Battery troubles......
Discussion
Hello all,
I am having some battery troubles and looking for some advice. I put a new battery in my Tuscan just after I bought it 2 years ago. Unfortunately over the last couple of months it has been completely discharged several times (twice due to water ingress into the fusebox shorting out the cooling fan circuits, and once due to not being driven for 3 weeks). The battery now doesn't seem able to hold any charge, and I think it has had it.
My question is, when I get a new battery, is it worth going for something like an Optima Red Top, or even Yellow Top (which claim to be more resistant to deep discharges), or do I just get another £80-90 battery, and view it as a consumable.
Sadly my Tuscan has to live parked outside on the street, and I have no access to hook up an Accumate or similar. I do have solar "trickle" charger, but I'm not sure how effective it is.
Thanks in advance.
I am having some battery troubles and looking for some advice. I put a new battery in my Tuscan just after I bought it 2 years ago. Unfortunately over the last couple of months it has been completely discharged several times (twice due to water ingress into the fusebox shorting out the cooling fan circuits, and once due to not being driven for 3 weeks). The battery now doesn't seem able to hold any charge, and I think it has had it.
My question is, when I get a new battery, is it worth going for something like an Optima Red Top, or even Yellow Top (which claim to be more resistant to deep discharges), or do I just get another £80-90 battery, and view it as a consumable.
Sadly my Tuscan has to live parked outside on the street, and I have no access to hook up an Accumate or similar. I do have solar "trickle" charger, but I'm not sure how effective it is.
Thanks in advance.
Sounds like, if its inevitable that your battery is going to get deeply discharged on a fairly regular basis, you had better look at batteries that can take it rather than spending on a new standard battery every few months.
Apart from anything else, replacing the battery on a Tuscan is not a job I'd want to do too often.
Apart from anything else, replacing the battery on a Tuscan is not a job I'd want to do too often.
Just drive it........take it to Tescos, take it to B&Q, take it for a blast when you are just feeling like it. I realise TVR owners don't like to put too much mileage on their cars, and don't want to exceed their insurance policy mileage (like I just did!), but you bought it to drive it, and to quote Steve Heath:
"This may sound strange, but insufficient use can put a lot of stress on these engines in that while an engine is not being used, the oil will drain and, in extreme cases, the film that normally protects the surfaces will go. This can lead to rusting which acts like sandpaper and destroys the surfaces. This is obviously more likely to occur with a car that is hardly ever used rather then one which is used every day (talk about stating the blindingly obvious, Steve!). It may seem that a low mileage car is a good bet but the risk of camshaft wear is higher. There is a school of thought that says a TVR that is used regularly is going to be a better bet than a low mileage example. I have to say that I do tend to subscribe to that viewpoint". (The Chim and Griff Bible, second edition, page 53)
He was of course talking about the RV8 engine, but the same must surely apply to the Speed 6. In the end, saving going over your 2500 miles per annum insurance limit to save £100 may end up costing you a new camshaft.
"This may sound strange, but insufficient use can put a lot of stress on these engines in that while an engine is not being used, the oil will drain and, in extreme cases, the film that normally protects the surfaces will go. This can lead to rusting which acts like sandpaper and destroys the surfaces. This is obviously more likely to occur with a car that is hardly ever used rather then one which is used every day (talk about stating the blindingly obvious, Steve!). It may seem that a low mileage car is a good bet but the risk of camshaft wear is higher. There is a school of thought that says a TVR that is used regularly is going to be a better bet than a low mileage example. I have to say that I do tend to subscribe to that viewpoint". (The Chim and Griff Bible, second edition, page 53)
He was of course talking about the RV8 engine, but the same must surely apply to the Speed 6. In the end, saving going over your 2500 miles per annum insurance limit to save £100 may end up costing you a new camshaft.
