Which Battery to buy?
#1
09-25-2002, 11:26 AM
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Which Battery to buy?
I have a 97 4x2 4.6L with tow package. My truck has the origional battery in it. (Which I think is pretty good)
It has that stupid cover over it so I can not tell which battery is in there. The manual states BXT-59 or optional BXT-65-750.
I am pretty ignorant when it comes to batterys. I know the 59 or 65 is the group number and I am guessing 750 is the CCA.
I have no idea if one group is better than the other and is there a point when you have more CCA than you need and it is wasted?
What group/size is recommended that will fit without mods to the truck?
Thanks!
It has that stupid cover over it so I can not tell which battery is in there. The manual states BXT-59 or optional BXT-65-750.
I am pretty ignorant when it comes to batterys. I know the 59 or 65 is the group number and I am guessing 750 is the CCA.
I have no idea if one group is better than the other and is there a point when you have more CCA than you need and it is wasted?
What group/size is recommended that will fit without mods to the truck?
Thanks!
#2
09-25-2002, 02:49 PM
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Since you didin't say where you live it is hard to give advice on CCA's and battery performance at 32 deg-Pointless discussion where I live (Florida), but here is a little info.
The Size code is exactly that; how big is the battery. They only make so many, so there is an industry size chart that allows you to buy a DieHard, or Interstate, or whatever. Generally the larger the battery the more power it has. Don't get me wrong, 12V=12V, I mean output AMPS. The optional 65 battery is probably part of the heavy-duty charging/electrical system.
My .02 is this:
1) Buy a good quality battery, a brand name, because they come with good warranties.
2) Buy the strongest battery you can fit in the size allotted.(If a 65 will fit get one)
If you do those two things you won't be disappointed-My truck needs new tires and SEARS is running a good deal on what I need and they are throwing in a new DieHard for free-Installed. If you can find a promo like that it your area jump on it.
The Size code is exactly that; how big is the battery. They only make so many, so there is an industry size chart that allows you to buy a DieHard, or Interstate, or whatever. Generally the larger the battery the more power it has. Don't get me wrong, 12V=12V, I mean output AMPS. The optional 65 battery is probably part of the heavy-duty charging/electrical system.
My .02 is this:
1) Buy a good quality battery, a brand name, because they come with good warranties.
2) Buy the strongest battery you can fit in the size allotted.(If a 65 will fit get one)
If you do those two things you won't be disappointed-My truck needs new tires and SEARS is running a good deal on what I need and they are throwing in a new DieHard for free-Installed. If you can find a promo like that it your area jump on it.
#3
09-25-2002, 03:38 PM
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I am in Tennessee so CCA is not as big of a deal I guess.
I took the cover off at lunch and it had the BXT-65-750.
I can get a 700 amp / 140RC for $49.99 at costco
or
750 amp / ??RC for $79.99 at Autozone.
Anyone have any comments on the costco batteries? I don't see why I could not get away with the 700 and save $30
I took the cover off at lunch and it had the BXT-65-750.
I can get a 700 amp / 140RC for $49.99 at costco
or
750 amp / ??RC for $79.99 at Autozone.
Anyone have any comments on the costco batteries? I don't see why I could not get away with the 700 and save $30
#4
09-25-2002, 03:58 PM
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My $0.02
And it’s a Canadian $0.02 so it’s about $0.0003 USD...Anyway
By the biggest most kick a$$ battery you can find, trust me don't skimp here and do not go under (even by a wee bit) the Ford Specs...
Just so you all know there is only about 3 or 4 battery manufactures in the USA and the batteries you buy just have different casing or labels on them depending on what the client asked for. The money you spend is in the warranty.
Anyone know what the difference between a 3 year and 5 year battery is? It’s measured by how far away the lead plates inside are from the bottom of the battery. As soon as a batt is charged it starts releasing little parts of the lead, which settles at the bottom. As the bottom fills it gets closer to the plates and one day VOILA!! you have a dead cell because the lead finally shorted out the cell from within. (that’s why you should never shake up a battery if you want it to last.
My opinion is buy the 1000CCA with 140 minutes reserve time. you'll thank me if your alternator ever lets go in the middle of nowhere.
By the biggest most kick a$$ battery you can find, trust me don't skimp here and do not go under (even by a wee bit) the Ford Specs...
Just so you all know there is only about 3 or 4 battery manufactures in the USA and the batteries you buy just have different casing or labels on them depending on what the client asked for. The money you spend is in the warranty.
