Thinking if getting a new battery, what is the reccomended battery that you guys prefer, i had an exide worst battery i have every owned, and what is perfered on the CA and CCA? I own a 94, 4.0

 

I haven't had to replace my battery yet, but my GC has an Interstate Mega-Tron Plus that came with it when I bought it 4 years ago. It's lasted this long and I don't think it was new when I bought my Jeep. I think they retail for around $150.00.

EDIT: Should also mention it's lasted 4+ years in Central New York winters.

 

Battery brands are like oil brands, everyone has their favorite. I used it buy nothing but Diehard, but my jeep had an new Interstate in it when I bought it a year ago. I had it load tested and it performed better that it's rating, so I'm not worrying about it for a while. I think it 850 CCA, but I'm not sure. It's about the largest that will fit in the tray. I'll say one thing, don't buy whatever brand Walmart sells. A friend had a 5 year battery replaced twice in the 5 years he had it.

 

The highest CCA is not always a good thing. The plates in the battery are bigger so you can get the high CCA , but those plates take up the space the acid should be in. The battery will overheat and gas out. The charge rate is lower for the high CCA rated batteries too.

 

Small price to pay when the temp is -30* and she cranks right up!

 

Checking your owner's manual or a battery manufacturer's catalogue should give you the OEM specs (essentially the required CCA and BCI Group Size - physical size and layout - that it had when it left the factory,) and the CCA spec should be considered a minimum.

An explanation of the specifications:
- BCI Group Size: This is just a simple number, which gives the physical dimensions of the battery and the terminal locations. Physical sizes, in several cases, correspond, but the terminals are located differently, switched around, or of a different style (BCI24 and BCI24R have the terminals reversed from each other. BCI 26 = BCI 70, but BCI 26 has top posts and BCI 70 has side posts, for instance. BCI 26/70 will have both sets of posts - top and side.)
- CCA (Cold Cranking Amps): The current that may be reliably provided with the battery at a temperature of (I believe) 0*F. This is the common specification cited. (Both CCA and HCA are, I believe, tested for thirty seconds.)
- HCA (Hot Cranking Amps): Similar to CCA, this is the reliably-provided current with a battery temperature of 100*F
- RC (Reserve Capacity): Given in Ampere-hours (A-h,) this is a relatively low-current capacity for a fully-charged battery, without being recharged as it is run. A "deep cycle" battery often has a greater reserve capacity available, and will tolerate more full discharge/full charge cycles before sulphation becomes a problem. Ampere-hours is a "combination" specification; if you have a rating of 100A-h, that means that you can draw:
- 100A for one hour, or
- 50A for two hours, or
- 25A for four hours, or
- 1A for one hundred hours, or
- 200A for one-half hour, or
- 400A for one-quarter hour, or
- 1,000A for six minutes, or
- Any other combination of Amperes & hours that multiplies out to 100. (Nota bene - This is the specification that determines your range if your alternator should fail, and this is the specification you want to pay attention to when selecting a battery for winching.)

"Sulphation" is the accumulation of lead sulphite in the spongiform Pb-Sn plates used to form the "poles" of the cells in the battery. As the plates accumulate Pb(SO4)2, the effective surface area of the plate will decrease, reducing current output capacity. In early stages, this may be corrected through the use of a special charging cycle. As this is allowed to advance, however, it becomes more & more difficult to correct, until it becomes irreversible.

PRIORITIES IN SELECTING BATTERY SPECIFICATIONS:
1) BCI Group Size: Sometimes you can use a different group size in your specific application (the OEM for the XJ is not BCI34/78, but the BCI34/78 Optima fits just fine.) A smaller battery is typically easier to fit in place of a larger one - but make sure that not only is the "footprint" smaller, but that the battery is the same height or shorter, or you're likely to short out on sheetmetal!
2) Cold Cranking Amps: Especially if you're in a climate that gets cold weather in the wintertime.
2) Hot Cranking Amps: Essential reverse of CCA - if you routinely have ambient temperatures =<90*F, watch this spec.
3) Reserve Capacity: As I said, this is the one that can get you home, or just out of a hole.