Once you allow a car battery to fully discharge the plates start to sulphate. This is a mostly non reversible process which reduces the capacity of the battery. The more it sulphates the less capacity it will have. As the capacity is reduced it will take a lot less time to reach a full charge because there is effectively less battery to charge however that does mean it will go flat more quickly. The simple secret is not to let any lead acid cell completely discharge and if it does recharge it again promptly.
Don't bother with an Optima Red Top, a good mate of mine is in the specialist battery industry and he used to stock them.
Apparently they were fine until about 4 years ago when they moved production from the USA to Mexico.
My mate refuses to stock them now, he had that many returns it just got silly.
For any battery that's unacceptable.
But for a product that's marketed as in endurance premium battery that costs twice the price of a standard lead acid battery, it's outrageous.
In the premium endurance battery sector he now only sells one brand, Odyssey.
I wont bore you with how good Odyssey batteries are, but suffice to say they are in a league of their own.
But it doesn't matter how good your battery is, if you've got a significant parasitic drain (& most TVRs seem to), even an Odyssey battery going to struggle.
Clearly the best solution to this problem is to track down the parasitic drain & eliminate it, however this can be costly & time consuming.
At the end of the day it will most likely result in you paying to have a more up-to-date alarm system fitted, to do this properly is likely to cost upwards of £600.00.
But there is a cheaper solution, consider this...
A healthy disconnected battery will hold sufficient charge to start your TVR after up to 6 months of inactivity.
But how to conveniently disconect the battery?
That's easy, "Battery Brain" is your answer.
Simple to fit the Battery Brain device can be activated from outside the car after you have used the TVR remote to deadlock the doors.
Just lock the car as normal, press the Battery Brain remote fob once, & the car is locked yet the battery fully disconnected.
The result will be you can return to your TVR literally months later after no use whatsoever, press the Battery Brain remote fob once, wait for the three flashes from the indicators to stop, press the TVR fob to unlock the car and drive away like you drove it yesterday.
Simples
No mains power & trickle chargers involved, no marginal performing solar chargers required, just one press of the Battery Brain remote and all your battery drain woes have ended.
Combine it with a decent new battery at the time of fitting a Battery Brain and your "No Start" frustrations will seem like a distant bad dream.
http://www.batterybrain.co.uk/proddetail.php?prod=...
If you suffer from the TVR battery drain issue & no access to a mains power supply, a Batter Brain Gold will be the best £60.00 you'll ever spend on your TVR.
And it'll save you a fortune in regular battery replacements too
Apparently they were fine until about 4 years ago when they moved production from the USA to Mexico.
My mate refuses to stock them now, he had that many returns it just got silly.
For any battery that's unacceptable.
But for a product that's marketed as in endurance premium battery that costs twice the price of a standard lead acid battery, it's outrageous.
In the premium endurance battery sector he now only sells one brand, Odyssey.
I wont bore you with how good Odyssey batteries are, but suffice to say they are in a league of their own.
But it doesn't matter how good your battery is, if you've got a significant parasitic drain (& most TVRs seem to), even an Odyssey battery going to struggle.
Clearly the best solution to this problem is to track down the parasitic drain & eliminate it, however this can be costly & time consuming.
At the end of the day it will most likely result in you paying to have a more up-to-date alarm system fitted, to do this properly is likely to cost upwards of £600.00.
But there is a cheaper solution, consider this...
A healthy disconnected battery will hold sufficient charge to start your TVR after up to 6 months of inactivity.
But how to conveniently disconect the battery?
That's easy, "Battery Brain" is your answer.
Simple to fit the Battery Brain device can be activated from outside the car after you have used the TVR remote to deadlock the doors.
Just lock the car as normal, press the Battery Brain remote fob once, & the car is locked yet the battery fully disconnected.
The result will be you can return to your TVR literally months later after no use whatsoever, press the Battery Brain remote fob once, wait for the three flashes from the indicators to stop, press the TVR fob to unlock the car and drive away like you drove it yesterday.