Anyone know what the difference between a 3 year and 5 year battery is? It’s measured by how far away the lead plates inside are from the bottom of the battery. As soon as a batt is charged it starts releasing little parts of the lead, which settles at the bottom. As the bottom fills it gets closer to the plates and one day VOILA!! you have a dead cell because the lead finally shorted out the cell from within. (that’s why you should never shake up a battery if you want it to last.
My opinion is buy the 1000CCA with 140 minutes reserve time. you'll thank me if your alternator ever lets go in the middle of nowhere.
#5
09-26-2002, 11:09 AM
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Cheeb is right.
Even if you don't have a bunch of mods or do heavy towing you should have a good battery in your truck. The idea of buying the largest size name brand is for your peace of mind. The $30 you save today won't cover the tow truck you need later. Alternator, voltage regulator, alternator belt, or a battery saver relay that didn't kick in will drain your battery fast. The extra juice from the larger battery could make all the difference.
Even if you don't have a bunch of mods or do heavy towing you should have a good battery in your truck. The idea of buying the largest size name brand is for your peace of mind. The $30 you save today won't cover the tow truck you need later. Alternator, voltage regulator, alternator belt, or a battery saver relay that didn't kick in will drain your battery fast. The extra juice from the larger battery could make all the difference.
#6
09-27-2002, 12:49 PM
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CCA is Cold Cranking Amps. It is a measure of the max current (Amps) that the battery can put out for a short period of time (5-10 seconds?). Lots of people think that the CCA is the size measurement of a battery but note that this number has NOTHING to do with how long you can leave your headlights on!
The Amp/Hour capacity is a measure of the total energy stored in the battery. A rating of 100 AH indicates that the battery sould supply 100 Amps for an hour (or 25 amps for 4 hours etc) without the voltage dropping below a nominal value. Think of it this way, if your headlights pull 10 Amps, a 65 AH battery could probably still start your truck after leaving the headlights on for 5 hours. You don't always see this number posted but it should be and most sellers can look it up. If I don't see a printed AH rating, I don't buy the battery (in spite of what the 17 yr old kid at Wall-Mart promises).
The physical size of a battery can be deceiving. If the lead plates inside have a lot of surface area, a relatively small battery can have big CCA or AH numbers. Some of the high quality batteries do a lot of work to get large surface areas on the plates. Some of them also do a better job with mounting the lead to reduce the flaking mentioned by Cheebmonkey. It is a mistake to judge a battery only by its size - read both the AH and the CCA figures.
Remember that a battery is a chemical reaction whose speed is somewhat dependant upon the temperature. I read once that the output of a battery measured in warm weather can drop to half that number when temps drop to 20 F.
I think it is the old Chilton's Ford truck book that recommnends a MINIMUM of one CCA per cubic inch of engine size. I ran a 390 c.i. Ford in Chicago and Nova Scotia, Canada (winters) with a 450-500 CCA battery for 3 years with no problems. Getting 675 CCA for your 4.6 Liter (<300 c.i.) sounds like more than double the minimum recommended by Chilton's.
The Amp/Hour capacity is a measure of the total energy stored in the battery. A rating of 100 AH indicates that the battery sould supply 100 Amps for an hour (or 25 amps for 4 hours etc) without the voltage dropping below a nominal value. Think of it this way, if your headlights pull 10 Amps, a 65 AH battery could probably still start your truck after leaving the headlights on for 5 hours. You don't always see this number posted but it should be and most sellers can look it up. If I don't see a printed AH rating, I don't buy the battery (in spite of what the 17 yr old kid at Wall-Mart promises).
The physical size of a battery can be deceiving. If the lead plates inside have a lot of surface area, a relatively small battery can have big CCA or AH numbers. Some of the high quality batteries do a lot of work to get large surface areas on the plates. Some of them also do a better job with mounting the lead to reduce the flaking mentioned by Cheebmonkey. It is a mistake to judge a battery only by its size - read both the AH and the CCA figures.
Remember that a battery is a chemical reaction whose speed is somewhat dependant upon the temperature. I read once that the output of a battery measured in warm weather can drop to half that number when temps drop to 20 F.
I think it is the old Chilton's Ford truck book that recommnends a MINIMUM of one CCA per cubic inch of engine size. I ran a 390 c.i. Ford in Chicago and Nova Scotia, Canada (winters) with a 450-500 CCA battery for 3 years with no problems. Getting 675 CCA for your 4.6 Liter (<300 c.i.) sounds like more than double the minimum recommended by Chilton's.