Hey all,

I have an '01 KR 4x4 screw with the tow package and the huge extra capacity super duper 1.02" dinky radiator. I decided to take the dinky radiator trick Ford pulled on us to another level.

The tow package is supposed to include the HD electrical system. I think the HD electrical system comes with a 72 Amp-Hr battery as part of the system if not all of it. I checked mine out and I'm almost positive it's a 65 Amp-Hr model. Looks like Ford got us again. The damn battery is almost completely covered up with plastic covers and it's almost a pain in the a$$ just to find out what the model number is. The model number is under the lid on top of the battery, I just lifted it up by prying it and reading the data tag on top of the battery.

The battery in my screw is a MotorCraft model BXT-65-650, which I think translates 650 Cold Cranking Amps (CCA). What is the amp-hr capacity of this battery?

Has anyone checked this out on their towing packages? If I'm right on this, then Ford has possibly stuck it too us again on this damn class III trailer towing package. Next check will be the shock absorbers, they too are supposed to be some sort of HD version with 1.38" diamter pistons and the stock ones come with 1.19" pistons and all shocks offered are the gas pressurized ones.

I got a bad feeling on this one and just want to find out what you guys know on your end.
Man, this s**t is gettin' old and I'm running out of steam. Kinda feel like I'm bragin' on what my truck is missing instead of what it included anymore, as well as at least a gallon of paint to boot. Some will know what the reference to missing paint means and others well just go errrrrrr, okay dude whatever.

DaveMan

 

I will check mine out tommorow. I do think though that my battery was a 65amper not the 75. When I asked the dealer about this he gave me some bul**** answer. Also is the wiring upgraded (or at least suppost to be)?

Also I'm a bit slower than others but this is my 100th post!!!!!

 

DAVEMAN,
Your going to get everybody all freaked out again.
I can see it happening all over &...... were off.
OK then , I'll check mine when I get a chance.
Later...Mike

 

I'll be checking mine tomorrow too, if its not raining I wouldn't be surprised..The cut off date for the rad's is 05-04-01 Happy freakin birthday to me......I bought my screw 05-30-01.....on another subject Dave, I got my CD manual in the mail yesterday...well worth the $18.50 from eBay. it came with a 2001 car manual also, i think i may put that back on ebay.......let me know if you need info.


Ed

 

I checked mine out and noticed a couple of 65's on there also not sure how to check what type of electrical system is on there though . Where did you find the information saying it was supposed to be a 72 amp installed. I'm a little new here and would like to know thanks. I also have to go back to the Dealers Thursday so I'll check back to let you know the Crap they try and give me if it's true.

 

The BXT 65-650 battery is the HD 72 amp. battery.
The standard battery has something like 540CCA .
By the way, the 65-650 battery is the longest lasting battery Ford uses. There is a 65-850 battery, but it has thinner plates in the same size case and is not as durable as the 650 one.
By the way see my new post on the radiator issue.

01 gen.I 2wd Lariat Supercrew
Black
Med Parchment Cap. Chairs
Trl. Tow
Sliding window
Cab Steps

 

Hey John,

Which post, I know I could do a search but to help folks out you could post the link to the address to make it just a click away with little effort. I sure hope you are right about the battery 'cause as Fallscrew said, I'm gettin' everyone all freaked out again. I might be doing just that but I bet everyone will know much more when this thread is over with than if I would have just said screw it, no pun intended on the screw part.

Hey 2002F150SCFX4,

Here's the link to the site where I posted the 2002 detailed specs for the F-150s. This is also on this forum under detailed specifications if searching. Go to page 9 in the pdf document or to page 8 with the page numbers at the bottom or each page. Half way down on the left side there is a section titled CLASS III TRAILER TOW GROUP (535).

http://home.sc.rr.com/davemanspage/2002F150.PDF

Hope I didn't jump the gun here, I'm gonna get some proof on the 72 amp hour battery business. I don't doubt the part number I listed I have is the 72 Amp-hr version but I design electric fork lifts where I work and batteries are usually rated by the code I mentioned but there may be some exception in this case, we will see!

