My New Battery

[ew1usnr]

My 42-lb Autocraft Gold size 24F battery with 875 cranking amps (CA) that was purchased on 2/09/13 went dead this past Friday on 6/23/17.

I considered replacing it with a battery that weighed 15-pounds less. Less weight would theoretically allow the car to take off and stop quicker. I surveyed the on-line auto parts stores and made the following summary chart of the batteries that they had listed as fitting the Falcon. The batteries are ranked from the lightest weights to the heaviest and I also made note of their reserve power, cranking amps, and price.

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I studied the chart and considered the pros and cons, and ended up selecting the heaviest battery on the chart, the 45-pound Exide battery from Home Depot with a monster 960 cranking amps. What impressed me about it was that it was the most powerful battery on the chart and also one of the least expensive.

I ended up considering that a lighter weight battery would provide a theoretical performance improvement, but that instant starts are also a form of improved performance that is not theoretical. The heavier battery will provide a higher cranking power that l will notice every time I start the car. Dependability can also be thought of as a form of performance and the heavier battery has about 50% more reserve capacity than the lighter batteries.

The list price is $99.00, but Home Depot offers a 10% military discount so I got it for $89.10 (I am retired from the Naval Reserve). See: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Exide-Extreme-24F-Auto-Battery-24FX/204852594

Behold the Wonder and Grandeur of the Exide NASCAR Extreme Silver Shield 24FX battery. 800 CCA, 960 CA, 120-minute reserve capacity, 45 pounds. $89 at Home Depot. “Exide Premium Extreme line features superior power and dependability in more sizes. Exide Extreme will fit more domestic and import vehicles, than ever before. And with our advanced Silver Shield Technology, the Global Extreme delivers longer battery life and enhanced durability that keeps you charged even in the harshest weather.” It even has the little feet at the bottom of the battery that allows it to be used with the original Falcon battery clamp.

6409

I also replaced my corroded positive battery cable with a "Made in USA, NAPA Mileage Plus, 4 gauge, 15-inch, Top Mount, 3/8 in. lug, red post terminal battery cable #781125 for $6.57. Fits Ford Falcon 1960 - 1965. Made Of Quality Copper Conductor w/ Cast Antimonial Lead Universal Terminals, Full-Gauge Stranded Copper Core Is Flexible For Easy Installation & Maximum Current For Quick Starting. Copper Core Extends To The End Of The Plated Lug To Give a One-Piece Solid Connection, Meets SAE Standards, PVC Insulation".

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[dhbfaster]

That's the one I bought. Purely because of the "little feet" though. So far so good.

[SmithKid]

Yup. I ended up with that same battery from H.Depot about 6 months ago. Got it's own build in hold down tabs (hard to find) is what did it for me. :)

[ew1usnr]

My last battery did not have the little feet so I used an aftermarket clamp that went across the top of the battery

My new battery has the feet so I wanted to re-install the original clamp. It turned out to be problematic because its nut was frozen onto the rusted bolt.
I used a die from my Harbor Freight tap and die set and cut new threads up to the frozen nut.
Then I put a drop of penetrating oil on it and unscrewed the nut which then allowed me to cut new threads all the way back to the bolt head.

I was proud of myself for refurbishing the original 54-year old nut and bolt. :)

I initially tried to install the clamp while standing in front of the car. That was difficult because the fan blade was where my hand and wrench needed to be. Then I tried leaning over the right fender and was able to tighten the nut easily using my left hand and a 1/2" wrench.

Cool! I am using the original battery clamp!

[2erobrd]

I moved to the Exide 24FX and the battery held up ok for about 1.5 years before it started to fade on me despite of religiously connecting the car to a trickle charger. Since then I have returned and exchanged the battery just about annually so I have to assume the problem may be with my car and not the battery :(.

My question now is, are the gel batteries more reliable or do they last longer?

By the same question I need to have someone look and se if I have a parasitic battery drain.

any suggestions?

[dhbfaster]

Mine from 2017 is still going very strong. AGM batteries are great but it won’t fix the root cause.
I think you’re probably right about the parasitic battery drain. I’ve had that with two other cars.
On one car it was a short in my starter and on the other it was a relay and an electronic module.
It’s easy to get on YouTube and search for either “Eric the car guy” or “Chris fix” and “parasitic battery drain” to get good instruction. My only warning...you do need a good meter that can handle the level of current. I think I blew up two cheap ones before I realized what I was doing and looked at the specs. (No wonder they only sell those things for $10!)
Then I borrowed the Fluke brand meter from work and it worked great.
(another cheap solution is a battery quick disconnect...but again, it doesn’t fix the root cause.)
(Also...probably obvious, but do you have a wired in clock?)

If the test shows you have current...then it’s just a matter of trial and error until you find it.

[2erobrd]

I have no clock, but do have a Retro Radio, either way I have a 67 Dodge A100 and the battery never drains, so I getter get a good tester (no harbor freight units) and see if I can track it down. Once I do I am certain I may still need replacement battery. Question is, how many cold cranking amps do I need for my 2.8L ? is 600 CCA's enough?

[Luva65wagon]

I made a simple little test light, with enough wire to see it while I pull fuses under the dash, and wire it between the ground terminal and the ground lead. It then sends all current through the bulb. If you have any current flow, enough to power a light bulb similar in size to a running light, you will drain the battery. A radio memory will not be enough. Do not turn the key ON or try to start it or you'll have a mess of wire or at minimum a blackened light bulb. You then pull a fuse at a time until the light goes out and then you at least know the circuit where the drain is. You'll still have the fun of figuring out where exactly, but if the wiring is stock, it shouldn't be too hard.

As for CCA, 600 should be plenty.

[dhbfaster]

Yes, I forgot the part about the fuses. Pull them one at a time and when the current drops you found the circuit! That was the fun part. You’ll probably need one person to watch the meter and one to carefully pull the fuses one at a time.

If you go the meter route, just make sure it can handle 10 amps DC.

i blew up A Canadian Tire store $10 meter equivalent to the $6 Harbor freight version. it said it could measure current...just didn’t say how much!

The Fluke meters can handle 10 amps and probably have more accuracy than you need for a falcon. (The accuracy came in handy for my other cars though...if you can see the mA accurately you can actually tell by the amps which module is likely the problem.). Example: $88
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HEAMLCO/ref=emc_b_5_t

Harbor Freight has one that says it can handle 10 amps. Only $39. It should be ok.
https://www.harborfreight.com/dm600-compact-digital-multimeter-64014.html
of course buyer beware on all harbor freight stuff! I bought a bunch of it and only regretted half.

Meanwhile Rogers test light idea is genius of course! We should make and sell these on eBay.

[Jeff W]

Turning your key”on” or trying to start the engine with a test light in circuit won’t cause a blow out. At most draw (think dead short or starter motor trying to turn) your 12 volt test light will just glow at it’s maximum brightness. The resistance of the bulb filament limits current draw.

I too use Roger’s method when searching for shorts.

Good luck