Minimum battery size for 5.9 Cummins

One of the main things I have appreciated about my 1st Gen. Cummins diesels over the years has been how easy they are to start, even with only one
battery. Well, the "93 5.9 Cummins I have in my "94 Chevy is about in need of a new battery. New 1000 CCA batteries around here are anywhere from $160
to $190, although the Battery Depot has them for $90, but with only a 1 yr. warranty. The reason I'm asking is the fact that Academy Outdoors has new
600 CCA trolling motor batteries for $70. Would any of you care to comment on whether their battery would be a good match for my Chevy? .
 
I?ve ran some pretty small batteries in the gen one dodges before 600 would be plenty I?m sure . In the ones that take two batteries I like to shoehorn in a coupte group 31 1150 cca they fit but it?s tight .
 
A trolling motor battery would be a deep cycle battery, usually rated in Amp-Hour capacity. They are made to be slowly drained to almost dead and slowly recharged over and over without damage, hence the lower CCA starting amps. One will work for an easy starting engine like an outboard. For a high demand starting application like your diesel, I would stay with an automotive starting battery with more CCA.

What is the maximum size battery that will fit in your truck, a group 78? Menards has group 78 AC-Delco batteries for $104. Walmart might still be under $100 for a group 78-N EverStart.
 
Our local parts store has out of date bayteries, group 31 with 3,/8 threads for $55 out the door. No warrenty. I one in my 92. Just saw off one side of clamp and drill other to 3/8. Way better connection.
 
With only one battery and the heater grids, I wouldn’t run less than a Grp 31 with at least 850 CCA in a 1st Gen. I have a 1000 CCA 31 in my ‘93 and two 800 CCA Grp 65’s in my ‘98.
 
You might consider doing what I recently done in my 1996 Dodge. I needed new batteries and stopped at an Interstate battery store (an actual Interstate company battery dealer). I told them I needed new batteries and the guy said they have used ones that have been returned for some reason or other. They test and inspect them and warranty them, I think for a year. I got 2 900 cca batteries for a little less than one new one costs.
 
(quoted from post at 08:41:33 11/04/18) BigPapa53, what do you mean by "heater grids".

There's a heating element in the intake that warms up the intake air for better cold weather starting, it's referred to as the heater grid.
In Dodge trucks this heater grid comes on automatically when the key is turned on and cycles automatically depending on the air temp.
In my Fummins I have a switch on the dash I'll cycle the grids with, you may not have hooked them up in you Chevy conversion.

With or with out the grid heaters I'd want at lease one 800 CCA battery, preferably a group 31
I have two of the low profile 800CCA batteries that are used in the Ford SD trucks, unfortunately group 31's are over 2" taller and get a little close to the hood in my truck.


mvphoto26378.jpg


The heater grid is in the spacer between the intake pipe and manifold, the wire you see is the ground strap for the grids, the power feed wires connect on the back side of the spacer.
A set of solenoids I mounted to the firewall activate the grids, these are the same solenoids Dodge uses.




mvphoto26380.jpg
 
(quoted from post at 08:41:33 11/04/18) BigPapa53, what do you mean by "heater grids".

There's a heating element in the intake that warms up the intake air for better cold weather starting, it's referred to as the heater grid.
In Dodge trucks this heater grid comes on automatically when the key is turned on and cycles automatically depending on the air temp.
In my Fummins I have a switch on the dash I'll cycle the grids with, you may not have hooked them up in you Chevy conversion.

With or with out the grid heaters I'd want at lease one 800 CCA battery, preferably a group 31
I have two of the low profile 800CCA batteries that are used in the Ford SD trucks, unfortunately group 31's are over 2" taller and get a little close to the hood in my truck.


mvphoto26378.jpg


The heater grid is in the spacer between the intake pipe and manifold, the wire you see is the ground strap for the grids, the power feed wires connect on the back side of the spacer.
A set of solenoids I mounted to the firewall activate the grids, these are the same solenoids Dodge uses.




mvphoto26380.jpg
 
Thanks Destroked 450. Very kind of you to go to so much trouble. Of course I knew about the heater grid, but I had never heard it referred to by that
name. Here in the deep South it seldom gets cold enough to cause starting problems. When my battery is hot, even in "cold" weather, my motor cranks
the moment I sit down and turn the key. The man who rebuilt the pump was amazed at how quickly it cranked. I knew I was taking a risk when I bought
this motor without first being able to hear it run, but the guy seemed like a likeable and honest person so I bought it, installed it, and have been
really enjoying driving it. I just changed all the valve cover gaskets because a couple were leaking a little. I learned to blow away all the trash
between them with an air gun before doing this. I've got to either find some way to clean the inside of the headlight lenses or replace them because
the light is hindered by a film of some kind, probably algae or something. I'm also thinking about putting a 3.54 dually rear end under it because the
original 3.73 Chevy rear end gets a little less fuel mileage, and top end is about 80 mph. If I was still hauling 20K# loads over hill and dale I
would leave it like it is but I'm afraid my hauling days are over.
 
