battery

[A S]

can anyone tell me if its normal for the battery gauge to drop a little on startup....my battery died and I went to Advance Auto Parts to get an Autocraft..which Consumer Reports rated good...I have auto-on headlights which would go completely out on startup so I figured the battery was going..only problem...they sent some young doofus out to install it and he placed a socket wrench on my truck which slipped off and scratched my bumber.....now I will have to deal with their insurance to get the paint repaired..I can just imagine that hassle...if the paint matches...etc....what idiots....after install...I still see the dash gauge drop a little on startup....is this normal...this battery has more CCA than the original OEM Ford battery...which was 5 years old....maybe I need to drive it more to fully charge an off the shelf battery...I only drove it less than 20 miles , stop and go...no highway yet ,by the way...they did not check my alternator....the age of the battery was my first guess...I live in florida and the heat is really hard on batteries here...actually...this is the longest I have had one...ironically...the green indicator on the battery was still green...but their test machine showed bad battery.....any help guys?:angry:

 

[Adrian Drenalin]

Driv it for an hour .that will fully charge your battery

 

[scott degroot]

The gauge dropping is normal, after all the available voltage in the system does decrease probably by about 1 volt when you crank the engine.

 

[EddieS'04]

I have put a volt meter on my trac battery, when cranking. With a good battery I have seen it drop from 12.5vdc to 10.5 just before it fires off. That is normal. The new battery may not had a full charge. Might have set on the shelf for awhile. When I buy a battery. I look at the date stamp on the case. I wont accept it, if it is more than 4 months old.

 

[Todd Z]

My 03 and 04 read in 2 different places, I think they are un accurate any way...



Todd Z