Battery is shot and need the specs on a replacement. 1971 S model with the 350. Thanks

 

I have a group 24 700 CCA in my 70. I bought a battery from A.Z. the duralast gold in May of 2000, it's still working great!

Pat

 

Good rule of thumb is to have a battery with a CCA rating twice the engine displacement. Within reason, a battery with more CCA than needed is good to have in cold weather. Also, the more CCA, usually the larger the reserve capacity. Reserve capacity is how long a battery can supply a 25 amp load and not drop below 10.5. If your alternator fails, the reserve capacity will give you a ballpark figure as to how long the engine will run. Most ignition systems won’t work with less than about 10 volts.

 

From page 12-79 of the 1971 Olds Chassis Service Manual. A '71 Cutlass S is a 36-series car, so you want the second line.

 

Thanks everyone. I was in a hurry and ended up with a group 24 with 700cca/875ca which is what interstate recommended. But it sounds like 36 is ideal?

 

I just replaced my 7 year old battery with the same Interstate 2 days ago. Seems to work fine. Just make sure it fits. The new battery was slightly taller but all the other dimensions were the same. It fit perfectly.

 

Thanks. It did fit fine and works well as far as I can tell.

 

19+ years?

 

Unfortunately I changed out my battery but after today I suspect it wasn't my battery after all. Started fine yesterday (although a little sluggish) but won't even turn over today. I suspect the starter. Ran a load test on the battery and it was fine. Don't believe it's an alternator issue.

 

Yes sir 19+ years. Never been run down. I went to two car shows today, one in Lansing and half way to Grand Rapids no issues as usual.

Another head scratcher! I have an Alero with the factory original Delco in it. Production date of car was 11-3-2003. Of course that car is ultra low mile car.

Pat

 

Starters don't have good and bad days. Grounds have good and bad days, but not starters. In your case, however, I suspect a charging system is having a bad day. Just sayin'... (just tryin' to help...)

 

Thanks. Yes I also thought about it possibly being an ignition problem like a ground somewhere. That may be a lot harder to diagnose and repair than replacing a starter. Will for sure require someone more technical than me.

 

My car has a battery from 2006 and it's still working fine. I keep it on a tender when not in use.

 

I believe you, but the batteries in our daily drivers don't run down either, and we seldom get more than 6 years out of them... Just sayin'...

 

Batteries in Phoenix typically last around 4-5 years due to the heat. I am very surprised that the Cutlass battery is still in such good shape. I recently purchased a Pulse Tech charger/maintainer and it showed the battery at 100% capacity.

 

I got 8 years out of the factory batteries in my Ram diesel. First time it cranked slow in below freezing temps was reason enough to change them. I figured 8 years was pretty good life, and I would much rather change them at my convenience, instead of at the most inconvenient time or surroundings.

The battery in my Olds is probably 5 years old. I’m sure I’m on borrowed time with it, I do keep a battery tender if it’s going to sit for a while. I’m hoping it lasts until spring, I’d rather not replace it just to have it sit all winter.