F430 Battery replacement

Not withstanding the post above about the Optima yellows (they guy who had the failure)....the yellow has consistently rated highly with Consumer Reports. It has been the red that sucked. I know several folks using yellows successfully. Not sure why Ferrari chose to spec the Optima red top as oem for the 430 Scuderia. (I have seen reports of red tops failing on many forums for over a decade) I know my car came with a replacement red top and I have no confidence in it...and use a Granite battery tender anytime I am not driving the car in the next 7 days. I need to figure out how to mod the brackets to use a LiOn battery like posted above.

 

I have the Deltran LiOn battery on my motorcycle and agreed they are awesome...amazing 240CCA and it is very small. It comes with foam inserts to take up space in the battery compartment! The issue with charging them is LiOn do not like battery tenders with a "anti sulfation" mode. If it is a standard type battery tender, no problem, but the ones with multiple charging phases are apparently damaging to them. So a basic Deltran battery tender will work fine...though I went ahead and bought their LiOn specific battery tender....as I have 5 or 6 battery tenders, but all of them have multiple charging phases including an anti sulfation phase.

 

That is the problem with the red tops, and not supposed to happen with the yellow tops as they are a "deep discharge" battery, designed specifically to withstand being completely discharged. Stranger things have happened but I went a looked and the yellow is still highly rated in the last Consumer Reports testing of car batteries...including estimated life.

BTW, I was not aware Optima made a Group 34R in a yellow top. Which size did you buy and how did you fit it?

 

That's what I thought. When it had life it had awesome power and really turned over the engine impressively. Also no chance of acid vapor causing corrosion.

I think it was the 34. (Or 34/78) Because of almost central placement of posts on top. This made it possible to install by placing backward. Took some finagling especially with the hold down.


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I have. 2006f-430 it has an interstate battery and I'm replacing it with the same battery what or what do I do before removing the old battery as far as memory and computer on the car

 

Hi welcome to FChat.

Search feature is always your friend on this board.

I did a search for you. Here you go: Very similar procedure for 360 & F430.

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/360-430-sponsored-yellow-compass-group/467811-diy-battery-replacement.html

I highly recommend an AGM battery instead of lead acid as lead acid battery can leak and damage the battery tray.

As far as memory, you should only need to reset your clock.

And per owners manual and service manual, after battery replacement, start your engine and let it idle for a minimum of 10 minutes with all accessories OFF so that all engine parameters will reset itself to normal.

Hope that helps.

Dan

 

It's always a good idea to turn off the master switch before the replacement procedure.

 

What? I'm on Optima 34r red top. hhhmmmm I guess I'll look for a new battery.

 

I am with the same battery and I haven't got any problems with it. I have left the car for a month without a charger one time and I haven't got any problems starting the car after that.

 

Thanks for all the imput. The new interstate battery fits exact. However the vent holes our on the side everything else is fine.my old battery which was a interstate was dated 1/11. . Thanks for all your input. However before I replaced my battery my radio and c/d seem to go on but no sound . I necever installed the nav c/d that came with the car it is still in the original box with the plastic on it. I read the Manuel 10 times still don't get it. Then the to button radio and c/d change tracks and radio stations all gonon and volume goes up and down no sound at all. Need someone to help me in this matter please. My ferrari is a 2006 f-430-f1 soused

 

Just want to provide an update on this:

As other Fchat member has mentioned, if you want to install an AGM sealed battery - a good option is Interstate MT7-48/H6. This is a sealed AGM battery so there is no risk in acid leaking out of the battery eating up your battery tray. (The only downside is it is heavy. Battery weight is 47 lbs)

I purchased mine from a local Interstate Battery dealer close to my home. Cost is $285.00. Fits perfect in my F430.

Note: there are ribs on the side of the battery that you can use to clamp the battery down. You cant clamp it on the top of the battery as the bracket will be too short, so use the side of the battery as shown in the photo below.

Hope this helps some of you.

Dan
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THINK ABOUT WHY AIRLINES BAN LITHIUM BATTERIES BEFORE YOU MAKE THAT KIND OF MOVE, THEY WERE NEVER DESIGNED TO BE LOCATED WHERE A REGULAR CAR BATTERY GOES, FURTHERMORE THEY DO NOT TRICKLE CHARGE (EX: PHONES,TESLAS, ETC. BEFORE THEY REACH 100 % THE MUST FIRST BE DISCHARGED TO MIMIC THE BEST CHARGE AND THEN HOW CAN YOU EVER TELL THEY ARE CHARGED 100% OF SPECS IF THERE IS NOT METER FOR CARS THAT DOES SO FOR LITHIUM BATTERY'S. THEY EITHER WORK 100% OR THEY DON'T,

