Battery – could anyone verify?

[davey]

Hey everyone, hope your all well.

Today i come with a battery related problem and i would like some advice/verification on steps to take.

First off, it’s a Ford Focus C-max (basically a MPV in-case you’ve never heard of one) based on the 2006 ford focus.

Of late, when you start it the immobilizer light has been flickering which in the manual it says to switch the ignition off, and retry after a certain period of time (Around 10 seconds or so) and the dials do the self diagnostic thing where they go right round to maximum and return again. The engine starts fine with absolutely no hesitation, but under the dashboard is clicking to be heard which in my experiance is what you get when you have a battery thats flat enough it wont even crank the engine. As said though, the engine has no problem starting what so ever it’s just the immobilizer flickering, and the clicking from the dashboard which concerns me.

Anyway, today i took my electrical tester and tested the battery and here’s the results:

Engine off, ignition off; 12.1V
Engine off, ignition on; 11.8V (sudden drop cought my attention, my vehicle does not drop below 12!)
Engine starting; 6/7V (7v being the main one i see, but 6 did show up for a split second)
Engine running at idle; 14.2V
Engine running at 2000RPM;14.4V
Engine running at idle with electrical items on; 14.2V (Heater, wipers, headlights etc were switched on)

Personally i think i can say the Alternator is charging the battery OK but when the engine cranks over, it seems that the battery is going incredibly low; and from one of Eric’s battery related videos when he used a load meter, it seemed to say on the meter 9V below is bad or “weak”.

Could low water cause this? Personally i think that the battery just needs changing, as it is an original “motorcraft” item and the vehicle is now coming up for 9 years old.

I appreciate all replies – Davey

Topic

[scott37300]

Sounds like a battery to me. It should be up around 12.4-12.6 or so at rest. Alt looks to be charging. At nine years old I would say you got your moneys worth out of a battery! Get a new one and look for any issues with the cables.

[John B Kobberstad]

I think your battery is on its way to the recycling pile. It may last a little while longer but it doesn’t look like it will pass the load test. Best bet is to replace it now before it causes you to be stranded (Murphy’s Law) in a rainstorm or snowstorm in the middle of nowhere in the darkness of night and no jumper cables.
(if it were me that is what would happen if I didn’t replace it and tried to squeeze out more use from it)
Just my opinion the choice is yours to make.

[college man]

they don’t make them like that anymore. 9 years.
have the battery load tested at the auto part store
for free.also check that your terminals are clean and
tight.

[John Clarke]

I agree with the others, you surely got the full life out of that battery. Even if it did just so happen to pass a test at the local auto part store,
I would replace it before it fails completely.
If you are tight on the budget this month or just for kicks, you can hook up a jumper cable to another car and do a start up and see if the correct Volts solves the issue.

[davey]

Wow, thanks for all the replies!

A new battery from my local parts store is around 59$ (£38) so it’s hardly going to break the bank. I’m glad you all have verified my beliefs, as i didnt want to jump the gun and find it was another problem.

Once i have replaced, i shall update!

Thanks again guys 🙂

[EricTheCarGuy]

I’m with the group on the battery diagnosis. Your numbers show it might be on the way out. Keep us updated if the problems persist after replacement. Good luck.

[Author]

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