For the 6.4 L diesel option, it states dual 12v battery. Does that mean that the diesel comes with 2 batteries? If so, why?
2008screw
Yes, it does.
A diesel engine, with its much higher compression than a gas engine, is very hard to turn, especially in cold weather. In addition, unlike a gas engine, you have the glow plugs which are basically like 8 dead shorts across the battery for the 2 minutes or so they are on every time you start the truck.
So a diesel needs a whomping reserve capacity to handle multiple starts like that without killing the battery. I suppose Ford could get someone to custom-make a nearly 2000CCA battery for them and then find a place under the hood to put it... but everything's a lot easier if they just use two standard (albeit large-capacity) batteries, one on each side of the engine compartment, wired in parallel. So it's still 12V but you have the combined Amp capacity of the two of them.
I've owned an old Mercedes diesel, with its single battery, and it was trivial to kill it after a couple of winter starts without enough driving in between. Never done that to any of my Powerstroke trucks!
Duncan
A diesel engine, with its much higher compression than a gas engine, is very hard to turn, especially in cold weather. In addition, unlike a gas engine, you have the glow plugs which are basically like 8 dead shorts across the battery for the 2 minutes or so they are on every time you start the truck.
So a diesel needs a whomping reserve capacity to handle multiple starts like that without killing the battery. I suppose Ford could get someone to custom-make a nearly 2000CCA battery for them and then find a place under the hood to put it... but everything's a lot easier if they just use two standard (albeit large-capacity) batteries, one on each side of the engine compartment, wired in parallel. So it's still 12V but you have the combined Amp capacity of the two of them.
I've owned an old Mercedes diesel, with its single battery, and it was trivial to kill it after a couple of winter starts without enough driving in between. Never done that to any of my Powerstroke trucks!
Duncan
Even if someone produced a 2000CCCA battery, that would lead to a >= 85# load on one side of the truck, unless they centered it up by the firewall. Two regular, affordable batteries are better than one, huge, expensive, and a pain to install battery.
Another bonus that I like is the ability to jump start another vehicle from either corner of mine. Batteries everywhere! /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: 2008screw</div><div class="ubbcode-body">For the 6.4 L diesel option, it states dual 12v battery. Does that mean that the diesel comes with 2 batteries? If so, why? </div></div>
Oh, and by the way: Once you've gone oil burner, you'll never go back!
Oh, and by the way: Once you've gone oil burner, you'll never go back!
I know my old 7.3 would start on 1 battery without any problem... At least when it was warm outside. I had a battery with an internal short. It was completely useless for about a month until I found it doing routine maintenance.
j
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<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: applejuice</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Will the engine start on one battery if one goes dead, also will the dead one drain out the good one. Or are the isolated? </div></div>
There's no isolation, just big darn wires bolted in between them. If you truly have one defective battery it will quickly kill the other one, which is why you generally replace them in pairs when they start dying from old age. But it also means you won't have "one go dead" from just being used, e.g. a drain on the battery from something being left on. They go down together. But it takes a lot longer, because of all the combined capacity!
Duncan
There's no isolation, just big darn wires bolted in between them. If you truly have one defective battery it will quickly kill the other one, which is why you generally replace them in pairs when they start dying from old age. But it also means you won't have "one go dead" from just being used, e.g. a drain on the battery from something being left on. They go down together. But it takes a lot longer, because of all the combined capacity!
Duncan
Halfway measures, all that.....
For the 7.3 that was in the '01 F-250 I just sold, I shoehorned in three Optima redtops. These had 850CCAs each, and served very well here where it's kinda cold...in August...and then there's January....
The Optimas are significantly smaller than standard batteries and I found that by taking out the rhs battery pan, I could slide in two of them snugger than a....I mean, snug...and after 110,000 miles that way, they hadn't budged a millimeter. Small amount of 00-ga. wiring wiring them in parallel and bingobango.
Normally, those Optimas are a tad pricey; back in late '01, I think, there was a fine sale on them, which I jumped on.
I wonder if there's enough room around the corners of the 6.4? I'll bet not - hope to find out soon!
For the 7.3 that was in the '01 F-250 I just sold, I shoehorned in three Optima redtops. These had 850CCAs each, and served very well here where it's kinda cold...in August...and then there's January....
The Optimas are significantly smaller than standard batteries and I found that by taking out the rhs battery pan, I could slide in two of them snugger than a....I mean, snug...and after 110,000 miles that way, they hadn't budged a millimeter. Small amount of 00-ga. wiring wiring them in parallel and bingobango.
Normally, those Optimas are a tad pricey; back in late '01, I think, there was a fine sale on them, which I jumped on.
I wonder if there's enough room around the corners of the 6.4? I'll bet not - hope to find out soon!
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