Hi all I would just like to ask, What is best standard or Calcium battery? It is for a ford focus 02, I have had a problem with my alternator sending out to many amps 15.5 instead of 14.7. Which I have damaged my battery and Alternator. Now need to replace both, So which would be best standard Battery or Calcium Battery?

 

Calcium are terrible mate, you'll be better off with a standard type battery, I change the ford calcium type with regular type regularly on breakdowns

 

Thanks for your reply, Just had the battery and alternator for just over a year and I have had starting issue along with other ele problem so thought it might have been the wrong battery That why I asked thanks for your help better to learn and get advise from other members before shelling out more money Paul.

 

I thought Ford smart charge can charge at a higher rate than normal and they need a calcium battery? Auto electrician we use said a none calcium battery can cause over charging too.

 

Thanks for your feedback. reading between the lines. would you say, there is a chance that I could get away with the Alternator, if I was to change the Battery first? Maybe the standard Battery is over charging where the calcium may not with the same Alternator? Yeah I know your out of crystal ball , Just want your opinion thanks Paul.

 

Loads of stuff out there with smart charge with normal battery's from the factory, we've been told on the training I did if a customer has an original calcium battery then it needs binning as they aren't up to the job, I must have changed hundreds of ford calcium battery's for normal ones over the years and never had any probs,

 

It must be a calcium battery. The smart charge can kick out up to 18v, this will kill off a lead acid in no time.

 

Thanks Richie, Had car down at auto ele and my Alternator is put out 15.54 and has boiled the water in standard battery. Told I need to replace both Alternator and battery. But was wondering if a Calcium battery could cope with the higher out put? That I might get away with just renewing the Battery? That why I ask other their views on the battery thanks Paul.

 

Calcium batteries will cope with It, that's what they are for!

 

Pleased about that Richie, Hopefully that will sort out the starting problem that I have had for a while now. A member is selling a Calcium for Ł30, So when he get back to me, that will be job done hip hip Paul.

 

As Richie says, it must be a calcium battery. The rest is both bad and dangerous advice, it's possible for lead acid type to explode, due to the higher charging rate.

Martin

 

Hi Martin great help from ALL on this site, As always. I was unaware of the problems that the standard batter can give. I have had problem for a while, but with me renewing the battery and alternator. I did not give it a second thought, that the problem was with one of those parts, and looking towards other areas. Until the members on hear have, given me the answer to the problem and issue that I have been having. Just wait to replace the battery now. And that is this one with, until the next thing that needs doing. But unlike this time, I ask the member for some advise first, before buying parts I might not need, Thanks Martin Paul.

 

I'm gonna have to get onto my rac trainer and get him to do some more research on it I think lol, we were told totally different!

 

Just phoned him and he said that modern battery's that are made now especially the ones we carry on our vans are designed to work with any type of system except stop start style. He said new designs and technologies in batteries now are able to cope. I knew they wouldn't be wrong lol.

 

Unless it's a calcium battery, his still wrong!

Martin

 

Calcium or AGM for anything over 14.4v

you put a normal battery on a post-2005 BMW with a SBK terminal and you will either kill the battery quickly or get a battery warning so the RAC trainer is definitely wrong.

Also, the RAC round our way use Yuasa batteries and they are nothing special in their technology.