batteries in your van. - Diesel Forum

yaric008 · 01-21-2003, 09:32 PM

My van uses one standard sized battery and one smaller one that i have to supposidly only purchase from ford because no one else makes it. Is this true? What kind of batteries does your van use? If it takes the smaller one have you tried making a bigger one fit, because i think two big optima ones would be nice, this smaller ford one seems to go bad often.

Mark Kovalsky · 01-22-2003, 08:10 AM

When I had a '94 diesel van I bought Interstate battiers for it. They had the smaller battery available.

alharke · 01-22-2003, 03:38 PM

not sure about a 92 but my 99 E-350 psd takes 2 750cca batteries 1 under the hood and 1 under the side door bolted to the frame they were 65.00 apiece at walmart. alharke

Keil · 01-23-2003, 07:38 AM

Just had one of the two batteries go bad while in Joshua Tree National Park last week. Headed to a Walmart and replaced the Group 65 (leftside). Cost about $59 for the best model. The rightside Group 50 wasn't available. The service guys used a Midtronic tester to find each batteries condition. I think 92-96 diesels use same battery combination, 65 left/50 right.

Back in LA, I found a Group 50 thru Interstate is about $80. While scrounging around a wrecking yard, I found a 98-02 frame mount battery box for cheap. I am looking for a few more to mount 4 Trojan T-105's on the frame.

Does anybody know the Ford part # for 97-02 rightside frame mount battery box? I've looked at loads of e-series part sheets, but can't find the number.

Keil

msnunes · 01-23-2003, 09:51 AM

Has anyone considered "altering" the frame mount battery box -- or replacing it -- to handle a larger battery or to make it easier to access? I'd like to do both, and use a group 24 or 27 deep cycle.

yaric008 · 01-23-2003, 03:31 PM

I wasn't aware that the new vans mounted the batteries underneath. I guess that would free up some space under the hood tho. I would like to do as Keil said, get some more batteries to mount under the frame in addition to the two i have. I bet the wire will be pretty expensive like.. 4 guage wire that's almost 10 feet, times 2, maybe more. It's be really cool to get those gigantic 500 min reserve batteries that boat places have, only thing is they weight like 2 tons, heh.