Jason C
03-07-2005, 05:01 PM
I just got back from some wrenching, and I am one happy camper... :bigpimp:
http://www.lonestarracing.com/images/items/EXIDE%20ORBITAL%20BATTERY.jpg
I've been trying to pin down an intermittent hard start in the beater for a while now, chasing down a few leads. Fuel? Ignition? Starter motor? It looks like that was the least of my concerns 3 weeks ago in class, as the 3+ year-old Motorcraft failed a basic load test using a VAT-40.
So in my text, they had a brief description of an AGM (absorbent glass-mat) battery as one of the best types available for a car. They described how it worked and had a small pic of an Exide Orbital. As I thought of what I could buy, I remembered the AGM description and ended up buying myself an Orbital 78DT (the larger one) after doing some rough measurements and figuring out that it would fit - probably. :eeps:
Now on their website, they talked about it being leak and puncture-proof, can be used upside down, exceptional recovery time, extreme temperature resistance, absorbent glass-mat and valve-regulated, lead-acid recombinant techology, etc etc etc... none of which mattered to me at the moment I was hauling it over the hood. All I wanted to know was if worrying about stuff like the starter motor, fuel pump, and spark plugs had been premature.
Well, let's just say it started up like the almost-new Honda that I was driving around a month back. Wow! I had never noticed, but over time, the cranking speeds had gone down until it was just barely acceptable - probably under 150RPM. Now that I'm over 200RPM, it sounded like it should. More importantly, it now starts like a brand-new car. :thumbup:
http://www.rockcrawler.com/features/newsshorts/00march/exide_orbital.gif
For those of you with older cars and who want a nearly indestructible battery with huge amounts of CCA's, check out the Orbital. It's expensive, but is the high CCA/near-indestructable design worth it? That's for you to decide. :)
http://www.lonestarracing.com/images/items/EXIDE%20ORBITAL%20BATTERY.jpg
I've been trying to pin down an intermittent hard start in the beater for a while now, chasing down a few leads. Fuel? Ignition? Starter motor? It looks like that was the least of my concerns 3 weeks ago in class, as the 3+ year-old Motorcraft failed a basic load test using a VAT-40.
So in my text, they had a brief description of an AGM (absorbent glass-mat) battery as one of the best types available for a car. They described how it worked and had a small pic of an Exide Orbital. As I thought of what I could buy, I remembered the AGM description and ended up buying myself an Orbital 78DT (the larger one) after doing some rough measurements and figuring out that it would fit - probably. :eeps:
Now on their website, they talked about it being leak and puncture-proof, can be used upside down, exceptional recovery time, extreme temperature resistance, absorbent glass-mat and valve-regulated, lead-acid recombinant techology, etc etc etc... none of which mattered to me at the moment I was hauling it over the hood. All I wanted to know was if worrying about stuff like the starter motor, fuel pump, and spark plugs had been premature.
Well, let's just say it started up like the almost-new Honda that I was driving around a month back. Wow! I had never noticed, but over time, the cranking speeds had gone down until it was just barely acceptable - probably under 150RPM. Now that I'm over 200RPM, it sounded like it should. More importantly, it now starts like a brand-new car. :thumbup:
http://www.rockcrawler.com/features/newsshorts/00march/exide_orbital.gif
For those of you with older cars and who want a nearly indestructible battery with huge amounts of CCA's, check out the Orbital. It's expensive, but is the high CCA/near-indestructable design worth it? That's for you to decide. :)