Hi Joe,

CCA (Cold Cranking Amps) means that if you were to short out the battery you would draw (in your case) 590amps DC for a few second. In other words CCA means the maximum amount of current you will be able to draw form the battery over a short period of time (seconds). There is also another specification on your battery and that is amp/hours. This is the long-term current draw capability of the battery.

As an example:

If you have a battery that is specified for 40 amp/hr, you could draw 40 amps out of the battery for 1 hour. Then the battery will be dead and need a recharge.

What you purchased is a battery that will last at least 3+ years in your car. After that you will be living on borrowed time.

As a trained Electrical Engineer I recommend that on your next battery purchase throw the book out the door. Take a tape measure and measure the size of the battery holder (length, width and height). Also take note on the battery hold down mechanism. Then go out and buy the biggest battery you can find that will fit into your battery holder. I shoot for batteries that have 700CCA or higher rating. These batteries will last for 5+ years.

My 99XC has a battery with a rating of 600CCA and I could fine no amp/hr rating. There was a number of 115min but I am not sure what this means. 115amps minimum or 115 minutes???????

As a footnote: When a car is started the electrical system will draw “about” 70amps from the battery. 20amps are for the electrical systems (engine computer, transmission computer and sensors). The remaining 50 amps are used by the starter. The reason for the higher rating on the battery is the higher the CCA rating the better the battery. You could install a battery that is rated at 300CCA and the battery will work just fine. However the battery will last you about 1 to 2 years.

Good Luck,

Steven---