The wife's truck currently has one group 31 battery in it.

Laying loose down below it is a second ground cable, bolted to the engine, with a factory molded-on cable-end.

How many batteries should this truck have had when new??

If two, where does the second battery go; and, what size were they??

The 31, that's in there now, is mounted parallel to the engine.

Thanks.

 

The first gen trucks come with one battery (Group 31). It should be on the drivers side right behind the headlight.

 

You have the exact same setup i do. That extra cable could be some slop a PO "installed"

 

Should be exactly like my 91.5, one big battery on drivers side. Somebody probably replaced the cable & never removed the old one.

 

Sorry for the dumb question, but I don't know much about bateries. What's a group 31? I just went into Walmart and got the biggest battery they had. I think it says like 850 cc amps or something like that.

 

Group 31 is basically the physical size of the battery. I've seen many group 31's with different CCA's but the OEM battery came with 1025 CCA's and that's what you want to look for. I saw one yesterday that is rated for 1200 but we put it on the load tester and it showed 1300 CCA's...

Here a link for some good information...
http://www.vonwentzel.net/Battery/00.Glossary/

 

Ouch, don't want to buy another battery anytime soon. Hope this one holds up long enough to get handed down to one of the cars before I have to go looking for a better one.

Wow, great link. I now know more about batterys than I ever thought possible!

 

The cold weather takes a lot from them, so you'll know the answer to that question soon enough..

 

I'm one of those people that allways gets the highest amp battery I can get that will fit the holder. Iv'e been thinking about puting two batterys in my 93.

 

I have two duralast sitting right beside each other, just turn em side ways and they fit like a glove, the only mod needed is a hold down bracket but thats easy. both mine have 950 cca but down in south we are more concerned with reserve power.

 

Thanks for answering my question.

By the way, I have a total of THREE Group 31S batteries mounted in the Ford/Cummins, one under the hood, and two in a frame-mounted carrier.

I figure if one is sufficient, two would be better, so three sounds about right.

On edit:

I just read the link about batteries--very good information.

Two questions came to mind.

1. It says that when electrolyte evaporates from the cells, it should be replenished with electrolyte.

I had always been under the impression that the batteries should be topped-off with distilled water.

Which is right??

2. Quote: "You should fuse each battery individually in the bank to ensure that a battery gone bad will not affect the rest of the bank."

I have never heard of "fusing" batteries before.

What with, and where do I get, proper "fuses" to properly fuse the individual batteries in my bank of three??

Thanks.

 

The battery died in my truck about two weeks after I got it and I got the Group 31 to replace it, I think it was twice as big as the one in the truck! No wonder it quit.

 

I have 3 batteries in my truck also.
I have 2 Group 31's under the hood and an 8-D deep cycle in the rear for my lights and inverter.
The 2 group 31's are not fused but tied together through a separator but the 8-D is connected through a separator and is fused with a 400 amp 32 volt "T" fuse. This is here to protect the battery incase there is a failure in the cable that runs along the frame rail.


The acid should not evaporate only the water. refill it with distilled or DI water.
Jim

 

I am seriously intending to mount a second Group 31S in the wife's 91.5.

How have you accomplished this in your truck??

I did some measuring and there is a radiator-mount bracket in the way, if I just turn them sideways, unless I relocate the support-rod and move them a couple inches closer to the firewall.

Pictures would be nice.

Thanks.

 

Here's my setup.