Battery Help! Ford E350

[SamT]

1993 Ford E350 Short School Bus 7.5 L Diesel engine

My batteries were shot so my friend took them in to AutoZone to recycle and get some store credit but I can't find the paper I wrote the battery specs on

Also, any advice on a more efficient way to hook them up? For some reason the batteries drained really easily and the guy that sold it to me said something about the one running off the other and if I don't run the bus everyday it will die? I went out of town for a few days and came back and tried to start it and couldn't- even after I tried to jump it! AutoZone said the batteries were done.

Please help! I need to get this thing on the road so I can get to Home Depot and move on to insulation- it's making me fall behind schedule and google isn't helping much.

[Brad_SwiftFur]

A quick Google search shows a single Group 65 for the 7.5 gas engine. For the 7.3 diesel, it calls for a Group 65 on the left and a Group 50 on the right.

Often on dual or multiple battery setups, if one battery gets weak or develops a dead cell, it will drain other batteries as they try to charge it. For this reason it's usually best to replace the batteries as a full set. You'll want to put them back as they were, red to red and black to black. You do *NOT* want to connect them in series, this would run 24 volts through a 12 volt system, causing a lot of damage. You may want to start looking for something that's remaining on when it shouldn't be, draining the batteries.

Autozone is kind of on the expensive side for batteries, in my opinion, if you have local places you can shop around for lower prices. The last Group 31's I bought were around $70 each a couple years ago.

[rossvtaylor]

We have a '95 E350 with the 7.3L diesel and we also have two batteries, connected in parallel (one on the driver's side and one on the passenger side). That is the most "efficient" way to connect them, because the diesel needs the extra cranking amps that 2 batteries can provide. Everything Brad said is spot on. The only way to stop the drain of phantom loads (things which draw energy even when the key is off) is to either find and disconnect those things individually...or...install a battery disconnect switch, so when you're away from the bus you can turn off the switch and the batteries will remain charged for your return.