Battery & Cable Question

['94IDITurbo7.3]

How long do you guys like to keep the batteries in your trucks? do you go by "x" number of years or until cranking speed starts to slow down?

can a battery load test good and take a full charge yet still be at the end of it's life and not perform as well?

last fall in school i load tested my bats and the tested good. now that it has gotten cold the cranking speed is slow. i can count the revs of the engine while cranking. when engine is warm and outside temps are warm all is good.

what do you guys do for new battery cables? i took some pics and i will try to post them up in a little bit. i am pretty sure you guys are going to say replace them.


thanks

 

[Matrix37495]

I cant speak about the batteries because i dont know.

For the cables most recommend a minimum or 2/0 cable.

I had mine custom built. Mine is 2/0 from the drivers batt to the pass batt and 3/0 from there to the starter. That coupled with group 31 batteries and a gear reduction starter gives me a very fast cranking speed.

I would suggest that if you're sure the batts are good and the starter is good then replace the batt cable with 2/0 or larger. When i replaced mine it was night and day difference (was using the same batts and starter before and after).

 

[gatorman21218]

i made my own cables with 2/0 wire. i soldered them but i would recommend crimping it at least halfway decent and then solder. I burned up a starter once and the cable desoldered from the lug at the starter. yikes.

as far as batteries, the only thing i can tell you is replace them in pairs. the old battery will suck the life out of the new one. I also can tell you Autozone, while they may not know what a v-belt is, they replaced Both of my batteries under warranty when only one was bad. oh and I used the PO's phone number too.

 

[finitetime]

I go by cranking speed. If you think one or both is going bad you can have them tested. If one is just getting a little weak it will pull power even when the engine is not running from the good battery so you don't necessarily have to change both as many people do. Ex if you pull the batteries from the truck and put a voltage tester on them they will both have the same voltage regardless of their condition. Disconnect the cables and check the voltage. Wait overnight or a couple of days and check them again. If one is bad it will have a low voltage level. If one is lower that would be the one I would take to auto world and have them test. Depending on age good voltage cold be between 12.5-13.5v. Age is not a good indication of when to change. I seen one last for nine years onetime. I pay good money for mine and they usually don't last half as long.

 

['94IDITurbo7.3]

Wait overnight or a couple of days and check them again.

truck has been sitting for a week and both bats are at 12.5V


i think i am going to get this positive cable.
http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/d...40&ck=Search_04357_1124840_3360&keyword=04357

my neg cables look pretty healthy.

 

[finitetime]

sitting with the cables disconnected from the batteries?

 

['94IDITurbo7.3]

sitting with the cables disconnected from the batteries?

it sat with the cables connected.

 

[finitetime]

I would still have them tested. These batteries are large enough that if one cell in them is going bad they can still have 12.5v but not be able to put out the amps necessary. The fact that cold affects it makes me want to say its a battery. What did you test them with? My batteries have 950cc amps. Even if there half bad and only putting out 400cc amps it is still plenty to crank my Mustang so if the test equipment isn't adjustable for larger batteries it could just registering 600 amps and that's plenty to crank any gasser.

Oreillys could test them and if there not
good you turn around and buy the cable.

 

[finitetime]

You have to disconnect them or you are just reading the good battery through the cables.

 

['94IDITurbo7.3]

i tested them at school with a VAT 40 battery/starting/charging system tester.

this is how we were taught how to load test bats...

850cca/2=425amps

turn the load knob to 425 amps and then hold it there for 10-15 sec. while holding that amperage look at the voltage. if they drop down to 9.6V or less then the battery is a goner.

 

[finitetime]

They can go bad all of a sudden to so last fall doesn't count. Don't let it set to long with the cable connected if one of the batteries is bad. It will drain the good one and cause it to go bad also after a couple of weeks.

 

[ih8minimumwage]

i think i am going to get this positive cable.
http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/d...40&ck=Search_04357_1124840_3360&keyword=04357

my neg cables look pretty healthy.

That's the same positive cable I bought, and I couldn't be happier with it.

As far as your negative cables, they're super cheap through Blain's Farm and Fleet.
http://www.farmandfleet.com/product...atalog/find.aspx?t=2%2f0+Battery#.Tw-KGvKVr9Q

I ordered mine from there, and they work great.

 

['94IDITurbo7.3]

That's the same positive cable I bought, and I couldn't be happier with it.

As far as your negative cables, they're super cheap through Blain's Farm and Fleet.
http://www.farmandfleet.com/product...atalog/find.aspx?t=2%2f0+Battery#.Tw-KGvKVr9Q

I ordered mine from there, and they work great.

i was searching for were to get a cable and came across a thread that you gave a link to for that cable.

 

['94IDITurbo7.3]

They can go bad all of a sudden to so last fall doesn't count. Don't let it set to long with the cable connected if one of the batteries is bad. It will drain the good one and cause it to go bad also after a couple of weeks.

i left them disconnected today when i was done looking things over. i fully intend to test them again.

 

[ADV]

what is a group 31 battery