siberian.mist

problem 1) motorcraft battery was finally toast after 4 good years. looked on interstate battery website and accidently typed in my other vehicle (ford f150) and went and bought the megatron mtp-65 battery and put it in the stang thinking it was the right one. i should have known it was wrong at first as the neg/pos posts were switched around

2) it starts and runs fine, i pop the hood because i was going to empty my catch can, i walk to the garage to get an oil container, then i see fire under the hood. so i popped it quickly and part of the hood latch was sparking, and the red rubber cover over the terminal was flaming and melted onto the post.

how could this happen? ive changed many batteries... the terminals were a little loose on this battery, so maybe it caused a spark? im thinking the poorly fitting battery has a lot to do with it.. spilled battery acid even? im buying new terminals tomorrow to put on, its already too late for an exchange since there is burn marks on the battery im sure. anyone have any ideas?

nicksfoursix

These are very generalized thoughts......
I would be curious to know the dimensions of the new battery...is it a tad larger than the old battery?
Because of you staements regarding replacement battery, differences in post positioning, and sparks coming from your hood latch, I would suspect that the hood or some part of the hood was touching the positive battery post. The sparks you saw was the battery current looking for a ground and the melting red rubber battery cover was just fuel for the fire.
I would seriously measure the height of both battery cases (old battery vs. new battery) and I would pay close attention to the overall height of the battery posts and the positive battery's post relationship/proximity to any piece of metal with the hood closed.
If you have any doubts, I would reconsider intalling the correct part number Interstate battery for your S-197.
Good Luck.

siberian.mist

f150 interstate battery = 12 x 7.5 x 7.5 vs. stang interstate battery = 10.94 x 6.88 x 6.88
i will definitely be getting rid of this battery. i bought a battery from autozone a week for my f150, im thinking about putting this one in the f150. taking the duralast out of the f150 and telling them they gave me the wrong battery for my stang. thats really my only bet or ill be out 100 bucks and have a new battery i can hopefully sell locally

marcuskeeler

Honesty is the best policy. You bought a battery which had the terminals on the wrong side AND was too tall but you forged ahead anyway. Take it back and throw yourself on their mercy.
Swapping the batteries over and taking the other back to tell them they screwed up when it was totally your fault is a douche-bag move.

07 Stang

Yep, marcuskeeler is right, do the honest thing and own up to your mistake. In the long run you will benefit from it.

ODDYSEY

I agree. Make sure you have the correct battery this time also

S281 E

Wow! Never heard of this happening before, but I'm sur it was a shock to the system. Just bring it back and be honest and replace the damage on the car.

VRFlip

They won't be out a dime when they resell the battery you take back to them. Make sure the burned one works in your truck and take the other one back and exchange it for the right one for your Mustang. No one has to take a loss.

siberian.mist

I agree, but I'm a broke college kid and losing the money hurts me a lot more than them, and as VRFlip says, they will resell it. I need money for Mustang parts!!!

Fred Malibu

..so how did the fire go out?!

hope that fireproof pad under the hood saved u from damage to the car!