Battery Sizes and Types

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K

kraher99

Joined
Aug 5, 2008
Threads
6
Messages
23
Location
Calgary, Alberta
Hi all,

My '86 HJ60 (24V) wants no part of starting currently, about -10C and it would only turn over for 2 or 3 seconds before the batteries died. Not nearly enough time to get it to fire. I have full synthetic 5W40 in it, and it cranked strong for the few seconds it cranked.

I was thinking something was wrong, but then I noticed that the PO (I purchased in Aug....first cruiser) had obviously put the smallest/cheapest batteries in it so he could just to sell it.

My plan is to purchase a new set of batteries, I have been doing a lot of research on this site and elsewhere in the past few days, and I am certain I want Marine Start/DC batteries. Probably the Energizers at Walmart (made by Johnson Controls).

The current batteries are:

  • Unknown brand.
  • Group 75DT
  • 950CA
  • 735CCA
  • 110 Reserve Capacity.
The old batteries sit in there with a ton of extra room in the tray, my understanding is that (when in doubt) I want the largest batteries that will fit in the tray, the problem is none of the sizes appear to fit that well.

I measured my tray and the dimensions are: 7 1/8" D x 12 3/8" W x 8" H.

What are the sizes you HJ60 guys are running?

The Walmart near my house has group 24 and 27s in stock. The 27 would be nice but I do not think it will fit (according to this site), it will sit in the tray no problem, but I don't think the clamp will be able to close on top.

The c-tire computer claims I need a group 34 size, but that will leave a little extra room in the tray.

Should I sacrifice size for room to add a heated blanket, or should I fill it with battery?

What is the minimum recommended CCA for a diesel cruiser (2H)?

Please chime in with your thoughts and experiences.

Thanks.

Kyle
 
Group 27 is the correct size for your Land Cruiser.

What you want to do is get two NAPA 27C-6 batteries.

Napa - because they are made by East Penn/Deca and are excellent USA made batteries.

The Napa batteries have a number of features that you will not find in other makes - full frame grids on both the + and - plates, calcium/calcium construction, forged posts, and anchor bonded plates (the enveloped plate bottoms are set into resin to prevent vibration damage), etc... etc... They will cost more, but they will last longer. I can't say what my pricing is, but you should be able to get them for lower than the list price - if you don't ask for a deal, you won't get a deal.

The rating on the top of the battery is usually way under what they will actually test to. I often see them coming out with numbers in the 1100+ CCA range.

Get a matched pair - your Napa dealer can order them in date code matched sets from the distribution centre nearest to them. When I get batteries in, often the production numbers are only a few apart - which means you're getting longer life, and better performance.

Clean up your terminals and connections while you're at it.

hth, John

(and yes, we sell Napa batteries... lots of them)
 
Radd Cruisers says it well, the construction details that are invisible are what make the difference.

Yes, physical size matters:whoops: as the plate surface size correlates to the power capacity. But as we all know, it's not just the size, but the quality of construction that pleases the most.

If you don't want to go with NAPA batteries, I always had good luck with Interstate Batteries. Call 1-800-Crank-It for your local distributor. (no affiliation)

Rick
 
Should I sacrifice size for room to add a heated blanket,
Click to expand...
yes

I've had very good service from Exide Nautilus Marine batteries from Cdn Tire. Into the third winter, and they're as strong as when new. There is room for the batteries with battery blanket heaters.
 
27 fits
 
Thanks Guys,

Ended up taking the plunge on 2 Energizer Marine Start/Deep Cycle batteries, Group 27. They fit perfectly, not certain if I will be able to get blankets in there or not.

Fired up very easy this morning.

After it fired up I noticed that my headlights were out, so I re-parked it and started going over it in my mind. I was cursing my cruiser until I arrived at work (girlfriends car) started reading the forums and realized that the headlights are 12V!!!.

I guess that answers my question from last night: "What the hell is this wire, connected to the low battery for? Bah, it's a 24V truck, there should be no 12V loads" So I promptly disconnected it, in my moment of frustration this morning it did not don on me that I had disconnected a wire the night before. Oh joy.

Oh well, learn something new everyday.
 
kraher99 said:
Thanks Guys,

Ended up taking the plunge on 2 Energizer Marine Start/Deep Cycle batteries, Group 27. They fit perfectly, not certain if I will be able to get blankets in there or not.

Fired up very easy this morning.

After it fired up I noticed that my headlights were out, so I re-parked it and started going over it in my mind. I was cursing my cruiser until I arrived at work (girlfriends car) started reading the forums and realized that the headlights are 12V!!!.

I guess that answers my question from last night: "What the hell is this wire, connected to the low battery for? Bah, it's a 24V truck, there should be no 12V loads" So I promptly disconnected it, in my moment of frustration this morning it did not don on me that I had disconnected a wire the night before. Oh joy.

Oh well, learn something new everyday.
Click to expand...

kraher99, where did you find Energizer Marine batteries in Calgary? Wal-mart??
 
You'll want to replace those 12v lights w/ 24 v lights, or wire them in series (short-term solution only).

Running any 12v load off of just one battery will cause all sorts of problems w/regards to battery life and charging gremlins. Probably contribute to premature hair loss, reduce penguin habitat, deforest the oceans, snow in hell, and any number of other problems.
 
sandcruiser said:
You'll want to replace those 12v lights w/ 24 v lights, or wire them in series (short-term solution only).

Running any 12v load off of just one battery will cause all sorts of problems w/regards to battery life and charging gremlins. Probably contribute to premature hair loss, reduce penguin habitat, deforest the oceans, snow in hell, and any number of other problems.
Click to expand...

That still seems a little odd to me, after-all Toyota didn't see a problem with center tapping the headlights. Regardless I intend to put a 24V to 12V converter in the truck, at which time I will move the headlight power to that 12V source.
 
leave your headlights alone... If you don't understand how they are hooked up, and you haven't bothered to look at the wiring diagram, then why would you just go ahead and think it needs to be changed? The lights are not centre tapped, one light runs off each battery, and as such the system is equally loaded on each side.
 
huh. so there you go... one light per battery, smart move
 
kraher99 said:
That still seems a little odd to me, after-all Toyota didn't see a problem with center tapping the headlights. Regardless I intend to put a 24V to 12V converter in the truck, at which time I will move the headlight power to that 12V source.
Click to expand...

NO!!!!!

You do have a 12V relay on that truck (Cdn spec 24V trucks which run 12V headlights only). It is called the dimmer switch. It also has a 24V lead into the switch. It splits power where needed so the load is balanced to both batteries (24V on one side and 12V on the other by providing one neutral wire with 12V to the headlight that has 24V showing for the high and low pins). Either leave it be (that center tap IS required on THAT line to make it all work direct from the battery bank) or take it right out of the system and wire 24V headlights into your truck using accepted wiring techniques.

Do a search on "evil center tap" or "headlight dimmer switch" in this section for a writeup with a diagram I posted up eons ago.

hth's

gb
 
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