(Yes, CCA and HCA have the same priority. They're flipsides of the same specification, and typically only one of them will apply.)

 

I've had excellent luck with an Interstate Battery (not in a Jeep)...more than 10 years in my daily driver BMW 318is.

One name that comes up frequently when I see battery discussions on other boards is Deka batteries. I believe they make batteries for other manufacturers to 're-brand'. Their factory is only about 30 minutes from where I live (actually, it's closer to 45....but the warehouse is about 30 minutes)...so when the Interstate finally 'gave up the ghost' (just getting a bit weaker...but certainly not dead)...so I drove there and got one of their 'blems'...and they also bought (in addition to the core trade in) an old battery I had lying around...

AFARR

 

Optima yellow top, diehard, Napa gold, interstate mt or mtp not I series though, deka so far that I've seen aren't bad. Ones to avoid, everstart or as I call it neverstart. Mastercraft or as I call mastercrap. Aaa is crap, champion is crap. There's more that can go in each category but that off the top of my head I've got the optima yellow top 34/78 and it is well worth the money. Its a bit over 200 but with the warranty its worth it. With that battery and my capacitor I get around 1300cca. Stay away from red top optimas, their only reliable when used as a starter only battery in a multibattery setup with an isolator

 

Hey, guy! What's with the capacitor? I've heard about adding a cap to the system for a hot start in extremely cold weather, sounds like a good idea, but I haven't had anybody to talk to about it. It must be buku farads, and where do you get one? I know just one full farad will give you one h*** of a jolt! I would assume these are used in large diesels so you don't have to carry humongous batteries, right?

 

The power caps help with the initial current spike. They are built for discharge speed whil that battery has a muchblonger reserve. Cheap caps hurt more than help though so be careful as to which brand. Mine is installed for my stereo but it has more uses than that. 1farad is about 1000watts max i believe. Basically for audio setups atleast, it helps stop the voltage drop from spikes in the b+that runs to the amps. I would imagine it would help a diesel in cold weather but never tried it. I've got a 40 farad cap in my jeep. Its only a power acoustic so its not a true 40 farad but I've got a total of about 2500watts rms and it has no voltage drop. Ill tell you what though, with my battery, cap and big 3 it starts like a champ. And you can get them online mostly, I did anyway.

 

Yeah, IDK what the initial amp inrush is on a 12 volt starter, but it's got to be substantial. I think I remember that cranking amps are about 250 amps, but I'm not sure about that. My friend had a clip-on ammeter that went on the battery cable and he said anything over 400 and the starter should be replaced. That was a long time ago, so maybe I'm having a senior moment, IDK!

 

Yes over 400a would warrent a starter provided there isn't anything keeping engine from turning smoothly. Diesels can pull over a 1000a due to the high compression plus it having to heat the glow plugs. I suspect it would help with winch power spike too but only at first since the engine isn't usually running while winching. And maybe if you have multiple incandescent lights that spike when you turn them on

 

I know lots of guys that have problems with electric plow lifts. The time between lifts isn't enough for the battery to recharge and they constantly need new batteries. Some add a second battery and a bigger alternator, considering they're running headlights and rooftop warning lights also. Plowing is tough on transmissions too. These guy's experience is where I got the notion of not using Drive as a brake!

 

I actually didn't think of plows but yes that would be another good reason to have one for the constant hydraulic pump engaging. I got a 220a alt to which helps recharge and control voltage drop on a longer time based scale

 

Electricity is fun, ain't it? My friend has a 1951 Pontiac show car that's 6 volts and he constantly has electrical problems, mainly with the starter and generator. I find it amazing he can still get batteries for it, because they are long and narrow. He says there is only one place in the country he can get one at a reasonable price.