Simples
No mains power & trickle chargers involved, no marginal performing solar chargers required, just one press of the Battery Brain remote and all your battery drain woes have ended.
Combine it with a decent new battery at the time of fitting a Battery Brain and your "No Start" frustrations will seem like a distant bad dream.
http://www.batterybrain.co.uk/proddetail.php?prod=...
If you suffer from the TVR battery drain issue & no access to a mains power supply, a Batter Brain Gold will be the best £60.00 you'll ever spend on your TVR.
And it'll save you a fortune in regular battery replacements too
rigga said:
tdog7 said:
Thanks, I already have one of those, think it helps a little, but not a lot.
If you don't drive the car often ..... it's better than nothing.i would never risk it again.
Chimpo, my Classic Line insurance policy, just taken out three months early because I exceeded my Mannings mileage allowance, specifically only covers me for theft etc if the alarm/immobiliser is activated. Does Battery Brain actually leave the alarm immobiliser working, or is the car just locked and not alarmed/immobilised?
QBee said:
Chimpo, my Classic Line insurance policy, just taken out three months early because I exceeded my Mannings mileage allowance, specifically only covers me for theft etc if the alarm/immobiliser is activated. Does Battery Brain actually leave the alarm immobiliser working, or is the car just locked and not alarmed/immobilised?
Ok so if you activate the Battery Brain after locking the car the alarm & immobiliser will be inactive.However, if a car thief attempts to steal your car he'll need to re-connect the battery to start it.
At the moment he re-connects the battery, he is also re-connecting the alarm/immobiliser, and the siren will sound.
Lets be honest here most car thieves wouldn't even know where to locate the battery in a TVR to re-connect it.
So I'm actually inclined to view the Battery Brain as an addition line of defence against car theft, it certainly doesn't make the car any easier to steal.
Remember, as soon as the battery is connected the alarm & immobiliser are back doing their job.
The only reduction in security to my mind is in the event of an opportunist widow smashing attempt to steal something from within the car.
You can always easily avoid the opportunist window smasher by simply not leaving tempting items on display within the car.
If this still troubles you Battery Brain has another trick up its sleeve.
Instead of using the Battery Brain fob to disconnect your battery after locking the car, just lock & leave the car as normal.
That's right, do nothing, just lock the car & walk away.
The Battery Brain will monitor your battery and disconnect it all on it's very own should the voltage fall below a pre-determined level, this feature is designed to ensure you always have enough voltage left in your battery to start the car.
This is a nice feature as the alarm & immobiliser will remain active until the battery falls below the pre-determined voltage level.
If you do have a drain like the OP, without the Battery Brain your battery would only give 24 hours more life before the battery becomes completely drained anyway.
And you've got no alarm or immobiliser in a car with a flat battery.
This feature will also save you if you inadvertently leave your lights on, which is easier than you think in a TVR.
However you choose to use the Battery Brain, I view the questions over security as a complete non issue.
But lets not forget the big advantage of the Battery Brain, you can be sure the car will actually start when you return to it after months of inactivity.
Finally there's one other advantage to using a Battery Brain, fire prevention.
There are many cases of TVRs spontaneously combusting, & the cause is almost always a dead short.
I was shown a partly burnt out Tuscan at a TVR specialist that had spontaneously combusted during the night due to a corroded Anderson connector.
At a different TVR specialist I was told the story of a Chimaera that's cigarette lighter socket unwound itself and also created a dead short over night.
If both these cars had their batteries disconnected they would still be with us today, both TVR specialists now have a policy of disconnecting batteries on the cars in their workshops.
For them it's not just the loss of one customer's TVR it's a workshop full of them, not to mention the end of their livelihood.
I like the peace of mind disconnecting my battery gives me when I press the Battery Brain remote.
Battery Brain, worth it's weight in gold
Edited by ChimpofDarkness on Thursday 14th February 08:48
Top post - thanks for all that detail, I will go get one.
