Battery Help Required Please!
Discussion
Ive just come back to my 94 M Chimp 4.0HC after only 10 days and the battery is totally dead! I dont think this is right! After reading the bible, this is a nightmare job to replace! Whilst Im about it, I'm going to replace it. Right, which one do you reccommed, and has anyone had any experience of buying and fitting the later modified box for easier access (assuming I have the early type as my car is a 94M!)
Ta
Ta
Strange, I did this at the weekend and I am just doing a write-up with photos for the Surrey TVR site. I will paste the text here. One thing I will say, is it was much simplier than I thought.
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After suffering a complete power failure from the battery in my Griffith 500, and having proven that the battery would no longer hold a change after being connected to the battery charger, I decided it was time for a replacement. Having read Steve Heaths excellent book and several discussion threads on the subject of Griffith and Chimeara batteries, I decided to tackle the job myself both for the satisfaction of doing the job and the curiosity of the task. My first concern would be access to the underside of the car to remove the two bolts that hold the battery in the car, and my second concern is would I correctly be able to identify the two bolts, it turns out that the job was quite straight forward. If you are not aware already, the battery is housed in a fibreglass battery-box in the passenger foot well, and this box is secured to the floor of the car by two bolts that screw in from beneath the car, through the floor into the battery-box, this makes a very secure arrangement, but makes the task of removing the battery more complicated than your normal domestic car. The battery is further secured in the battery-box by a fiber-glass cover that close the top of the box to stop the battery from falling out (in the unfortunate circumstance of the car being rolled), the cover has access for the battery terminals and is secured to the battery-box by soft rivets that are easily drilled out.
The first task is to remove the carpet in the passenger foot well and the L-shaped carpet piece that covers the battery, this is quite straight forward in my car. Just pull up the carpet and place some where safe.
The next task is to un-coil/move the ECU/cables and relays that sit on top of the battery. I untucked all the cables and laid the set-up along the floor keeping it as tidy as possible and as out the way as possible to give me enough room to work.
The next task is to mark on the floor the location of the battery box, this will make it much easier to line-up the battery box when it comes to replacing the battery box latter. I used an indelible red pen to mark round the battery box, but I have also heard of tipex being used to equal effect.
To remove the battery-box you need to undo two bolts underneath the car that go through the floor and screw into two bolts in the bottom of the battery-box. The two bolts on my car are quite obvious and can be found under the car, about 20cm from the back of the front wheel, or if you look at the photo, the bolts are level with the arrow. If you look at the next photo you can see the two bolts, undo this anti-clockwise as usual and place the two bolts in a safe place. BTW: I did not need to jack the car up to get to the bolts, but you may want to if you need more room.
To remove the battery-box, just slide it forward along the floor and lift out of the car. As you can see from the photo the battery is secured in the box via a riveted top plate. Using a power drill and an appropriate drill bit, you can drill the rivets out to remove the top plate. Once the top plate is removed you can simply lift out the battery and replace it with a new battery if that is your intention.
To secure the top-plate in place, I used self tapping screws that will make it easier to remove at a latter date and for me it is was more convenient as I do not own a rivet gun.
To replace the battery-box in the car, simply follow the reverse of removing the box. The first step is to align the battery-box with the markings you placed on the floor, this will make it easier to get the bolts lined up. You may have to move the box a little bit to get the bolts to line up correctly. One other point, when securing the battery-box in place with the bolts, make sure you seal the hole the bolts pass through in the floor of the car with ample silicon sealant to stop water from splashing into the car.
Additional Information
Sometimes when removing the bolts that secure the battery box, you may find that the bolt that is glassed into the battery-box becomes loose or snaps off. This is easily remedied by re-securing the bolt with a good amount of epoxy resin glue.
The battery
The battery recommended by Steve Health in the TVR Griffith & Chimeara book is a Type 72 battery with a 630 amp crank rating. The battery I recently removed from my car was a Type 72 with an amp rating of 570, the battery I replaced it with was a type 72 with an amp rating of 590 amps (from Halfords). The old 570 amp battery has been in the car for four years without any problems until recently and the new battery starts the car with no issues.
