Battery questions
Discussion
Hi
Not the most exciting of topics but here goes:-
The battery on my Tuscan was completely flat. Managed to jump start it & took it for a lengthy drive. Still not enough charge to turn it over though.
Will this ever charge up fully again or is it beyond repair & should be replaced? If so, can anyone recommend a decent replacement & rough cost?
My car does not live in a garage at present & therefore mains trickle charging is not really an option. Are the solar chargers worth bothering about & would one of these fully charge the battery if left on? Also how long would I be looking at roughly to charge it via this method?
TIA
Andy
Not the most exciting of topics but here goes:-
The battery on my Tuscan was completely flat. Managed to jump start it & took it for a lengthy drive. Still not enough charge to turn it over though.
Will this ever charge up fully again or is it beyond repair & should be replaced? If so, can anyone recommend a decent replacement & rough cost?
My car does not live in a garage at present & therefore mains trickle charging is not really an option. Are the solar chargers worth bothering about & would one of these fully charge the battery if left on? Also how long would I be looking at roughly to charge it via this method?
TIA
Andy
Cheers Andy,
Think you need a new one. A flat battery should be able to turn it over after approx. half an hour drive.
If you pick a new battery, Varta (original - see mytuscan)is recommended but expensive. Varta has one of the best cold-cranking amps compared to other batteries.
If you decide to go for another make, compare the cold-cranking amps and get the highest you can/will afford.
Price in Holland for a Varta is 130 Euros. I chose another make with 70ah which is less then original (74 ah) but with a high cold-cranking amperage. nearly similar to the Varta.
The solar thing, I don't know about it so can't help you with that.
Ronald.
Think you need a new one. A flat battery should be able to turn it over after approx. half an hour drive.
If you pick a new battery, Varta (original - see mytuscan)is recommended but expensive. Varta has one of the best cold-cranking amps compared to other batteries.
If you decide to go for another make, compare the cold-cranking amps and get the highest you can/will afford.
Price in Holland for a Varta is 130 Euros. I chose another make with 70ah which is less then original (74 ah) but with a high cold-cranking amperage. nearly similar to the Varta.
The solar thing, I don't know about it so can't help you with that.
Ronald.
A solar panel will never fully charge the battery but it will trickle charge, meaning it will keep it active. Since using my solar panels (one in car when out and about and one mounted on garage roof) I have never had a problem, my record so far is 7 weeks and the car started straight away. Before the battery would go flat after 2 weeks. Mr C
OK - Had a starting issue with my Tuscan a couple of Saturdays ago.
Car would crank, but not fire and run. It would give an occaisional cough, but not 'catch'.
During cranking attempts, the POD alarm was coming up with low volts - and after 2-3 attempts the cranking rate was getting slower and slower.
So - jacked car up, attached mains charger to battery - drawing 4 to 6 amps! After about an hour took charger off, and she started first turn of the key. The battery was replaced by me just after I bought the car 2.5 years ago.
Spoke to my local motor factor who supplied the battery (Varta type 072 CCA680), who said bring it down and they would test. Upshot was that the battery would not take a full charge, therefore they replaced it under warranty. It did, during the 2-odd years I had it, go completely flat on one occaision - so I'm assuming that this started the 'fail' process.
Also - I believe the MBE ecu is quite voltage sensitive, and will not permit a fire with low volts.
Nick
Car would crank, but not fire and run. It would give an occaisional cough, but not 'catch'.
During cranking attempts, the POD alarm was coming up with low volts - and after 2-3 attempts the cranking rate was getting slower and slower.
So - jacked car up, attached mains charger to battery - drawing 4 to 6 amps! After about an hour took charger off, and she started first turn of the key. The battery was replaced by me just after I bought the car 2.5 years ago.
Spoke to my local motor factor who supplied the battery (Varta type 072 CCA680), who said bring it down and they would test. Upshot was that the battery would not take a full charge, therefore they replaced it under warranty. It did, during the 2-odd years I had it, go completely flat on one occaision - so I'm assuming that this started the 'fail' process.
Also - I believe the MBE ecu is quite voltage sensitive, and will not permit a fire with low volts.
Nick
Thanks for your replies. Work commitments have interferred with my TVR time so I still haven't sorted this yet.
I'm going to take the battery off at weekend and leave it on charge and try it again to see what the outcome is. If it fires up I think I need to invest in a solar charger to keep it topped up. If not, I'll opt for a new Varta one (thanks for the code Nick).
Andy
I'm going to take the battery off at weekend and leave it on charge and try it again to see what the outcome is. If it fires up I think I need to invest in a solar charger to keep it topped up. If not, I'll opt for a new Varta one (thanks for the code Nick).
Andy
Andy, just be aware that the Varta battery is a pig to fit in the compartment...I expect that you can get other makes that are slightly shorter on the longest dimension - But the perceived wisdom on here is that Varta are a good brand.
I asked for a type 072, the CCA designation is Cold Crank Amps (of 680) which gives plenty to turn the six pots over.
Nick
I asked for a type 072, the CCA designation is Cold Crank Amps (of 680) which gives plenty to turn the six pots over.
Nick
nawarne said:
Andy, just be aware that the Varta battery is a pig to fit in the compartment...I expect that you can get other makes that are slightly shorter on the longest dimension - But the perceived wisdom on here is that Varta are a good brand.
I asked for a type 072, the CCA designation is Cold Crank Amps (of 680) which gives plenty to turn the six pots over.
Nick
Had a new battery fitted recently, Bosch type S4008 plus a new Steve Heath Anderson connector with the extra insulation around the conductors, both were on their last legs, fires up first time every time in these sub zero temperatures I asked for a type 072, the CCA designation is Cold Crank Amps (of 680) which gives plenty to turn the six pots over.
Nick
I believe the 072 designation is a dimensional reference (and possibly, an amp/hour reference).
When I had the problems with the battery a few weeks ago, I started looking at Exide and Red Top "glass mat" batteries (these typically cost iro £150-£170). When I had the conversation with the guys at my motor factors their comments were "well you pay double the price, but you probably don't get double the performance or life from them". So, I stuck with a conventional 'plate' type - so far so good.
Nick
When I had the problems with the battery a few weeks ago, I started looking at Exide and Red Top "glass mat" batteries (these typically cost iro £150-£170). When I had the conversation with the guys at my motor factors their comments were "well you pay double the price, but you probably don't get double the performance or life from them". So, I stuck with a conventional 'plate' type - so far so good.
Nick
I am not sure "expensive batteries" are worth it
When the battery died in the G33 I went to the local motor actor and brought the cheapest one that fitted. It worked perfectly for 3 years and was then replaced under warranty and a new 3 year warranty given. The car spent most of its time sitting in the garage. The battery then had to start a cold RV8 with stale fuel.
For £60 it was a bargain.
When the battery died in the G33 I went to the local motor actor and brought the cheapest one that fitted. It worked perfectly for 3 years and was then replaced under warranty and a new 3 year warranty given. The car spent most of its time sitting in the garage. The battery then had to start a cold RV8 with stale fuel.
For £60 it was a bargain.
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