bs3911 compared to CCA for starter batteries

Charging is dead easy. Nothing to sort out. Most packaged batteries come with BMS built in so a standard alternator’s small over-voltage Is not an issue. Or charge with a battery to battery supply or A/C on a timer. Those are cheap batteries. You have to pay more for lithium in this use, but you get more.

Get more what ?

All the batteries need to do is to start the engine.
 
I thought Lithium batteries were unsuitable for engine starting but it seems some claim to be able to deal with it.

Lithium batterys are capable of extreme power delivery BUT care must be taken to ensure the C rating is high enough. The problem actually for Lithium is not so much the cells (as long as C rating is high enough) - but the power leads and their ability to handle the loads.
 
Charging is dead easy. Nothing to sort out. Most packaged batteries come with BMS built in so a standard alternator’s small over-voltage Is not an issue. Or charge with a battery to battery supply or A/C on a timer. Those are cheap batteries. You have to pay more for lithium in this use, but you get more.

Delivery of a burst of high amps isn't LFP's strong suit and the limitation will be the capacity of the BMS which may not be high on drop-ins. It can be done but there is a reason that most people fitting LFP stay with lead acid for starting.
 
Presumably the spec in Perkins manual of 440 Amps is equivalent 440 CCA. Now considering that in a 24v system you have half of the current demand of a 12v system starter on similar engine that 440CCA spec is pretty high perhaps unreasonably so. As said I would suggest you go with what you can find in similar sized enfine start batteries. Incidentally if you want to go cheap check each battery voltage under starter load. You will probably find one is more dead than the other so you could just replace one. (I can herar the cries of NOOOO from the antipodes) ol'will
I could replace one but I know from the last time that the second one failed only a month or 2 later. I have battery balancers on the batteries so mismatched batteries aren't really a problem. It's convenient to change them both now.
440cca isn't equivalent to Perkins BS 440. That's the reason for the post. I believe I need far more than 440cca. My guess is between 550 and 750 CCA each.
 
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Get more what ?

All the batteries need to do is to start the engine.
There are many superior characteristics of lithium batteries and many that would apply in this situation. Longer life, so lower cost in the long run. Higher peak current discharge capability, so easier starting. Near zero peukert factor so easier starting. Almost no voltage drop, so faster engine turning and easier starting. Half the weight maybe - it all helps, even in a heavy cruiser. Zero maintenance compared to flooded, but less so vs AGM, where the cost disadvantage is less. Probably some more points. To be sure you don’t need one, lead works. I don’t have one yet for starting as my old ones work still, but will certainly think about it on replacement.
 
Delivery of a burst of high amps isn't LFP's strong suit and the limitation will be the capacity of the BMS which may not be high on drop-ins. It can be done but there is a reason that most people fitting LFP stay with lead acid for starting.
Yes, you would need one without an overcurrent monitoring BMS. That done with LFP the max discharge is far higher like for like.
 
Lithium batterys are capable of extreme power delivery BUT care must be taken to ensure the C rating is high enough. The problem actually for Lithium is not so much the cells (as long as C rating is high enough) - but the power leads and their ability to handle the loads.
Easy to fix.
 
There are many superior characteristics of lithium batteries and many that would apply in this situation. Longer life, so lower cost in the long run. Higher peak current discharge capability, so easier starting. Near zero peukert factor so easier starting. Almost no voltage drop, so faster engine turning and easier starting. Half the weight maybe - it all helps, even in a heavy cruiser. Zero maintenance compared to flooded, but less so vs AGM, where the cost disadvantage is less. Probably some more points. To be sure you don’t need one, lead works. I don’t have one yet for starting as my old ones work still, but will certainly think about it on replacement.
Where do you get this miracle lithium battery that can take the huge inrush current of starting a 4 4 litre diesel? People have enough problems finding drop in replacement lithium that will run windlasses, inverters and bow thrusters. I would be surprised if your miracle battery even exists
 
There are many superior characteristics of lithium batteries and many that would apply in this situation. Longer life, so lower cost in the long run. Higher peak current discharge capability, so easier starting. Near zero peukert factor so easier starting. Almost no voltage drop, so faster engine turning and easier starting. Half the weight maybe - it all helps, even in a heavy cruiser. Zero maintenance compared to flooded, but less so vs AGM, where the cost disadvantage is less. Probably some more points. To be sure you don’t need one, lead works. I don’t have one yet for starting as my old ones work still, but will certainly think about it on replacement.
Modern diesels start easily. I have had 2 Volvo 30hp and now a Beta 30. They all start instantly and then within minutes are fully recharged. Lithium is really a waste for this simple application. No need for deep discharging and quick recharging - the 2 great advantages of Lithium for use on a boat - but for domestic loads. As for weight, the Odyssey that I have ( in the right in post#16) weighs 9.5kgs.