Thanks. I'll try that. The Battery Depot near here sells "reconditioned" 1000 CCA batteries for about $50 with a 3 month warranty. Trouble is, 3
months is almost always exactly how long they last.
 
(quoted from post at 18:07:13 11/04/18) Thanks Destroked 450. Very kind of you to go to so much trouble. Of course I knew about the heater grid, but I had never heard it referred to by that
name. Here in the deep South it seldom gets cold enough to cause starting problems. When my battery is hot, even in "cold" weather, my motor cranks
the moment I sit down and turn the key. The man who rebuilt the pump was amazed at how quickly it cranked. I knew I was taking a risk when I bought
this motor without first being able to hear it run, but the guy seemed like a likeable and honest person so I bought it, installed it, and have been
really enjoying driving it. I just changed all the valve cover gaskets because a couple were leaking a little. I learned to blow away all the trash
between them with an air gun before doing this. I've got to either find some way to clean the inside of the headlight lenses or replace them because
the light is hindered by a film of some kind, probably algae or something. I'm also thinking about putting a 3.54 dually rear end under it because the
original 3.73 Chevy rear end gets a little less fuel mileage, and top end is about 80 mph. If I was still hauling 20K# loads over hill and dale I
would leave it like it is but I'm afraid my hauling days are over.


Those headlights are bad for getting scratched up and yellowing.
Good thing is for about $70 you can buy a full set of front lights off amazon and others, we have bought them for quite a few trucks and they work and fit fine.
The sets include headlights, signal lights, marker lights, money well spent.

As far as the gear ratio change goes 3.73 to 3.54 is not a big step you could accomplish the same by going with a taller tire.

If your 94 is a dually I am guessing it has 215 tires on it.

Say you go from a 215/85 16 to a 235/85 16 you will drop the RPM almost the same amount, not have to do all the work and end up with brand new tires for less than the diff swap will cost you.
 
Determined, you are correct. Originally my dually did come with 215's on it from the dealer according to Chevy specs, but the guy I bought it from had
put a set of 235 x 85's on it. They had plenty of tread left on them when I bought the truck from him but they were too old and slightly dryrotted by
the time I was ready to put the truck on the road so I put a new set on it, same size, commercial grade with extra thick sidewalls that I found on
Amazon for only $653 total for 6 tires. I keep about 70# in the back and 50# in the front. I put a new Pioneer radio/CD player in it, a new tuned up
CB, painted it, and am about to install new headlight assemblies. Luv my Cummins powered Chevy.
 
And I found a set of headlight assemblies, just the headlights, on Amazon for $45. They are from Taiwan, their website being www.lightupus.com. They had the best customer reviews, and by far the most sales. I have never bought something from Taiwan that I was not happy with. Wish Radio Shack was still in business. All Taiwan products from Tandy Corp.
 
If you disconnect the grid heater, 600 would be fine. The heaters pull over 200 amps.

Two 600 cca in parallel will give you 1200 cca.

The VE44 really dumps the fuel to them under 300 rpm. If it turns over twice before firing, it's time to look for where the fuel system is sucking air.
 
Thanks T. I won't disconnect the grid heater but since my truck is a "94 Chevy it has two battery trays so I could install two 600 cca batteries in parallel. Good idea.
 
That's how I got my 90, think it had two group 24. I put a single 31 back in it. I'd have two if I were ambitious enough to make the tray a bit bigger. Or make a tray to hang one off the frame under the bedside.

I'd measure the space available and put two of the highest cca I could find in it.
 

In my first gen I always ran a single "truck and tractor" battery. Rural King has some seriously cheap batteries. As does Home Depot. You really don't want to save a buck on your diesel battery since you want decent speed to actually get that compression ignition working.
 

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Back
Top