After all, I will only activate battered brain when the car is parked at home and not going to be used for a number of days.....in its locked garage, behind a secure coded entry gate, totally out of sight of the average car thief. Avoiding spontaneous combustion would be an added bonus.
Its not as if I am going to activate it while the car is parked for three hours in the multi-storey, or whatever.
After all, I will only activate battered brain when the car is parked at home and not going to be used for a number of days.....in its locked garage, behind a secure coded entry gate, totally out of sight of the average car thief. Avoiding spontaneous combustion would be an added bonus.
Its not as if I am going to activate it while the car is parked for three hours in the multi-storey, or whatever.
QBee said:
Top post - thanks for all that detail, I will go get one.
After all, I will only activate battered brain when the car is parked at home and not going to be used for a number of days.....in its locked garage, behind a secure coded entry gate, totally out of sight of the average car thief. Avoiding spontaneous combustion would be an added bonus.
Its not as if I am going to activate it while the car is parked for three hours in the multi-storey, or whatever.
Spot on, that's how I use mine.After all, I will only activate battered brain when the car is parked at home and not going to be used for a number of days.....in its locked garage, behind a secure coded entry gate, totally out of sight of the average car thief. Avoiding spontaneous combustion would be an added bonus.
Its not as if I am going to activate it while the car is parked for three hours in the multi-storey, or whatever.
You will not regret fitting a Battery Brain, it's a great bit of kit
Some more tips from me here.
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=114...
I recommend you pay particular attention to my advice on buying a good quality tinned brass terminal.
PS: I was "ChimpanLucky" back then
NB: QBee, in return for the above advice can you add your spark plug experiences here please:
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Thanks, Dave.
Edited by ChimpofDarkness on Thursday 14th February 09:57
QBee said:
Top post - thanks for all that detail, I will go get one.
After all, I will only activate battered brain when the car is parked at home and not going to be used for a number of days.....in its locked garage, behind a secure coded entry gate, totally out of sight of the average car thief. Avoiding spontaneous combustion would be an added bonus.
Its not as if I am going to activate it while the car is parked for three hours in the multi-storey, or whatever.
no power in the garage?After all, I will only activate battered brain when the car is parked at home and not going to be used for a number of days.....in its locked garage, behind a secure coded entry gate, totally out of sight of the average car thief. Avoiding spontaneous combustion would be an added bonus.
Its not as if I am going to activate it while the car is parked for three hours in the multi-storey, or whatever.
Thanks for the replies people, I've read abour battery brain before, and had similar concerns regarding deactivation of the alarm and immobiliser and the insurance implications of this. However, as you quite rightly point out, they would need to be reactivated to steal the car, and hence insurance shouldn't be a problem.
I've found an 096 Varta battery for £74 which sounds a good buy, I think if I combine that with a battery brain, I should be sorted.
Thanks all.
I've found an 096 Varta battery for £74 which sounds a good buy, I think if I combine that with a battery brain, I should be sorted.
Thanks all.
tamore said:
QBee said:
Top post - thanks for all that detail, I will go get one.
After all, I will only activate battered brain when the car is parked at home and not going to be used for a number of days.....in its locked garage, behind a secure coded entry gate, totally out of sight of the average car thief. Avoiding spontaneous combustion would be an added bonus.
Its not as if I am going to activate it while the car is parked for three hours in the multi-storey, or whatever.
no power in the garage?After all, I will only activate battered brain when the car is parked at home and not going to be used for a number of days.....in its locked garage, behind a secure coded entry gate, totally out of sight of the average car thief. Avoiding spontaneous combustion would be an added bonus.
Its not as if I am going to activate it while the car is parked for three hours in the multi-storey, or whatever.
The truth is that i drive the car at least twice a week 12 months of the year, so just don't get problems with slow drain of the battery. But fire prevention sounds like a good idea to me, especially when i have hard wired the clock and radio to avoid losing the settings.
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