i went and had the Fuel pump replaced, and no problems for the past 2 months and now it is starting to take a couple of seconds for it to fire up again over the last few weeks.
Is it likely my fuel pump is going bad again after only 2 months? When i turn the key to the on position, I do hear my fuel pump, so it seems like it is doing what it is suppose to do. And this is a fuel pump that the Ford Dealer replaced.
So I am kind of baffled.

 

If the dealer installed it, then it might have some kind of warranty still on it.