I was driving home from San Diego on Monday and got the red battery warning light - it looks like a little red battery on the dash display. The voltage was normal but 80 miles from nowhere in the Arizona desert it was a tad disconcerting. I stopped and checked the battery, not hot or even warm, connections tight with no visible corrosion. The owners manual says absolutely nothing about this so I have that going for me...can't be confused by any misprints in the manual. (o;

Knowing the battery was 5 years, I old figured it was time to replace. I drove on and if I put in the clutch and dropped the rpms to idle the light immediately went off. Resume normal driving and after a few minutes it was back on. This cycle repeated it self all the way home to Tucson. I pulled the battery and the hydrometer showed it pretty well gone. I dropped a new one in and the damned light stays on all the time. I have full electrical function and good voltage. The Ford dealer says maybe it will go off on its own, if not, bring it in to have the electrical system checked ($Cha Ching$!).

Any ideas guys? I am going on vacation for a couple of weeks so will probably just let it sit in the garage until I get back.