I have yet to see a lithium battery recommended for engine start - they all emphasise that they are for deep cycle applications - and none I have looked at quota CCA - the critical measure for engine start. As for life, as i noted earlier the Red Flash in my Morgan did well over 19 years. Typical cycle for AGMs are around 2000, (compared with 3000 for lithium), although start cycles are very low discharge,

Horses for courses - best to identify the requirements for the application and match with the properties of the alternate products on offer.
 
Using Lithium to start engines is just nuts.

Can lithium battery be used as start battery?

There are some that claim to be suitable for engine starting: Antigravity H6/Group-48 Car Battery

£1,139 for a 60ah battery!!

A SLA engine starter battery for the typical small engined yacht costs about £50 and will last at least 5 years, most likely much longer. £1,139 will buy 22 SLA batteries. with a few coppers change. That's at least 110 years of engine starting !!!
 
The manual here: https://s7d2.scene7.com/is/content/Caterpillar/C10529242

Page 52 states : " Two 12V batteries in series, each 520 Amps BS3911 or 800 Amps SAE J537 "

That's for temps down to -15c.

From the Yuasa site:

SAE (J537 Jun 1994 American Standard)

This is the starting test according to the SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers). The test specifies that the battery at a temperature of –18°C will deliver a current equal to the Cold Cranking Amps for 30 seconds with the voltage staying above 7.2 volts (3.6 volts for a 6 volt battery).


Although subject to battery design, an approximation of SAE to DIN CCA relationship is:- SAE = (DIN x 1.5) + 40.
Battery performance drops off quickly with temperature, so this test is a good check of a battery’s starting ability. With a 10 second voltage of EN rating and its need to support 30 seconds to 7.2V, the SAE test gives a good view of high rate capacity capability of the battery.

I'd still measure the existing batteries :)
 
Using Lithium to start engines is just nuts.

Can lithium battery be used as start battery?

There are some that claim to be suitable for engine starting: Antigravity H6/Group-48 Car Battery

£1,139 for a 60ah battery!!

A SLA engine starter battery for the typical small engined yacht costs about £50 and will last at least 5 years, most likely much longer. £1,139 will buy 22 SLA batteries. with a few coppers change. That's at least 110 years of engine starting !!!

Yes, the 30Ah version is £900 - nearly 6 times the price of the similar capacity Red Flash I have just bought for the Morgan tayna.co.uk/car-batteries/red-flash/750/ which lasted 19 years
 
Now, there's n incentive to try and live longer! Did question the "investment" in the Red Flash as it will almost certainly outlast me, but not the car so my grandchildren can benefit.
 
A pair of circa 450/500 CCA batteries might get you by, but, i'd still measure the existing batteries and look online to see what the CCA and Ah ratings are. .
Last batteries were a 'buy what you could get' solution in Colombia. I have two miss matched batteries as a result. The previous one came from Panama on a similar basis. It's easy to forget how well supplied the UK is for stuff we all take for granted. In the third world it's a completely different experience.
If I was in the UK I would fit some AGM stop start batteries. I have of those for the generator. They are not expensive in the UK. Here they are unobtainable. Even crappy batteries here are twice the price of UK.
 
Until locally they stopped selling 2nd hand batterys from crashed cars ... I always bought those. They all lasted more than 4 years .. in fact the last set I bought from Breakers Yard on Hayling Island around 2004 (ceased trading years ago) were still going strong in 2007 when boat came to Latvia. Replaced about 2012 ish .... next set of 2nd hand lasted till about 2019 ... when a power failure to the boat allowed the charge to drop and they froze during the -25C ....
Present set are one new battery and one 2nd hand ....

My reasoning being that the cost of such .... was about 20 - 30 euros for a 80 to 100A/hr .... I could buy 2 or 3 for price of a new branded one. AND still get decent life out of it.
 
Using Lithium to start engines is just nuts.

Can lithium battery be used as start battery?

There are some that claim to be suitable for engine starting: Antigravity H6/Group-48 Car Battery

£1,139 for a 60ah battery!!

A SLA engine starter battery for the typical small engined yacht costs about £50 and will last at least 5 years, most likely much longer. £1,139 will buy 22 SLA batteries. with a few coppers change. That's at least 110 years of engine starting !!!
No, it’s not nuts. You are over arguing your position. If initial expense is the priority then sure, they are no use. If other things are important like whole life cycle cost including hassle and reliability risk issues then just from a cost perspective they are awash. Then you have the other advantages I pointed out.

If it’s nuts to start engines with them then why do Ducati and Aprilia amongst other manufacturers fit them as standard to their motorbikes?

I think four of these would be a good choice. Note $ 212 not £1,139 and if you want the hassle they are available delivered direct from China for a quarter less. I bought something similar.
WINSTON WB-LYP40AHA LiFeYPO4, 3.3V, 40Ah | shop.GWL.eu
 
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