Diesel electrical system and batteries

[6.2diesel]

So I got my truck street legal and everything been looking up. Right now I'm running 800cca(came with the truck) but I wanna stick new batteries in there. Should I stick with them? I'm gonna be adding extra lights and other toys but no sound upgrades or winches or other juice sucking upgrades. Should I upgrade from stock alternator? What's a good amp and battery size for a 6.2l diesel?? I'm in North Dakota and getting up in the winter it's normal under 10 degrees if we are lucky it's above 0.

 

[hatzie]

800 cca is plenty as long as the battery cables are in good shape.

I run two each of the Autozone Duralast Gold 78-DLG in both of my civvy diesel trucks. 800 CCA 1000 CA The pair in the 2000 GMC C2500 6.5L are 10 years old... I'll probably be replacing them this winter.
The 1976 K20 6.5L has the same batteries, about 4 years old, but it doesn't get driven a lot.
I keep a CTEK 3000 series tender on the 1976, M1008 and, the M35A2. The military rigs have two correct military 6TN AGM batteries $1000+ to replace a pair so I can't afford to have them die.

If you want to go nuts and money is no object get a pair of Odyssey ODY-3478PC1500DT dry cell batteries. You'll get another 50 cranking amps and 25 more minutes of reserve capacity. They only cost $312 each compared to the Duralast Gold at $127 each.

The CS130 should keep up with quite a lot. If you think you'll need more than 105 A up the ante to a CS144... Not as easy or cheap to retrofit as the CS130 but not awful.

 

[hatzie]

12SI to CS144

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hAuaqXadMw

 

[6.2diesel]

Well thanks for that! i ran to napa and got a 800cca so now my batteries are running both the same and very close to age. Still gotta get my glow plugs to be manual before my relay eats up these... Have to crank her over and over to get the plugs to engage. Thanks again!!

 

[hatzie]

Everyone wants to put a tractor button on the dash. Why?
Update the obnoxious 85-86 glow controller to the 1995-2001 CK 6.5L glow controller that actually works. For 85-94 it's plug N play. Tell the parts goon you have a 1997 GMC K2500 6.5L Turbodiesel with a 5 speed and you want a glow plug controller.
If the temperature inhibit sensor(s) are fouled up unplug them or replace them.

If you haven't already you should think about replacing the factory AC 9G or AC 11G glow plugs with AC 60G, Wellman GO50, or Bosch Duarterm... they are PTC Dual Coil glows that don't swell up when they fail.