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Need good cracking battery.

Avalanche

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The car starts up fine when cold. It has a hard time starting when hot, and cranks shower and will not start. If I put jumper cables on the battery, it cranks fast and starts right up. I'm thinking the battery is dying quickly an can't turn the engine over fast enough. Anyone have a good recommendation on a high cold cranking battery that works?
Thanks.
 

Challenger RTA

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Don't guess. Go find out at an auto parts store. They can check them both when cranking the car. While you are there have them check the alternator too. At the battery and the alt stud.You may have a bad connection.
 

fasjac

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I would check the battery ( starts fine hot with a jumper) alternator, charging system. Don’t know if you have headers or factory manifolds but, if that starter is getting too hot could cause the condition.
Just check your timing to eliminate that as well. jmo
 

heminut

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Put a good charge on the battery (make sure the cells are topped of with distilled water) and then have a load test done on it at a shop or parts store. That will tell you if the battery is getting weak.
 

Avalanche

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Thanks for the responses.
I will test battery and starter.
Anyone have a good recommendation for a high CCA battery?
Thanks
 

Litchkar

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most e-bodies had a group 24 battery. The tray will accommodate a larger group 27, which came in hemi’s. Larger group have higher CCA ratings
 

ctaarman

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I've had the best experience with NAPA batteries versus the other big car part chain stores. And if you aren't big on accuracy, the Group 27 is a great suggestion.
 

Titan1969

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I had similar issue found my timing to far advanced at idle. Cold started perfect. Hot start battery could barely turn motor over. Found at 800rpm I think about 24 degrees advance, moved it back to 8 degrees at idle, not a problem since.:icon_fU:
 

Chryco Psycho

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I have found almost any battery when dropped from high enough crack pretty well !!
OK I will shut up now !
 

sixpactogo

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If you have a good digital meter, Check voltage across the battery posts when you have the starting issue. If you don't have at least 13 volts, you more than likely have a bad cell. A dead cell will equalize with the other 5 plates after sitting for a while.
 

SDChallenger

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I've had the best experience with NAPA batteries versus the other big car part chain stores. And if you aren't big on accuracy, the Group 27 is a great suggestion.
Quick question...if you are big on accuracy, but don't want to sacrifice accuracy for battery quality, what are the best battery choices out there?
 

Challenger RTA

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Quick question...if you are big on accuracy, but don't want to sacrifice accuracy for battery quality, what are the best battery choices out there?
Believe it or not Walmart Ever start was put to the test with others. Project Farm on youtube tested them.There are only a few battery manufactures in the US. Johnson controls is one. might be 2 more. not many that I know of.It's about quality control.
 

Chryco Psycho

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True , not many battery manufacturers left , Deka is supposed to be one of the better ones but not in my experience , Die Hard was great 45 years ago , Delco don't last nor Interstate .
The best battery I ever had was a Optima , lasted 13 years in my daily driver but in a classic they are useless , if they get discharged they are done .
 

MoparCarGuy

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Summarizing how to troubleshoot your "slow-crank" condition:
1. Inspect the battery post connections to the battery cable terminals. If needed, remove terminals and clean the battery posts and cable terminals. Re-install cables to battery (Positive RED cable first, then Negative BLACK cable and look away from the battery as you place the cable on the NEG post).
2. With the ignition key removed from the ignition switch, check the battery voltage with a voltmeter. You should read over 12 Volts DC. Typical voltage is around 12.5 to 12.7V. Less than 12V? Your battery requires charging before continuing troubleshooting.
3. If you have 12V+, one additional voltage check between the NEG battery post and the starter relay main terminal should reflect the same voltage.
3. Now you should have a charged battery, good connections, and 12V+ to test the cranking voltage. Attempt to crank the car and listen to the cranking speed while simultaneously checking the battery voltage again with the voltmeter. The starter/engine load will draw down the battery voltage from 12+ V by two or more volts. This is normal and the battery should not drop below 9 to 10V. If it hits 8V or less, your battery is likely the problem and going bad. If the voltage is good enough to get the car to start, you should see the voltmeter change to approximately 13.5 to 14.7V as the alternator begins charging the battery.
4. If you experienced the slow-cranking again and the battery voltage was 9 to 10V, your starter, starter relay, and/or starter cable wiring should be inspected/checked to see why the starter is spinning slower than needed to start the engine. Good cables and connections should be ruled out before removing the starter.
5. It is a pain to do but removing the starter and having it checked under load at the auto parts store will let you know if the starter is bad. DC electric motors draw more current when the armature windings are hot but the slow-cranking condition can only be remedied by checking all of the starting electrical circuit.

BATTERIES
There are three major manufacturers of automotive batteries in the U.S., all auto parts suppliers source their batteries from these three companies: Exide, East Penn, and Johnson Controls. The Walmart EverStart batteries are made by Johnson Controls and are economical and great quality.

If you are concerned with originality, you could purchase a reproduction Mopar battery in Group 24 (smaller) or 27 (larger) which have been updated to Absorbent Glass Mat (AGM) versus standard lead-acid. These are very pricey at well over $300 if you can even find one in stock.

Another option is to buy a plain-looking battery and add a "Battery Topper" which looks like the top of an original Mopar battery with the appropriate yellow/green/red battery caps. The toppers are still available and that is what I run on a SuperStart battery which is manufactured by East Penn. I also added an incorrect but cool Mopar decal to the side of the battery that fools most people (see pics).
There are also kits available to add only the plastic battery caps to a plain battery that has the six standard battery cap holes but that can be more difficult to get right and will not have the Mopar raised lettering on the battery top.

Good luck on the troubleshooting. Let us know what you find.

Our battery.jpg
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Our battery with topper (1).jpg
 
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