Battery fit question
 

When I acquired my 'spare' w123 300DT car a few years ago it had what appeared to be a fairly new battery in it. So, I removed it, took it to my garage and there it has remained on a shelf. I have on occasion hooked up a trickle charger to it just to keep a charge on it. It will need to be determined if it is a 'good' unit before attempting to use it as a primary power source.

My w124 gasser (1995 E320 wagon) is going to need the battery replaced (as revealed to me by the MB dealership that performed my pre-purchase inspection back in August). The physical size of its battery is somewhat smaller than the 'spare' one. The battery tray appears large enough to accommodate the larger size - considering that many of these cars were manufactured with diesel power which would require the larger size. Now to the 'nut' of this post:

Is there any reason why this battery would not perform well in the car , in spite of its larger size? Just looking at options available to me. Thanks guys, you're the best :)

Many batteries that are put in for replacement are under sized.

The battery for a later model W124 should be a minimum of 80AH preferable 100AH or in the new terminology over 620CCA.

I put a battery that fills up the entire battery tray into my W124.
The radio and alarm/remote opener drags a little current at all times. This was enough to flatten the previous battery over two weeks. (P.O. had fitted a 490cca Furd battery )

9AGM49
 

http://www.autobarn.net/eas9agm49.html?site=google_base

NOTE: This fitment will be "Snug" ,BUT the same size as the OE Battery.

Specifications:

* Cranking Amps: 1035
* Cold Cranking Amps: 900
* Reserve Capacity: 180
* Ah Rate (20 Hr): 95
* Part Number: 9AGM49
* Dimensions: 13 16/15" L x 6 15/16" W x 7 1/2" H

Dekka AGM exact fit Battery (Free Shipping)

I use the biggest battery in all of our MB's. In fact we just upped my sister's 190E to a 1000CCA unit meant for a diesel....her former group 48 850CCA bit the dust in the cold.

I also upped my W124 gasser to the big one.

In my 300SD I have a White MB OEM battery....1100 cranking amps, its a powerful battery! And at $143 delivered to my car via roadside assistance, much cheaper than the one listed above...mine is now almost 3 years old and still performs perfectly, even in ultracold temps.

Not Bad,Certainly a Nice Price
 

PawoSD,

Is the "White" (Translucent") MB Battery an AGM or a "Wet" cell type?

Take the spare battery into an auto parts store (e.g., AutoZone, Pep Boys) and let them test it (free). They'll put it under load and let you know if the capacity is within the ratings for that battery. Charge it up first.

Thanks for the replies!

I put the battery on a trickle charge for maybe 12 hours a few days ago and then just unplugged it. Didn't take the time to put multi-meter probes on it so I'm uncertain what kind of charge it had in it after terminating charge.

I took the battery in to Autozone this afternoon and the guy hooked it up to a handheld unit of some kind. Said it only had "barely 11 volts, pardner..." and "nope, she's toast..."! Ok. :mad:

I brought it back home and have it on the trickle again and will leave it for a day or so then take it to another place with a little better human "interface" if you know what I mean! See if I get the same diagnosis. :rolleyes:

It is a normal Wet Cell battery I believe. You can see the plates and fluid through the side of the battery! Its pretty cool. :D