What battery for 3.0 V6 1996?

Discussion in 'General Motoring' started by proxy, Feb 10, 2004.

  1. proxy

    proxy Guest

    What battery I should use for my Plymouth Grand Voyager 1996 3.0 V6. I
    mean how much Ah. Now I have 55 Ah but the battery has just broken.
     
    proxy, Feb 10, 2004
    #1
  2. If you still have the owners manual the vehicle specs page usually list the
    amp hour rating of the original battery - or - if the one in there is the
    original then you can read it right off of that. The replacement should be
    the same amp hour rating / cold crank amp rating as the spec. Many people
    move up to a premium battery at replacement time and go for a higher AH &
    CCA rating, especially in cold climates.
    If you have added some power drawing accessories like a sound system booster
    then a little bigger battery capacity won't be a bad idea.

    Just don't go for the biggest is best. It is possible to have a battery
    with so much capacity that a low output alternator cannot bring it back up
    to fully charged on short trip driving.


    --
    Mike....................................................
    "Opportunities are spawned from crisis"

    What battery I should use for my Plymouth Grand Voyager 1996 3.0 V6. I
    mean how much Ah. Now I have 55 Ah but the battery has just broken.
     
    Rufus T. Firefly, Feb 10, 2004
    #2
  3. proxy

    Bill Putney Guest

    Hmmm - not sure I go along with that, Rufus T.

    The starter on that small car is going to drain the same number of
    amp-hours (or watt-hours since the voltage will be pretty much the same)
    during starting whether the battery is small or large. The job of the
    alternator is to pump the battery back up by the same amount (i.e.,
    replace the same number of amp-hours or watt-hours) that was lost
    (ignoring resistive losses, which actually will be less for the larger
    battery) during starting, plus power the running devices (same
    regardless of battery size). The battery's self-discharge (leakage that
    occurred while sitting since the last run) will be proportional to the
    size of the battery (everything else being equal), but that's a second-
    or third-order effect and will just about balance out with the
    improvements in resistive losses of the larger battery.

    The only place where that smaller alternator would have more trouble
    with the larger battery is under the very stressful situation of
    charging a severely discharged battery (i.e., someone left the lights on
    overnight). However, an alternator should not be used to charge a
    discharged battery - a charger should be used to restore intial charge
    before starting the engine (though admittedly, you don't always have
    that choice).

    IMO, the philosophy of buying the biggest battery that will fit is not
    wrong.

    Bill Putney
    (to reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
    address with "x")
     
    Bill Putney, Feb 11, 2004
    #3
  4. proxy

    clare Guest

    I have a 3.0 in an 88 New Yorker, and I put in the biggest Interstate
    Megatron they make for it. Don't have the number handy - but at
    100,000 I removed the original battery (6 years old) and put in the
    first Megatron. At 212,000, and 16 years (10 years on battery), I
    replaced it (after my wife left the headlights on at -25C for a couple
    hours - and froze it)
     
    clare , Feb 11, 2004
    #4
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