1800John

Hi, so I tried to start my truck on Friday but I would not start, so I charged the battery with the CTEK MUS 4.3 charger and a few hours later the charger said that the battery is full. However today when I start it, it would not start, but the second try did start but it struggled.

My question is do I need a new battery? If so, what battery do u guys recommend? I was looking at the Optima Yellow Top, but it looks like the terminal is too far in and the cable wont reach?

The display said Service Advancetrac and Check Brake System which never happened before. I know that my TPMS Sensors are bad.

2011 F150 XL 3.7l

Thanks in advance

jhelrey

Battery connection tight?

elricfate

From the way you've described it, yes, it sounds like a bad cell but the only way to know for sure is to do a charge/discharge test.

Given that you had a bunch of error messages pop, however, I'm more concerned that it's either a bad ground or your PCM is faulty.

idrive

iTrader: (3)

Battery

The average life of a Battery is four years. Excessive heat will make it even shorter in most cases.

Keep it simple and make sure the posts are indeed on the same side as your current Battery. Most "quality" Batteries work just fine as long as the "specs" are at least equal.

HubFord

Optima Yellow top is for deep-cycle duty (if you have a winch, power inverter, etc). The red top is for starting.

Over the years I hear more people complain about Optima batteries vs. praise them.

My choice is a Wal-Mart EverStart Maxx battery, they are made by Johnson Controls. Another great choice is a Deka (made by EastPenn).

An advantage of Wal-Mart is an excellent warranty policy, just bring it in, they scan the bar-code and you get a new one if it fails within 3 years.

Batteries last about 5-6 years in my experience, just get a new one.

johnday in BFE

iTrader: (1)

Just went through something similar myself, maybe this thread will help you out. https://www.f150forum.com/f2/batt-my-150-a-371517/

marshallr

If you're on the factory battery I'd say it is past due. Around 4-6 years is average and hot weather kills them faster. Some in colder climates may last longer. Most don't find out they are just about gone until it gets cold though.

I just go to Walmart. Not the cheapest, but certainly convenient. I have no complaints with them.

RLXXI

This^^

Best value/quality.
.

Mod (Ret.)

That 2011 battery is now at 6 years old. Batteries begin to die the minute they are installed and begin their cycle on, cycle off duty. You can make a battery live longer by connecting a trickle charger to it when not in use, but how many of use do this on a daily driver?

Time to replace.

Jack-Daniel

While we're on this topic. Is there a ' best practices' method to replacing the battery ?
Mine's still original (2011) and it was sluggish on some of the -20°C days here.

thanks, Jack