diesel battery?

[boostaholic]

i have to purchase a new battery and am curious.. do you diesel engines need a higher cranking amp then gassers? or will just a standard battery do..

thanks

[DonGTI]

depends on what diesel engine you are running... but as a rule of thumb diesels do require higher amp batteries than equivalent petrol engines due to higher compression and the fact that the heaters* (Glow Plugs) and starter motor demand juice at the same time ...

*We call them heaters over here... my apologies

[Baselyne]

You want it for the Glow plugs and starting...

I just bought a 1000 Cold cranking amp battery which Im interested in selling and i have all the orig reciepts and there still is warrenty

if you in ontario you'd get lucky
Pm me

[boostaholic]

1.6 n/a thanks

[Han Solo]

what about those ultra light batteries? i know gassers run them fine, but do they make any that can work well for a diesel?

[Baselyne]

A high amp battery is all your looking for...

Should be labled CCA then a number around the 500 - 1200 range
 I wouldnt even *** on a battery less than 800 CCA

[burn_your_money]

I've run 650CCA batteries during the winter in my diesel with no problems. If there is nothing wrong with your battery don't worry about it but if you are buying a new one get one with the highest CCAs that you can afford

[Baselyne]

thanks you, that's what i was trying to say....Burn's the man

[jtanguay]

I've run 650CCA batteries during the winter in my diesel with no problems. If there is nothing wrong with your battery don't worry about it but if you are buying a new one get one with the highest CCAs that you can afford

even in north bay? must have been a pretty big 650CCA battery... i've lived in Timmins and it gets stupid cold there (only an hour away i think).  i doubt a 650CCA batt would start a diesel there at -40C.

i have a 700CCA battery in my car right now.. its alright but has a little bit of a rough time starting the car at -10 and beyond.  might also be normal tired engine syndrome though too...

[Baselyne]

do you mean the Glow plugs? Does burn use his block heater in -40?

[burn_your_money]

I had a 10 year old VW dealer 650 CCA battery and the car was not plugged in at -40 and it started. I had to try 3 times before it started and stayed running. It had been sitting outside since it last ran for about 6 hours

[jtanguay]

I had a 10 year old VW dealer 650 CCA battery and the car was not plugged in at -40 and it started. I had to try 3 times before it started and stayed running. It had been sitting outside since it last ran for about 6 hours

the motor must have been in good shape then.  my old jetta wouldn't even turn over at -32C a few years ago... what a PITA.  (that battery was a 650CCA) of course it could have been bad connections to the starter i suppose...

[burn_your_money]

Rotella T SB 0W40 and good battery/starter connections

The engine had 450k kms on it, it wasn't that good.

[flash319]

I would not go on cold CCA only.  That is one of those numbers that can be fudges to suit what you want.  How much you can draw from a battery at one time is not a good rating for a battery IMHO.  You are limited by cable size anyway.  

I have found that batteries are like many things, you get what you pay for.  Stay far away from Canadian tire garbage.  Get a good name brand (Interstate) and as big (physicaly) as you can get into the tray.  You need lots of juice (Ah) when you have to crank it over for a long time with the glow plugs when it is -40.  
I didn't see where you live but I think if it is warm all the time then there are no special needs for the diesel.

[burn_your_money]

Cold cranking amps (CCA) is the amount of current a battery can provide at 0°F (−18°C). The rating is defined as the amperage a lead-acid battery at that temperature can deliver for 30 seconds and maintain at least 1.2 volts per cell (7.2 volts for a 12-volt battery). It is a more demanding test than those at higher temperatures.

I don't see how this can be fudged