Are these still available? I thought I read on here recently about them being discontinued.

My 99 V10 was offered with a 750cca or 850cca with tow package. Not sure why the 6.2L has a 650cca.

I understood this as well.

 

I read the following on several sites.
"To start a 4-cylinder gasoline engine, you will need approximately 600-700 CCA; 6-cylinder gasoline engine, 700-800 CCA; 8-cylinder gasoline engine, 750-850 CCA; 3-cylinder diesel engine, 600-700 CCA; 4-cylinder diesel engine, 700-800 CCA; and 8-cylinder diesel engine, 800-1200 CCA.... colder climates the higher CCA rating the better, due to increased power required to crank a sluggish engine and the inefficiency of a cold battery. As batteries age, they are also less capable of producing CCAs. "

If that's true, then according to the last sentence theoretically the higher cca batteries SHOULD last longer.

 

Optima red top 950cca bought in 2006 for my 1979 bronco mud truck, then it went into my 1977 f150 mud truck till three years ago when i put it into my 2004 f350.

 

I like the idea of having a long warranty and the warranty available at many many locations and for long hours at those locations. I read somewhere that most batteries are made either by Johnson Control or Exide.

 

A couple links in the (Click me)Excursion Tech Folder regarding the same.

 

Deka (East Penn) makes a bunch, good batteries.

Batteries are constructed differently depending on the part of the US they are distributed. "Southern" batteries have a bit weaker electrolyte or specific gravity or somesuch. Something to consider prior to moving across country, a "Northern" battery bought in Minnesota may not be suitable for Texas climate, and the reverse is probably also true.

High temperature is the great enemy of batteries. They often fail at the first cold snap of the season, that's true but it's the summer heat that did them in. That, and all the BS parasitic loads common with modern trucks.

 

No one ever complained about having too many CCAs.

 

My 2000 buick with 3.8 v6 needs 800cca and that barely turns the sucker over. I believe it has do with how long the run is as well. Battery is under the backseat. On another note my 07 f150 only came with 650 cca and my 2011 f350 6.2 only came with 650 cca as well.

 

Seems all I can get out of the Walmart Maxx 850cca batteries is around a year. When the cold weather comes the voltage on the battery starts to drop and it won't hold a charge. The first Maxx battery replaced the factory Motorcraft 650 that went out just shy of 10 years, a year later it was toast. Now the second Maxx battery is exhibiting the same symptoms as the last Maxx since it started getting cold.(worked perfectly before the cold set in) The trucks charging system is putting out what it should, the battery just won't hold a charge.(I even put the battery charger on it) I figure one cell is bad. I'll get one more Walmart batteries under warranty yet but that is it, if it goes I'll just pay for a Motorcraft 650cca like came in the truck from new. The MC 650 that came in the truck never had one problem cranking the V10 over until it passed of old age. Frankly it seems to me from experience with other vehicles the higher cca batteries don't seem to last as long.

 

You can try using a charger before the battery starts to weaken, before the cold weather sets in. The high summer heat and underhood temperatures is the actual cause of the trouble, in the form of sulphation. Unless a battery is kept above about an 80% charge the sulphate soon turns into hard crystals and a permanent reduction in capacity. Phantom drains, self discharge, short trips will cause this.

Modern vehicles with all the modules and gee-gaws don't "go to sleep" for a half hour or so after shutdown, and during this time are drawing near headlight levels of electrical current! Jeeze Louise, that's dumb.

Anyway a heavily sulphated battery will choke when temperatures eventually get cold and is tasked to perform. I've often wondered that if batteries came in a clear plastic case, whether some of the trouble could be avoided.

 

Not sure where that site came up with those figures, but they are quite high. While I don't disagree with having extra CCA, there is no point in paying for more than you need unless you really love having a powerful battery. Our 4-cylinder propane fork truck starts easily with a 375CCA battery (granted, stored indoors over night). My Kubota 3-cylinder diesel tractor has a 475CCA battery from the factory and starts at 0F after sitting a couple of days...and it is the original 2013 battery. As I mentioned, my last 2 gas Super Dutys came with a singe 650CCA battery. On the other hand, a new diesel Super Duty has 1500CCA of battery power standard.

I think application is more important than engine. Why does a 2011 F-150 5.0L V8 get a standard 750CCA battery while the 6.2L Super Duty gets a 650CCA? The answer isn't that the 5.0L is harder to crank over (although it does have higher compression) but rather, the F-150 has electric power steering and the Super Duty does not.

Does the diesel need 1500CCA of battery to start? Nope, it's primarily because of the 8 glow plugs which can draw a massive amount of amperage. Yes, the higher compression diesels take a little more cranking amps to start, but it's not as much as you might think.

I have no idea if a higher CCA battery will last longer. It would seem to me there must be a point in which higher CCA's is not beneficial. In my experience, the output of the alternator is critical to battery life. A strong alternator not only recharges the battery even on short runs, but also supplies all of the needed current for any accessories the vehicle is running.

I had a mid 90's Mercedes E-Class which came with a large battery, but only a 90A alternator. Being a Mercedes, there were quite a few accessories which dragged the battery down while running. At low speeds, the alternator did not seem able to keep up with heated seats, headlights, fog lamps, rear fog lamps, audio system with separate amps, rear defrost, mono-wiper system, heated mirrors, heated windshield washer nozzles, HVAC system, and engine cooling fans. That vehicle went through batteries.

On the other hand, we had several other European vehicles (VW, Audi, Land Rover, etc) with 150A Bosch alternators...those vehicles never had battery trouble.

I'm pleased with the high alternator output of all of the newer Ford trucks.

 

His high numbers are accurate for the first 2 seconds of cranking... and sharply decline there after... by 50 percent.

a bigger alternator is better then a big CCA battery.. my opinion.
the faster the battery can recover to Full, the longer the battery will live.

my Ram with its 11 year old battery had a 155 amp alternator.. and a 650cca battery.
.
and in the 1960's a 450cca battery and a 35 amp alternator..
OR 65 amps with air conditioning.

 

I agree - but on the other hand, alternator amperage is pretty spectacular these days.

I'm kind of skeptical of American alternator output ratings, though. Look at the alternator on your truck - standard is a 157A, some have 185A, some have 200A, and some have a 200A and a 157A. The F-150 has a 220A. There is nothing special about the appearance of these alternators...they look pretty much the same as your standard internal fan alternator from 20 years ago.

Take a look at the 150A Bosch on your average Audi or BMW...you'll notice it might have dedicated air duct work which brings cool air from the grille to the rear of the alternator. A 2003 Range Rover has a 170A Bosch alternator which is liquid-cooled. The point is that an alternator can only make those high ratings when it is cool, and also only during certain engine speeds.

While I don't doubt my diesel might make a combined 357A when the engine is cold and RPMs are up...I doubt the numbers are nearly as impressive when idling in 90F heat.

 

I've had the same Optima Red Tops in my truck for the last 4 years and have been doing great. I do a lot of off-roading so a sealed battery is a must for me. If I can get the boss (my wife) to approve the price I'll go Odyssey AGM next time otherwise it's another set of Red Tops for me.

 

Great thread. A lot of good information. Wound up with a Mega tron.