Is this a good battery for my truck?

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I have a 1997 GMC Sierra half ton 4x4 with the 350 V8 and my old battery died. I stopped by Napa as my buddy who is a diesel tech swears by Napa Legend batteries. The one they sold me has 700 CCA. Is this enough for my truck? The old one in my truck had 770CCA. The Legend Napa sold me was the best/strongest battery Napa sells for my truck. I did a search on how many CCA the factory battery had back in 1997 and nothing came up.

Thanks for any advice!
 
Originally Posted By: Chris B.
The Legend Napa sold me was the best/strongest battery Napa sells for my truck.


The battery is fine, but it's definitely not the strongest one Napa carries for your truck.
 
Ur in Colorado, I hope the Napa battery will have enough cca in the middle of winter. U can get batteries w higher cca's
 
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Originally Posted By: Chris B.
I have a 1997 GMC Sierra half ton 4x4 with the 350 V8 and my old battery died. I stopped by Napa as my buddy who is a diesel tech swears by Napa Legend batteries. The one they sold me has 700 CCA. Is this enough for my truck? The old one in my truck had 770CCA. The Legend Napa sold me was the best/strongest battery Napa sells for my truck. I did a search on how many CCA the factory battery had back in 1997 and nothing came up.

Thanks for any advice!


Look up on the Interstate website and I think it will tell you what the vehicle requires.
 
Originally Posted By: Chris B.
I have a 1997 GMC Sierra half ton 4x4 with the 350 V8 and my old battery died. I stopped by Napa as my buddy who is a diesel tech swears by Napa Legend batteries. The one they sold me has 700 CCA. Is this enough for my truck? The old one in my truck had 770CCA. The Legend Napa sold me was the best/strongest battery Napa sells for my truck. I did a search on how many CCA the factory battery had back in 1997 and nothing came up.

Thanks for any advice!


You're fine. OE CCA is only 600
 
Originally Posted By: barkingspider
Ur in Colorado, I hope the Napa battery will have enough cca in the middle of winter. U can get batteries w higher cca's


There's more to life than CCA. As long as you meet the OE required CCA, you're fine- especially with the modern permanent magnet, gear reduction starters. They put out more torque and require less input power to do so than the old time starters.
 
Originally Posted By: The_Eric
Originally Posted By: barkingspider
Ur in Colorado, I hope the Napa battery will have enough cca in the middle of winter. U can get batteries w higher cca's


There's more to life than CCA. As long as you meet the OE required CCA, you're fine- especially with the modern permanent magnet, gear reduction starters. They put out more torque and require less input power to do so than the old time starters.


Do you know if the starter on my 1997 GMC is like that?
 
It should be. In '95 or '96 they had both on that engine. '97 should have only came with the permanent magnet, gear reduction starter. If your starter sounds similar to a V8 Chevy from the 70's/80's then it's not.
 
Not necessarily. Given a group size- say group 78, the battery that has the most CCA will also have the most plates. Those plates will be thinner and more susceptible to damage and therefor premature failure.

As for deviating from the OE BCI group, I don't advise that because often times the battery cables won't quite fit, it won't sit properly in the tray, or the hold down clamps aren't always right. There are few exceptions- like bumping up to a group 78 from a 75 if the tray and cables allow.
 
The internal components of a battery within a given group size will determine CCA. Higher purity lead, larger plates (some junk batteries will have the same exterior size but a smaller (less square area) of plates inside), larger connecting cables or straps between cells, stronger or more pure electrolyte all contribute to a quality, higher CCA battery.
 
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