Siver Calcium Batteries

[Dywlc]

Hi,

I got a 2017 Custom Limited which has just turned 12 months old. I use it to carry my RIB and outboard motor and also for my recumbent trike. I put it off the road on 1st Sept. 2017 as I wouldn't need to use it in the winter. It's been covered with a caravan cover which I bought for it to keep the weather and bird crap off it. I started it in January and it started first time no problem. And so it should as it's done less than 2200 miles and still smells like new inside. Came to put it back on the road 1st March and the beggar wouldn't start. Put jump leads on it from a good spare battery I have (starts a tractor ok) and still nothing except flashing interior lights, intruder alarm siren and thats all I was able to see. Maybe there were other things happening.

I disconnected the neg terminal, thinking something was draining it, and charged it for 12+ hours. Still it wasn't for doing nothing except lighting up the dashboard. Added the 2nd battery via jump leads again and no difference. Oh dear I am thinking by now, has it lost all it's memory settings?

In a last ditch attempt to save my face and calling the dealer out I removed the siver calcium battery and fitted the spare good old fashioned lead acid battery in the battery box and tried it again. Started first time to my relief. Can't tell you how relieved I was. Hadn't slept previous night thiinking how much this was going to cost me to have it transportered back to the dealer, re progrmmed, new battery (thought they bound to come up with some excuse why it wouldn't be under warranty). Anyone else had this problem with Silver Calcium (sounds like something a dentist would use to fill cavities in me teeth!) batteries. I read that they need special battery chargers and that you can't use a lead acid battery on a vehicle meant to have a Silver Calcium battery as they charge at a higher voltage. Is this true? At least it's running now and I can tke it for it's forst service check on the 9th March.

So the moral of the story is, don't put your Transit off the road over winter (thinking motorhomes etc.) without connecting it up to a trickle charger and running regularly. Next winter I'll keep it on the road and use it to work once a fortnight or something.

[S60r]

The moral of the story is don’t use Ford silver calcium batteries!

I have had 3 fail across 3 different Fords. Once they lose charge even once they are finished. They never recover.

Yours will be under warranty and I’m sure they’ll change it after trying to recharge it using their “special” recharging unit. They try to make you pay for having it recharged too!

Best thing you can do is not call Ford, just get the best battery your budget wants to afford and you will have no further problems. A decent Bosch/ Yuasa/ exide from Euro carparts will be around 130 or less.

[Altransit]

As above, once they fall below a certain voltage, they never recover, and even sap power from any jump pack or spare battery, preventing them starting from jump leads. You can recover them temporarily by charging fully from a good smart charger, but they will lose power very quickly when not on charge.

If you're going to lay it up over Winter, an occasional charge from a smart charger, or even a solar panel, will stop the battery from draining, or alternatively, remove the battery and keep it at home where it's easier to get it charged