FLYNAVY30

Looking for a replacement battery....what do these cars require as far as minimum CCA to be reliable and what do you guys usually go with as far as reserve capacity minutes? I'd like to go with the smallest, lightest battery that will fit the bill, but at the same time, after sitting for a week or two, it frequently takes a bit of cranking to get started. Not looking for specific battery recommendations, just what you've found to work well as far as battery specifications.

Thanks!!

Mikado463

smallest / lightest, 'Odyssey' perhaps ........

FLYNAVY30

Agreed....I've been looking at Odyssey....just not sure which model meets the needs on these cars.

Mikado463

use their 'look up', example, here's one for my '67 ......

http://www.odysseybattery.com/battery_search.aspx

Nowhere Man

group 24 is all you need. why do you care about CCA when you won't be driving it in the winter when its freezing

FLYNAVY30

"There is currently no battery match for your vehicle"

FLYNAVY30

I won't? I realize I'm in the minority, but as long as it's dry and the roads are clean, I drive both of my old cars regularly in the winter....and Virginia easily gets below 32 degrees over night in the winter. Additionally, CCA is the standard approved by the battery industry by which to compare one battery to the next.

RJ1

I have a Odyssey PC925 works fine after a couple weeks sitting. I have EFI which draws off the battery all the time. It weights just 26 pounds and has 330 CCA and 900 cranking amps. Have used in other cars as well no problems. Be sure you order the right one for your car so the terminals are on the correct side for your setup. I have AC so battery is on the driver's side. They have a PC925L which switches terminal sides. Terminals are sold separately and just screw into the battery.

FLYNAVY30

Much appreciated, thanks!!

Donald #31176

Costco Interstate Battery Group 58. 600 CCA . $65 +$ 15 core charge.

mattba

I always just buy a Group 24 with a flat top so I can use a topper. Amazing how many people think they are a vintage battery at the shows for a fraction of the price without the hassle of a real one!

Nowhere Man

FLYNAVY30

Redbird

Buy the basic Delco for around $120!

SWCDuke

All C1/2 OE batteries were BCI Group 24. The BCI group number defines the exterior physical dimensions and features. Back in the day CCA and reserve capacity were not stated. Batteries were only rated by "amp-hours", and the OE Delco in my SWC was 61.

Within the various size groups there may be different CCA ratings, and the higher rated batteries will usually be more expensive and have a longer warranty. These higher rated batteries have more plate area, so they are heavier.

For all my cars I just buy the least expensive battery I can find and Walmart usually has the best price. My oldest current battery is a 26R that I've actually killed stone dead twice. It's still going at 17 years, but I know it's getting weak and should be replaced soon.

Typical "maintenance free" batteries have a natural discharge rate of about one percent per day at room temperature, but the lower the temp the lower the discharge rate and vice versa. Plus there's about a 20-30 ma draw through the alternator. Having a battery cutoff switch eliminates that along with the clock keeping time.

One of the reasons I've gotten so much service out of the 17 year old, forty dollar 26R is that I always charge it prior to starting if the car has not been started for a few days, which is usually the case. In fact, it's usually two to three weeks. If you don't do this and only drive the car every three weeks it's at least 20 percent discharged. Batteries have a chemical memory such that if the engine is repeatedly started with a significantly discharged battery, it will eventually never come back to a full charge no matter how long you charge it, so battery life will be short.

Most batteries are manufactured by Johnson Controls, and the same battery is sold in many "brands" with different stick on labels. Autozone, Walmart, Costco... those are all made by JC. So I just buy from the least expensive source, remove all the gaudy stick on labels (and move the warranty label to where it can't be seen when installed in the car) and end up with a plain black battery that doesn't stick out like a sore thumb.

Finally, modern lead acid batteries really aren't maintenance free, no matter what is advertised. Typical JC batteries have 3-gang cell covers that can be easily removed with a putty knife, which I do once a year and top off as required with distilled water. That's another reason why I get very long life out of inexpensive batteries.

If you charge before every use, add distilled water as required at least once a year, and usually only start the car in mild temperatures you can easily get away with the least expensive and least CCA Group 24 that you can find, and it will likely be no less than 500 CCA, which is more than adequate and is likely considerably more than the OE Delco that was installed at St. Louis.

Duke

ejboyd5

SWC Duke (with detail) and several others (more tersely) have fairly well nailed it. Any Group 24 will work just fine and to assure a long life install a disconnect switch for when the car is not in use. I presently have four 24s in service, all between 16 and 20 years of age. No climate controlled storage, no trickle charger or battery tender involved to disrupt the battery's natural equilibrium, just consistent use of a disconnect switch to eliminate parasitic drain. No need to spend for the modern, expensive batteries which apparently, if you frequent the several automobile forums, do not have a very great longevity.

Desert Nomad

I got sixteen years out of my last AC Delco. I replaced it with another AC Delco series 24 700CCW. Problem I had was that the lip on the bottom of the battery that is used to hold down the battery in the tray was to high for the clamp to bite in and secure. I had to fabricate a clamp to hold it down. Thought all 24 series would fit. Dimension wise, yes, but securing the hold down obviously not. The Corvette shop I bought it from had no clue. This a '67' 427 conv. Just saying.

MikeM

Why pay more? $46.99 Made by Exide and all the power you need.

https://www.ruralking.com/battery-525-cca

SWCDuke

Follow up story...

A buddy called a couple of days ago and said the battery in his three year old Ford Escape went TU. I explained why OE batteries are short lived. From the plant to the lot and while in dealer inventory the engine is started dozens of times, but only runs for a few minutes, which is not long enough to fully recharge the battery, so it slowly loses charge over time, and that "chemical memory" I mentioned previously is degrading the battery. So the battery in most new cars is already considerably aged before going into normal daily service with the first owner.

The dealer said the battery warranty was expired, and the Escape he bought had been in the dealer's inventory for several months before he bought it. (He got a smokin' year-end deal.)

I've never gotten more than about four years out of an OE battery, except the OE Delco in my SWC, which lasted seven years, but it was a plant delivery, so the battery didn't see all the usual abuse prior to going into normal daily service.

Duke

Frankie the Fink