Battery Help, Please!

[gremlinkurst]

I have a 2006 Subaru Baja Sport, and I need a new battery. There are a couple of problems with that: 1) All th battery says is Diehard Gold, and 2) the manual completely omits battery specifications. I have no earthly idea what I need to buy, if it's 35 group size, 26 group size, or what. I can't afford to buy the wrong battery.

[anarchy1024]

I have a 2006 Subaru Baja Sport, and I need a new battery. There are a couple of problems with that: 1) All th battery says is Diehard Gold, and 2) the manual completely omits battery specifications. I have no earthly idea what I need to buy, if it's 35 group size, 26 group size, or what. I can't afford to buy the wrong battery.

At least for mine, 2003 NA 5MT, it's a Group 35 battery.

battery.png (716.26 KiB) Viewed 7804 times

Autozone also says the 2006 is a Group 35.

autozone.png (65.26 KiB) Viewed 7804 times

Probably best bet is, if you can, to just bring your old battery to a store and say, "I need a replacement for this." At least that way you can verify dimensions and terminals before purchasing.

I couldn't find an official Subaru source that says specifically it's a Group 35, even in the factory service manual, which just lists its reserve capacity and CCA. Interestingly, it has different numbers for auto vs manual transmission, but AFAIK, both use Group 35 batteries.

service_manual.PNG (74.87 KiB) Viewed 7804 times

[gremlinkurst]

Thanks much! That picture you supplied with minimum specifications was most informative. I selected a cheaper one that has comparable specs in comparison to the battery you showed me @https://www.walmart.com/ip/EverStart-Ma ... hbdg=L1102. I appreciate your help, sir!

[anarchy1024]

The link you posted is for a Group 35N battery, not Group 35, which appears to be a completely different size.

For other groups, there appears to be "N" and/or "S" variants for northern (colder) or southern (warmer) climates -- tradeoff between heat resistance vs cold performance. But with those other ones, the dimensions are the same; the differences are in plate thickness and/or acid concentration.

With 35 vs 35N, there appears to be a difference in physical dimensions.

[gremlinkurst]

Thanks for your help. Turns out that battery wasn't what was recommended for my vehicle, even though it was indeed the battery that had been in it since 10/2018. The closest match was actually smaller, and consequently, a bit lighter. I had to port the old thing in a heavy-duty backpack to the auto parts store half a mile away, and the trip back with the new one was about three pounds or so lighter. Lubed up the terminals with a dielectric compound, installed it, and it cranked right up.

[anarchy1024]

You had the 35N in there, when you should have had the 35 (non-N), right? If so, good to know that the 35N does fit, even though it's not the officially-recommended size.

Yeah, the 35 should be smaller than the 35N, according to the screenshot in my last post, and the 35 is what should be recommended.