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After suffering a complete power failure from the battery in my Griffith 500, and having proven that the battery would no longer hold a change after being connected to the battery charger, I decided it was time for a replacement. Having read Steve Heaths excellent book and several discussion threads on the subject of Griffith and Chimeara batteries, I decided to tackle the job myself both for the satisfaction of doing the job and the curiosity of the task. My first concern would be access to the underside of the car to remove the two bolts that hold the battery in the car, and my second concern is would I correctly be able to identify the two bolts, it turns out that the job was quite straight forward. If you are not aware already, the battery is housed in a fibreglass battery-box in the passenger foot well, and this box is secured to the floor of the car by two bolts that screw in from beneath the car, through the floor into the battery-box, this makes a very secure arrangement, but makes the task of removing the battery more complicated than your normal domestic car. The battery is further secured in the battery-box by a fiber-glass cover that close the top of the box to stop the battery from falling out (in the unfortunate circumstance of the car being rolled), the cover has access for the battery terminals and is secured to the battery-box by soft rivets that are easily drilled out.
The first task is to remove the carpet in the passenger foot well and the L-shaped carpet piece that covers the battery, this is quite straight forward in my car. Just pull up the carpet and place some where safe.
The next task is to un-coil/move the ECU/cables and relays that sit on top of the battery. I untucked all the cables and laid the set-up along the floor keeping it as tidy as possible and as out the way as possible to give me enough room to work.
The next task is to mark on the floor the location of the battery box, this will make it much easier to line-up the battery box when it comes to replacing the battery box latter. I used an indelible red pen to mark round the battery box, but I have also heard of tipex being used to equal effect.
To remove the battery-box you need to undo two bolts underneath the car that go through the floor and screw into two bolts in the bottom of the battery-box. The two bolts on my car are quite obvious and can be found under the car, about 20cm from the back of the front wheel, or if you look at the photo, the bolts are level with the arrow. If you look at the next photo you can see the two bolts, undo this anti-clockwise as usual and place the two bolts in a safe place. BTW: I did not need to jack the car up to get to the bolts, but you may want to if you need more room.
To remove the battery-box, just slide it forward along the floor and lift out of the car. As you can see from the photo the battery is secured in the box via a riveted top plate. Using a power drill and an appropriate drill bit, you can drill the rivets out to remove the top plate. Once the top plate is removed you can simply lift out the battery and replace it with a new battery if that is your intention.
To secure the top-plate in place, I used self tapping screws that will make it easier to remove at a latter date and for me it is was more convenient as I do not own a rivet gun.
To replace the battery-box in the car, simply follow the reverse of removing the box. The first step is to align the battery-box with the markings you placed on the floor, this will make it easier to get the bolts lined up. You may have to move the box a little bit to get the bolts to line up correctly. One other point, when securing the battery-box in place with the bolts, make sure you seal the hole the bolts pass through in the floor of the car with ample silicon sealant to stop water from splashing into the car.
Additional Information
Sometimes when removing the bolts that secure the battery box, you may find that the bolt that is glassed into the battery-box becomes loose or snaps off. This is easily remedied by re-securing the bolt with a good amount of epoxy resin glue.
The battery
The battery recommended by Steve Health in the TVR Griffith & Chimeara book is a Type 72 battery with a 630 amp crank rating. The battery I recently removed from my car was a Type 72 with an amp rating of 570, the battery I replaced it with was a type 72 with an amp rating of 590 amps (from Halfords). The old 570 amp battery has been in the car for four years without any problems until recently and the new battery starts the car with no issues.
Stange you should say that, I replaced the HT leads on Saturday as well, and I have a write-up to go with it and photos. All in aid of the Surrey TVR websites, little jobs section 
Just pray I never do a bigger job, it will be like War and Peace
Just pray I never do a bigger job, it will be like War and Peace Incorrigible said:
F g 'ell David
Hope you never have to change a spark plug, you'll need a new keyboard
My battery was going flat over time like this - don't bother with the chargers, just get a tidy battery and take the car for a good run at least once a fortnight.
I replaced my battery with a Calcium high-current version from Halfords - did a thread about it earlier this year. I recently left the car, with alarm on, for 17 days and it started perfectly, with no sign of major current drainage.
Matt
I replaced my battery with a Calcium high-current version from Halfords - did a thread about it earlier this year. I recently left the car, with alarm on, for 17 days and it started perfectly, with no sign of major current drainage.
Matt
I recently bought a charger for the cigarette socket, and it works a treat - got it from TMS.
You may find it useful to cut out some small grooves in the top edge of the battery box - then, should you every need to disconnect the terminals again, you can gain direct acces through to the bolts to remove the leads (I did this before I bought the trickle charger)
You may find it useful to cut out some small grooves in the top edge of the battery box - then, should you every need to disconnect the terminals again, you can gain direct acces through to the bolts to remove the leads (I did this before I bought the trickle charger)
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