battery CA and CCA

kev13 · Jul 26, 2019

Hi guys
bought a TJ about a month ago and now it's not starting. Going to replace battery to see if that resolves the problem.

jeep has a light bar and several other lights that I would imagine consume a lot of power.

on the currently existing battery, it says CA is 870 and CCA is 750.

My question is, does my new battery need to have these specifications? what would happen if I replace this battery with a cheap battery that has CA 800 and CCA 650, how would my life be different?

Jerry Bransford · Jul 26, 2019

First, welcome to JF Kev13! LED lights consume very little power and are a non-factor for your battery while you're driving. It's possible someone misinstalled the lights if there's a relay so the relay is wired backwards which would consume power when the lights are off which could drain the battery while your Jeep is parked. Wired properly a relay used to power aux lights consumes no power when the lights are off.

Or your battery may just be toast. Take the battery to a battery specialty store/shop and request they perform a "load test" on the battery. That places a heavy load on the battery for no less than 10 seconds after which they measure the battery voltage to see if it dropped enough to confirm the battery is bad (or good if the voltage stayed high enough).

Caution that not many counter jockeys at auto parts stores know how to properly conduct a load test. If not performed properly, a load test can indicate a battery is good when in fact it is bad. That's why I suggested taking it to a battery specialty shop where they're far more likely to know how to properly conduct a load test.

kev13 · Jul 26, 2019

Jerry Bransford said:
First, welcome to JF Kev13! LED lights consume very little power and are a non-factor for your battery while you're driving. It's possible someone misinstalled the lights if there's a relay so the relay is wired backwards which would consume power when the lights are off which could drain the battery while your Jeep is parked. Wired properly a relay used to power aux lights consumes no power when the lights are off.

Or your battery may just be toast. Take the battery to a battery specialty store/shop and request they perform a "load test" on the battery. That places a heavy load on the battery for no less than 10 seconds after which they measure the battery voltage to see if it dropped enough to confirm the battery is bad (or good if the voltage stayed high enough).

Caution that not many counter jockeys at auto parts stores know how to properly conduct a load test. If not performed properly, a load test can indicate a battery is good when in fact it is bad. That's why I suggested taking it to a battery specialty shop where they're far more likely to know how to properly conduct a load test.

I figured people at these auto shops are idiots and i won't go there for advice. That's why I was asking here. I looked at their website and i can buy a battery and get it installed for less than $100 but the CA is 800 and CCA is 650. wondering if that will cause problems

rsurran · Jul 26, 2019

I replaced the battery in our 05 Grand Cherokee 5.7L with a Walmart battery that had the highest numbers I could find that would fit. Came out to around $75 after returning the core. No trouble with it ‘til we sold the Jeep a couple years later.

Fourtrail · Jul 26, 2019

OP, what part of the country do you live in? The sunny south, then yes you could likely get away with a lower ca/cca battery, central part where it gets cold, I would stick with the current specs, up north where it gets really cold and you might want to look for a battery with a higher ca/cca rating.

Jerry Bransford · Jul 26, 2019

kev13 said:
I figured people at these auto shops are idiots and i won't go there for advice. That's why I was asking here. I looked at their website and i can buy a battery and get it installed for less than $100 but the CA is 800 and CCA is 650. wondering if that will cause problems

Buying a battery with a higher CA and CCA absolutely causes no problems, that's just what the battery is capable of providing when asked to do so. Generally speaking the highest CA and CCA battery that will fit is a good thing. If the battery is only asked to put out 80 CA and 100 CCA, it's happy just providing that... it won't force more amps out than what it is being asked to provide. Think of the higher CA and CCA as reserve power... a good thing.

kev13 · Jul 26, 2019

Jerry Bransford said:
Buying a battery with a higher CA and CCA absolutely causes no problems, that's just what the battery is capable of providing when asked to do so. Generally speaking the highest CA and CCA battery that will fit is a good thing. If the battery is only asked to put out 80 CA and 100 CCA, it's happy just providing that... it won't force more amps out than what it is being asked to provide. Think of the higher CA and CCA as reserve power... a good thing.

It seems that you have misunderstood me, the new battery will have lower CA and CCA

Fourtrail said:
OP, what part of the country do you live in? The sunny south, then yes you could likely get away with a lower ca/cca battery, central part where it gets cold, I would stick with the current specs, up north where it gets really cold and you might want to look for a battery with a higher ca/cca rating.

Hi
I live in Southern California. Being that I am often out late, I have a nightmare of my car turning off on me in the middle of nowhere at 12 am, so I need to be sure that won't happen with this cheaper battery.

mukluk · Jul 27, 2019

If you don't trust the auto parts stores to test your battery, then turn your headlights on and turn the ignition key to start the Jeep -- the headlights will not dim or only do so very slightly with a good battery, whereas they will dim appreciably or practically switch off while trying to operate the starter if the battery is bad. This is all based on you having verified your cable connections are all clean and tight prior to checking. We're also all just guessing that your "no start" problem is the starter is either turning the engine too slowly or only clicking.

If you find yourself needing to replace the battery, OEM minimum specs are 600CCA, 120 RC, and 66 amp hours.

hdsport · Jul 27, 2019

"I live in Southern California. Being that I am often out late, I have a nightmare of my car turning off on me in the middle of nowhere at 12 am, so I need to be sure that won't happen with this cheaper battery."

Considering your comments, ............
I would suggest that you spend a few dollers more and get a battery that meets OR exceeds the cranking amps for your application.

I have found that the Walmart batteries are very cost effective and have always purchased a battery with the MOST Cranking Amps that would fit in the battery compartment. Rural King also has batteries at a very reasonable cost.

I also suggest that you connect a quality maintenance charger to your battery frequently to keep the battery in "Top Condition".
I do this overnight or a day or two when the Jeep is not in use.
I use a desulfating charger and my batteries last a long time.

Thius is one of those times when spending a few extra dollars has long term beneficial payback.

Goatman#1 · Jul 28, 2019

In my area (north east) the only number is cca (cold cranking amps) this is the number that tells you if the car will start on a cold Jan morning. It is also a good indicator of what the battery will do in all non-ideal situations. As said, led lights use a very small amount of power. But the most cca's is the number you want to have as big as you can. If you are worried about engine off battery drain then perhaps you should be looking at the batteries that function as a marine battery allowing good starting function and also a deep cycle function.

battery CA and CCA

kev13

Jerry Bransford

kev13

rsurran

Fourtrail

Jerry Bransford

kev13

mukluk

hdsport

Goatman#1

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