ok last night my alternater went toasty i replaced it this morning and the truck fired right up drove the truck a bit shut it off battery didnt charge tried it again same thing, replaced the battery but not with one that was 700cca its like 400-500 i cant tell the battery is set up wierd and the celinoid started smoking when i tried to start it and it would fire up if the celinoid was tapped so i replaced that but now the truck rolls over about 5-8 half turns really slowly then starts cranking faster and fires up i know its not the starter that was replaced in 04 and i tested it today so any ideas ? my dad said it might be the lower cca batt

 

I would have to agree with your estimation on the CCA's although, I'm not positive. I know that my battery was fine, but the charge got low enough that I wasn't producing enough CCA's and it wouldn't even turn over. Charged the battery up and I've been fine. Good luck and hopefully some others will chime in!

 

Hey blackmajikf100, I'm new to this site, but might be able to help you with your problem.
I also say it is your battery with the lower cca, but don't foresee any problems with the smaller battery if you are using your truck regularly, since your new alternator should keep it full, but less frequent use might give problems in the future.
I run my truck on a 400cca battery, and have no problem with it, although it also turns a bit slower than with the 700cca bat.
Hope this helps

1970 F100 custom 302c

 

i used to go to costco and buy the smallest battery they had it was cheaper. in the winter time i had the same problems as you do sluggish starter long starts.

i switched upt to a 700 something battery and viola problems gone.

my carb was always running dry over a weekend so i had to really ride the started every once and a while to get the gas going again.

if your only problem is the slow initial crank and it bothers you just upgrade or regrade to the 700.

if your problem is slow starts every once and a while then i would suggest checking your tunage on your carb and or choke adjustments. if it is too much work and runs fine the rest of the time just zapp some ether in it in the morning to wake her up fast.

you should prolly just go double check all your wires starting at the alt and battery just incase .

 

Do you still have the "mechanical" voltage regulator on your truck? I went through five or six of those parts store electronic regulators. They are nothing but crap! When they fail they usually short out the battery throuh the alternator causing the alternator and the wiring to heat up while the truck is parked and a dead battery. I changed back to a mechanical regulator six years ago and have had no problems with my charging system since.If you're using an electronic regulator I would go back to a mechanical one. If you have a volt meter check the voltage at your battery when the engine has warmed up and is idling.You should have aproximately 14-14.5 volts with all lights and accesories off. In any case you should have a higher reading with the engine idling than when the engine is not running. If there is no difference check your alternator,regulator and wiring harness. If the battery is going dead while the truck is parked disconnect the positive battery cable and connect a 12 volt test light between the positive cable and the (+) battery post.Make sure ALL lights and accesories are turned off when you do this so you get an accurate result. If the test light lights up, even dimly, you have a short cicuit somewhere or something is staying on and draining the battery while your truck is parked.

 

thanks alot everyone i actually got the truck cranking good i put a 700 cca back in it but 2 days later i went out to a dead battery right after i shut the truck off called my friend had him jump me and followed me to advanced took us 4 hours but figured out that it was the plug to the voltage regulator so i zip stripped it forward and it works fine now