There's several variables to consider:
- Later 6-cyl cars have the battery in the boot.? That's a long cable
run to the starter solenoid; the cables and terminals need to be in good
nick.
- Ditto the starter.? The field coils in starters build up resistance
over time and, eventually, the starter won't crank as well, putting even
more load on the battery.? After a couple cranks, the field coils get
warm and the resistance builds up and, of course, the battery's reserve
gets depleted.
- The higher the compression in your engine, the harder it is to turn over.
- Thicker oil, like 20W-50 can bog an engine down a bit.
The more CCA you have, the more margin to start an engine, esp. on a
cold day (that's why CCA is the nominal stat for batteries). My Healeys
are harder to start after they've been sitting for more than a few
days.? The 500CCA number I gave was a SWAG; I haven't seen any full-size
auto battery with less than that anyway.? We got a battery for my dad's
'65 Mustang 289 with 550CCA from Autozone; Costco didn't sell the size
we needed.? It cranks the V8 OK.
FWIW, when I rebuilt my BJ8's engine the (previously) satisfactory wet
cell battery I had wouldn't even turn the engine over (later compression
checks showed 180PSI +/- in all 6).? I had the starter rebuilt and
installed an 800CCA AGM battery.? The starter actually startled me the
first time I cranked it; it's nearly as fast as the geared starter in my
Mustang.
TLDR; The more the better.
Bob
On 5/14/2018 10:12 PM, John Spaur wrote:
>
> So... wise ones (and I mean that sincerely)
>
> My current battery is an Intimidator rated at 775. Bob S. mentioned in
> a post about a minimum of 500.
>
> How many CCA?s should a battery have for a Healey engine?
>
> TIA
>
> John Spaur
>
> San Jose
>
>
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