the battery in my 80 f150 is dead and i need a new one but i dont know much about batteries the numbers on the old one are : 2lr16, 24f 525, 420 cca@17.8 deg C could someone please explain these and also tell me how much im lookin at to replace
-thanks

 

Doesn't really matter, as long as its 12v, it phisically fits, and the posts face the right direction (or your cables reach). What engine do you have? If you have lots of accessories, you may want to go with a larger one.

 

i got a 4.9l I6 with armstrong stearing and few acc

 

I always put the biggest that will physically fit, and the highest CCA rating. My current battery is rated at 650 CCA. Expect to pay about $100.

 

24F is a sizing group. Your truck should be a 56 group size. I use a DL56 in my '81. *** 590 cold cranking Amps (735 cranking Amps) *** 95 reserve minutes. -> 2 year free replacement, 7yr warranty. Shop around for best price comparing the CCA of brand.

 

You can get an Optima yellow top for 115 if you shop around. With that engine, you wouldn't have to worry about a dead battery ever again.

 

I got a red top for mine, and I'm loving it.

 

I've had an Optima RedTop in my '81 since Christmas of 2005, and it's never once let me down.

It's survived a dead voltage regulator, and had enough power to get my mom to and from work, about 16 miles; my truck sat there idling with the battery at 10v, like it was nothing. Later on, the headlight switch bit the dust and caused the voltage regulator to overcompensate and cause a 17v overcharge...blew out both my Silverstar headlights (*sob*), but the RedTop didn't even flinch. And months later, the alternator died...no big deal, it got us where we needed to go.

Then when my steering box blew a seal and my truck was off the road for almost a year...it set there, still hooked up the whole time, and wasn't affected. Only had to charge it twice due to the drain from starting my truck but not driving it enough to charge (ran terrible at the time). It survived that too.

It's now getting me to work every day, and it still starts my truck like a brand new battery.

If you have a decent sized battery, like 1000 cranking amps (that'd have probably around 800 cold cranking amps), you might be able to trade that battery in to get a decent amount taken off the price of an Optima. Back in '05, I believe my RedTop was like $120 or so, and after the price of a rather new Duralast battery (to fit an '85 Caddy) was taken off, I only paid $70. Almost might've got it for $30 if one of the employees at another Autozone didn't catch the newbie's mistake. :P


Hopefully you'll excuse the life story, but I just enjoy telling people how good these Optimas really are. Some people say they're junk, but I know they're not.

 

I had two in my bronco, running through a relay setup. Long story short, the current protection between them and the alternator blew during a smog (dyno) test, and neither battery survived. It got me home, but it completly drainined them after the 20min test, and they were never the same. Any other battery wouldn't have even got me home though.