yep I had a 2000 f150 with the tow package and they had to replace the radiator cuz they put the wimpy one in. They offered me $100 to keep the wimpy one, yeah right.

My 09 with the tow package has the 540cca battery also..are batteries covered under warranty?

 

The last battery I had to replace just failed outright in a matter of minutes. No warning, no signs.

We were driving along...stopped...about 10 minutes later, came out and the vehicle was going crazy with everything electronic cycling.
what should I have in my Expy? I just bought a 2008 Expy EL Limited last night...and to be honest, I haven't popped the hood yet

So there is a chance she has a 750+ CCA battery? Kinda hope so...especially considering that every little widget or gadget in there is connected to some sort of little motor

 

Yes, 3/36 on the original.

 

Tylus, most of the Expy I have replace battery on have the 750 that I can remember.

 

It likely suffered a physical failure like a broken and/or shorted cell if it failed without warning and while you were driving.

 

Mine started and drove fine. A couple of hours later, it didn't do anything. I got all the lights, and everything looked good, but no crank. It took me an hour to figure it out as the truck wasn't someone elses; it was mine. When I pulled the top box cover off, I was awestruck at the *wittle bitty battewy* sitting in there. Took it back to the dealer after buying a new one and they said "most trucks come with those now as they turn over easier" yadda yadda yadda. I say B.S. and listen to my audiophile without the truck running, have an Edge, leave the GPS plugged in, the lights stay on for a minute after pulling in the garage and unlocking all the doors since they are on auto, (Interior, puddle, headlights, fogs and dash) and there is all the other stuff like heated seats that draw while the alternator (which is a 100amp) charges on it. I think the 100amp is a little large for a 540cca battery regardless of the regulator. After changing to an 850, I haven't had a single issue, even with the truck sitting still for a month with the GPS plugged in. As a caveat, I'd like to say I didn't leave the GPS plugged in all the time (hot) when I had the 540cca. It was too small; end of story.

 

Has nothing to do with it. 100 amps is the peak output the alternator can supply, which is determined by electrical load. It puts out exactly enough to maintain the voltage the regulator determines. Can't overload a battery with a higher output alternator...not if the regulator's working right.

And if it wasn't working right, the maximum capacity of the battery would have NOTHING to do with being able to withstand it.

Furthermore, the maximum CCA of a battery does not directly affect how long it will last under a continuous load, either. All CCA means is the peak current the battery will generate, not the total charge capacity of the battery. Just because it says it holds more CCAs doesn't mean it'll hold up better to long, slow electrical draws. Beyond that, even with all of your electrical toys running, the battery isn't responsible for powering anything when the engine is running; the alternator is.

Seems to me that the age old "bigger is better" attitude is what is prevailing here, even when it's not necessarily true...

 

Mine also died this winter in my '08. The dealer replaced it with a much larger size. I think 850cca. You can really tell the difference when it's -20 out with the bigger battery. I don't know why they put such a small cca battery in a truck that needs something bigger.

 

Bigger is better. My truck turns over easier, and the reserve on the 850 is more than DOUBLE of what it was on the 540cca battery. Read into my posting all you like, but I know what I'm saying. I stand by my statement of a 100amp alternator being a little big for a 540cca battery. A 30amp would keep that 540 charged, but my electrical demands will eat that little battery alive. The battery is sized for all aspects of the vehicle, and not just the peak cold cranking amp output. They put the wrong battery in BOTH of my trucks at the factory.

 

What is the correct battery?

The 850 may have more capacity but the 540 would provide more than double the current your starter should ever be pulling. Unless the 540 battery was defective, there would be no difference.

Regardless, there is nothing wrong with upgrading the battery if the original is past its useful life. The stock 540 has plenty of capacity for a daily driven stock truck. If there are going to be accessories that will draw off the battery for extended periods while the vehicle is not running, then other considerations have to be made. Putting a larger battery in when it may not be needed is just hauling around more weight unnecessarily.

 

I don't think you have a good understanding of how an electrical system works.

A 2 amp trickle charger will do more than keep a 540CCA battery charged, it'd overcharge it with time! It doesn't take a certain amount of amperage to charge a certain capacity battery...just doesn't work like that.

You seem to think that the battery is what powers your electrical devices...which is only true with the engine off. The alternator is NOT sized to the battery, rather to the electrical demands of the vehicle. The battery has no bearing on this whatsoever, other than having enough power to start the engine. If your electrical demands exceed the capacity of your ALTERNATOR, you will discharge your battery and things will fail. You can have a 540CCA battery, or a 5,000 CCA battery...makes no difference other than the amount of time it would take to discharge it.


If the alternator produces enough current to power your devices, everything will work and you'll never touch the battery's stored power. If it can't, you will discharge ANY battery.

 

Wrong. The BATTERY provides power to all your devices even when the vehicle is running. When your alternator fails while you're driving down the road, what happens? If the idiot light doesn't come on, you have no clue until everything starts to go dim. Why is that? Because you were getting all of your electricity, including power to your fuel pump, cops, etc from your BATTERY. Disconnect your battery when the truck is running, and what happens? The truck DIES. Why would that be the case if the alternator is powering everything? The alternator requires battery power to run itself, through the field wire!

Also, the difference in cranking power is night and day between a 540 and an 850cca battery. Especially when it's cold outside. The starter turns faster, and stronger. That little 540 is supplying power to a lot more than that starter when the key is turned. A LOT MORE.

 

Well thats not the batts fault if the Alternator dies then your batt dies. You could have a batt doube the size and it will still do that. But when your truck is running as it should you should be able to get all the power you need from your alternator. I could understand if you was running a couple of thousands watts audio system and you drained your batt whilst driveing but as long as your alternator can supply the needed current to charge the batt back up then having a bigger batt wont help. Also the starter wont turn faster with a bigger Amp batt as it's still only 12v but it will def be able to turn for longer. Also the starter motor only pulls the current it needs and fitting a bigger batt dont mean starting quicker. If the starter motors pulls 200amps at ignition then thats the max it's going to need. No matter if it's cold or hot out. When it's warm you may find it only pulls 150amps.

 

The 4.2 XL comes with a 540cca...I have a loaded out 5.4 Lariat. The 04,05,06,and 07 models recommend a 610-875cca battery by the book, at Auto Zone, Checker and NAPA. The 08's don't have a battery listed yet, because they probably aren't supposed to fail yet. That "extra weight" is like a 20lb difference. If you can notice that in your truck, you're way too anile. Yes, anile is a word...(Fussy)

 

Read his post again, and then read mine.