Okay...
Have an 02 150 Screw 4X4 --- I want to replace the battery.....
I've got a few questions: Please help me if you can....

1.) How do I take the stock motocraft out?
2.) I've come down to 2 batteries.....
a.) Optima red top 34/78
b.) The "upgraded" motocraft battery w/ 850cca

Now --- Which one? I know the motocraft will fit like a glove.... Does the Optima fit well with the stock compartmnet setup?
Any hints/ ideas appreciated....

Thanks

tim

 

Well, the M/C is 36/84. To remove them, you need an 8mm socket. Take the two terminals off, remove the cover. Then there's a hold down bolt on the "engine side" of the battery, remove that and the battery is ready to come out.

 

If you find that your new battery is a little too small, which I did, just put a little block behind the battery and it holds perfect

 

Any rightbattery of any brand should fit good, that's what the series number is for.

Buy the most months (60, 72, 84) to get the better battery. Usually more months have more cca's and will be better.

I usually by the house brand at O'reilly (midwest chain) and have had VG luck for many years. We run hwy, not uncommon to get 4-5 years and 200-300k out of one.

 

budman,

even the correct type of battery from several makers all differ in size slightly. optimas run on the small side. when i replaced mine in my 03 the ac delco i tried was to wide by 1/8'' to fit , the napa select was also 1/8'' to wide and the optima was to tall by 3/16''. the only thing that fit snug was a new motorcraft from ford. I went there last expecting them to be the most expensive. but they turned out to be the cheapest. 59.99 + tax and 4.00 core out the door. the napa and ac delco were 79.99 plus core and tax.

 

Be sure to check the ratings of the batteries. I called and gave my truck info and they gave me a price. I asked for the cold cranking amps and found that some suppliers were 200 less than stock and the Napa I got was 30 more tan stock.

 

I got my battery at Wal-Mart and other than it being yellow everything is fine. I forget how many months the battery is but when I divide the price by the amount of months, I came up with the same number. So it came down to either paying for the extra months or worrying about the battery not lasting as long. I ultimately went with the more months to reduce any headaches later.

 

The owners manual for your truck will list the battery information in both standard and heavy duty applications. My `02 F150 5.4L with tow package gets the heavy duty unit, a BXT-65-650. I believe that your truck would use the same one. The 650 suffix is the CCA rating, the other part of the part number is the case type and size.

If you have a stock truck with no additional electrical accessories, then you should be good with the stock battery rating. Having more CCA won't hurt anything and would be beneficial especially if you are in a severe weather area. The most important things are that the battery fits well in the battery tray, is secured in place by the hold down clamp, your battery cables are corrosion free, and that your battery connections are good.

I hope this a help to you.