 

https://www.braillebattery.com

 

The Beast (2008 F430 spider F1) I bought used September 2019 from the Seattle dealer

ok Since buying it my battery has never tripped the charged light on the maintainer Even after two weeks duration (ctek I think but ferrari logo etc) lead acid maintainer

ok so no apparent electrical issues and Pauroso fires up instantly cold or hot or in hot temps it currently is approaching 45K inspections and maintenance by Ron Tonkin crews yet to be done

No failure data displayed nor is the battery low in voltage current has not been checked

it is an unknown the battery sits in a pristine compartment and is an interstate (model t

 

My 2006 F430 Spider had had an Interstate flooded MTP-91 in it since 2012! It had begun to take a while to take a charge, and a load test showed reduced function, even though the car still started flawlessly with no error messages. I went through online posts, spoke with guru Tony Palladino, and elected to change to another Interstate model- the AGM version MTZ-48/H6. Although it is taller than the metric replacement by 0.55", the stock battery hold-down bars worked with some mild persuasion. Other than that, it was a straightforward replacement.
My knowledgeable local mechanic, Tony at Modena Motors, had recommended the Interstate AGM, as well as the Bosch AGM (S6 series). He cautioned me that the Odyssey has been reported as suffering internal shorting problems by some. Note that the Interstate website incorrectly specifies the MTZ-34R-- this is even larger yet than the MTZ 48/H6, and would definitely require longer battery bars, but has more capacity than the 48/H6 and would still work well.

 

I might be the last guy allowing the dealer to do this kind of basic work for me due to the extortionate prices dealers charge for service, but am curious to know what any of you might have paid for a new battery + installation (either at dealer or independent). I got a number that surprised me...actually it felt like passing a gall stone.

 

Interstate battery I paid $236.00.
Installation is free as I installed it myself.
Very easy to replace battery. Takes about an hour taking my sweet time.

Buy your choice battery, come over my house and I will install it for you labor is free.

i mean what I said.

Dan

 

I've also used the Interstate AGM type battery in my F430. Perfect fit and no worries about spills and damage. Not worth going with the more expensive lithium for my needs. I do have a lithium for my motorcycle however and it's been great, and lightweight. Paying to install a battery? No, never, especially not in these cars where it is simple. What would I pay? I'd expect a shop to charge their minimum charge, 30 minutes? 1 hour? Many shops do not charge if you buy the battery from them but Im sure this falls under the Ferrari Tax category.

 

Figure a quality AGM battery will be around $250 $300 at dealer rates, then whatever your shop charges for one hour labor. Anything more than that is going to be pushing it....So I can see a dealer charging $500 plus tax

 

So I’ll ask the relevant question here. With battery health affecting so much on these cars, should we be proactively replacing the battery every 3 to 5 years?


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6 years for me, but I own a battery load tester and check the condition of my battery at least once a year. As soon as I see it starting to slip, then I order a replacement. I also only use AGM batteries, instead of the traditional flooded cell type. No guarantee, but AGM typically have better longevity and have less self discharge when sitting. If you look at the Consumer Reports tests, most (not all) of the top rated batteries are AGM, based on performance and life.

 

Update: I got hit with $973 bill (plus sales tax) for the new battery installed. I really do like my service people at my dealer but this might be the last time I can let them extract this much from my wallet.
I was also informed that my valve head gasket was showing some signs of wear and I might want to think about a repair in the near term. Dealer estimate = $5200 plus tax. I just have to call B.S. on that....Am curious if any of you have gone through that repair and what your local shops have charged you.
The dealer really doesn't it make it easy for me to want to give them the business. I think it's time to go to an independent (Hello Bradan)....and a few of my buddies locally are thinking the same thing.

 

I do on all my cars. I change battery every 3.5 - 4 years proactively.
Any length of time after that you are on borrowed time.
And when least expected your car will just throw all kinds of faults codes or worse just wont start when least expected. Hopefully you are not on a long drive with friends or family.

Battery is cheap compared to getting your car towed.
Worse is the embarrassment, a Ferrari stuck on the side of the road......and no one recommends getting a jump.
I also carry a jump starter battery on all my cars.

 

$250.00 for a brand new battery so $750.00 for labor. Ouch!
I can see you like your dealer, and they love you!

Re: valve cover gaskets, they are known to leak / seep.
Valve covers leaked on my 360 and F430. They were replaced by previous owner before I took possession. Not cheap to get those replaced.

I recommend getting your valve cover bolts torque checked every annual service. Torque has to be perfect per spec.
Too tight and oil will seep. Too loose and they will also seep.