I have a 2001 V6 and since date of purchase and up until this past summer, my car has spent its life in Hawaii. No cold morning start ups, no problems. But now I live in Nevada and this is the first REAL winter the car has ever experienced. Going out to my car this morning, the start up was definitely that of a cold one. It barely turned over, and once it did, it chugged and my Service Engine Soon light popped on. Anyway, an even longer story cut short - we traced it to the battery and the terminal needed a quick scrub due to a bit of corrosion. But we noticed that the sensory eye on the battery (it still being the one from the factory, and in fact, 5 years old) is red in color. My dad said it may supposed to be green, as with GM cars green means fully charged and black (I think) means it isn't. Are Ford factory batteries worked the same way? Should mine be green instead of red, or is red the proper color?

Thanks.

 

don't know about the 01 but my 00 battery (just changed a few months ago) was black. It was only green when either the positive or negative termal was removed. Red is usually a sign of a bad/shorted cell. Does it have a legend or instructions on teh top that explain the colors? Most do.

 

ya know batteries only have a life of about 5 years most of the time

every now and then you get a freak that last forever.

It sounds to me like its time for a new battery.

 

Hm... hot summers and hard cold winter starts = death to batteries. I think it's time for a replacement

 

That's what I figured - just wanted a second opinion that wouldn't cost me an arm and a leg. Thanks.