DaveMan

 

Latest findings,

Looks like the 65 in the part number BXT 65 650 is the frame size and may not have anything to do with the Amp-hr capacity. Here is a link to a web site that lists all the BCI group battery sizes and the 65 is listed and must just be the case or overall dimensions and the Amp-hr data is listed some other way. I'm not done yet, what about the shocks and proving the battery theory of 72 Amp-hr from the 650 CCA are one in the same.

Here's the link:
http://www.rtpnet.org/~teaa/bcigroup.html

DaveMan

 

Here's what the 2002 Ford eSource book shows. Does it help?

http://fordtruck.fordtraining.com/f150/html/spcfrm.htm

Then click on "battery applications"

 

Folks,

Don't go off half ****ed......

The 65 in the BXT 65 650 Battery number is the Battery Group Number Group 65 .

This dictates the size and post configuration of the battery and has Nothing to do with the Charging Amp Rate of the Alt.

The second number ( 650 ) dictates the cold cranking amps of the battery... the more important number ! The Larger the number the higher the capacity the battery has to operate the vehicles accessories.

In The Old Days ( 70's ) Most Large Fords used a Group 24 or 27 Battery. The Group 24 Battery was smaller in case size than the Group 27 Battery. They were also available in 2 post configurations a standard :
------------
| + - | GRP 24
-------------

and a Ford configuration -------------
| - + | GRP 24F
--------------

Today the Group 65 Battery is pretty much the std for large Ford ,Lincoln & Mercury cars & trucks. The cold cranking amps is the main variable between the vehicles.

 

Hey sc Screw,

I corrected the 65 number confusion on post number 7 of this thread and you responded on post 9 which is two posts later. I guess you didn't get a chance to read all the posts before you jumped the gun.

You are mostly right; for sure the 65 is the frame size but where did anyone say anything about charging the battery with an alternator?

The battery's 72 amp-hr capacity is the total capacity of the battery and each plate in the battery has a contribution to the total amp-hr capacity. Read everything before you fly off the handle man.


Anyhow, no one has been able to say for sure that a BXT 65 650 is a 72 amp-hr capacity battery.

I guess I started this thread off all wrong and should have done all my research on the 65 business but either way I corrected it but the 72 amp-hr capacity battery to me is still up in the air.

DaveMan

 

DaveMan,

If you go to the URL that Stewscrew posted, http://fordtruck.fordtraining.com/f1...spcfrm.htm,and select Battery Applications under the Electrical section, it shows that the optional 72amp battery has 650cca, hence the BXT 65-650 part #. The standard battery for the Supercrew is the 58amp battery with 540cca. Although these are 2002 specs, I think that Ford is putting the correct battery in our '01 Screws with the towing package.

If you look under 2002 Cooling System Specifications, you'll see that the 1.02" radiator is used throughout the F-150 range except for the 7650/7700 # package, which gets the 1.42" radiator. Looks like Ford is holding to their claim that the 1.02" radiator is enough.

 

What do you think "SC" means in the link below? It's the only option in the 2001 that should have the 1.42 in. radiator.

http://fordtruck.fordtraining.com/20...s/f150_css.htm

Also, below on this link, what do the terms for transmission mean? "4R70W" and "4R100"? The 4R70W for the 5.4L is the one that gets the larger aux. trans. cooler.

http://fordtruck.fordtraining.com/20...150_aatoca.htm

 

I'm pretty sure that SC means Super Cooling which is what used to be installed with the tow package. Now, 7700 Payload Group is the only package getting the SC option.

On the transmissions, I'm not sure but only know that the bigger 4R100 is also used in the super duty trucks with automatic so it must be a much higher capacity design to handle loads carried and pulled by the next larger trucks above F-150s. I would venture to guess that the 4R70W must be about maxed out for the 4x4 F-150s when they are loaded with options like tow package and 5.4L engine and all the goodies to boot.


DaveMan

 

It sure does look like ford is holding up to "yes the 1.02" radiator is enough for HD cooling", but next time I face these people, dealer or ford directly I'm going to asked them for an engineering/technical answer on why a 2WD expedition with towing package gets a HD 1.42" radiator and a 4X4 off road supercrew with towing package does not.