So...ran over to Sam's Club and had them test my Motorcraft battery... turns out it was bad. So long as the tech input the correct CCA into his machine (and wasn't trying to rip me off), this is a good thing! I ended up getting a Champion battery. It was $50 and has 675CCA instead of Motorcraft's 580CCA. Also has a 3yr replacement guarantee. I ended up installing it myself (in the rain) when I got home because they said it would be 1.5hr+ before they could get to it. It BARELY fit too, nice and snug. Anyway, thanks for the informative post Phil. You probably just saved me from being stuck somewhere with a dead battery!
