Battery Exchange, the Long Road

My trusty Fairmont needs a battery. A stock sized battery. Good luck with that, said Ford! And they still say it!

According to the guys on the FourEyedPride forum, the original Motorcraft battery was a 58 series. It came in two flavours, according to my Fairmont Owner's Manual 54 Plates, and 66 plates, which should give an AH (AMP Hours) of 45 and 55 AH. The AH rating is no longer used by Mfrs. Strike TWO!

Then, I checked the 1981 Mustang Options book (same physical size as the Fairmont), cop versions got 80 AH batteries. Can't find them either.

So I go and measure the battery box and the 58 series fits. The 56 series is one Inch shorter and has fewer plates. In our cold weather, that doesn't fly - I've got two batteries wheezing their last hoorah to prove it, because some Parts counter guy told me his books say so! Bah! Humbug!

Sears in the US still sells DieHard batteries. In Canada, western Canada has the KalTire chain who sells DieHard, and they have the 58R series.

So I went a step further... This Canadian thread has more info on who makes which brands (last post):
http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/showthread.php?28705-Battery-for-2004-Mazda3/page2

If the battery is too high, in the Fairmont/Zephyrs, the hood insulation, when it gets wet/damp can drain the battery - oh yeah - because the two posts would touch it.

The battery width is key to keeping it locked in place, because the clamp is at the bottom of the battery box, and slips over the bottom lip of the battery. The tray is only 10-1/8" long.

The moral of the story is that you need to get the specs on your Starter (amperage draw at startup) or the specs from a shop manual, for the Starter, to get the Cranking Amps (CCA rating) or CA. For hot or really cold regions or cars with lots of electric widgets, the closer you are to a 1,000 CA rating, the better. The exception is the kid with the big Q-Tip substitute sound system (melts the wax out of his ears! ) who will likely install one of those 'Deep Cycle' batteries in the trunk (which wagons don't have.)

Then size the actual battery box/platform under the hood, including height to pick your battery.

Optima also have a good range of 58R sized batteries, so I'll check those out too. But if the DieHards meet my budget, I'll get a good one. You just can't fool around up here in temperatures that run down to Minus 40.:banghead3:

Oh! Any others with Mexican Fords, your VIN number won't work on the US FordParts.com website. I had to use the Year/Make/Model option.

AND the other funny thing, is that the straight SIX models seem to have higher rated battery options.

SO!!! When you need a battery for your classic, take the info to the Parts Counter. Don't count on the counter guy! Over $200 in two batteries that suck? No more!!!

I found this 2005 Motorcraft Battery Spec document, which does give dimensions:
http://machenry.com/documents/batteryspecs.pdf

Hope it helps!

 

I always shop around and try to get the highest CCA battery I can find. We don't get to -40F but -30F happens, and -20F can be common.

All my vehicles take a 75 series. Makes it easy to swap if needed.

Exides seem to be junk. The Everstart Maxx from Walmart has done me well. So has the Duralast Gold from Autozone (might be the same thing, it is the same color). I had an Interstate once and it was great. I had a Diehard once and wasn't impressed.

For your application, have you looked into possibly using a battery with the side terminals, and then using those adapters that screw into the side terminals to give you posts instead? You might get more choices that could fit, and avoid the problem of the terminals getting shorted by the hood insulation.

 

On my 55 Chevy I use the side posts with adapters and mount it with them against the firewall. To prevent a short I use a thin plastic sheet. That way I can have a cool looking stainless cover over it.
Also have good luck with the Wally World batteries after I couldn't afford the auto store brands. After six years I need a new one for the wagon.
Battery left rear. Click on photo.

 

I have Wally batteries, (N)Everstarts, in my truck and the Toyota, both about 18 mos old, no problems yet. The battery in my bike is over 5 yrs old and the battery in the lawn tractor is also over 5 and both are still going strong. They're (N)Everstarts as well. Put an Advance battery in the Trooper cause I had a coupon that allowed me to get it, a higher amp hr battery, cheaper than WalMart Bros.

 

If you have Costco's in your area, the Kirkland batteries are mostly higher rated and reasonable in cost.

 

For years I bought Disc. Advance batteries but our local Wally ended up being cheaper than son's discounts.

 

Wally has recently had a pretty big price hike on their batteries in our area, they've gone from $77 for a group 65(like the one I bought for my truck) to over 90 I believe?

 

Back to Norm's battery.........the 58 is the std battery for my F150, the 65 is the upgrade, does that mean the dimensions are the same? Or that at least they'll fit the same tray with same height and post orientation?

 

The battery space has more head room in an F150 truck, right? Mine's right at the cowl. The AC hoses are tight there too, but I might get the non-post version in there. I'll check that out, guys. Thanks.

 

Battery prices are higher because lead has gone way up in price in the last few years. I believe China is buying it as fast as possible just like steel and silver and gold.

 

WOW, Cat! That is some nice perfectionist work under that hood that this perfectionist can appreciate. I am duly impressed!

 

Norm, once you find a new battery that meets the specs that you need you might consider a heater for it. They are not actually cheap but you might surf the net more than I did to find a good one that is not so expensive. It just may extend the life of the battery up there in the cold.

http://www.padheaters.com/battery_heater.html

 

I have had excellent luck with the WallyWorld MAXX batts. I just go there, look up the batt in the book and buy it. They have been a better batt so far than any others I have used in the past. Good warranty, too.

 

Thank you sir! I have removed the stainless from under the hood.
The weight was messing up the hinges. Note the ghost flames in enlarged pic on fender?

 

You should see our brass monkeys up here! No balls at all!

Most folks plug the block heater in and put cardboard over the grille when it kicks into Moon temperatures here!

This winter has been awfully mild (-30C to -15C at nite) but the few really cold nights just drain these wimp batteries right down. They still take a charge, but it doesn't last.

BUT! I realized why the Idle is set at 900 RPM. The alternator (a 1G) just holds it above 12 VDC at 650. At 900 RPM is moves up to about 14 VDC with the heater and headlights on (halogens).

Found this though:

http://vb.foureyedpride.com/archive/index.php/t-62141.html

and this OptimaJim's comments:
http://www.allfordmustangs.com/forums/audio-alarms/295965-optima-yellow-top-battery-foxbody.html

If I could find a Fairmont cop battery tray, I'd go for the 24F size, like Dean_T suggested in that first link. Always had good results with the 24 sized batteries.