Which Battery

[andy o]

Hi,

I had an interesting weekend due to my battery flattening at 3.3oam Sunday morning. Somehow the sound of a car alarm at that time doesnt tend to put the other half in a good mood. Anyway managed to scrabble around in the dark and disconnect the battery. Just had to then wait for the back ups to ware out.
So to the point I need to replace the battery and would like suggestions on the best battery for the job.

My griff is a 92 4.3bv.

Cheers

Andy

[laz11]

Definately type 072 is the one to go for. I had similar probs and tried a lesser powerful battery with bad results so went for the 072 and has been very reliable. I have a "standard" 4.3 so presume it would be the same?!!

[andy o]

I have been told an 069 is the Griff battery but have heard that 072 is the preffered.

Does anyone know how warranties are affected if the battery is used on a car not recommended for that battery?

[paul2000]

sorry to jump in on you but can you tell me if the battery on the 500 griff the same as the 4,30 thanks paul

[simpo two]

I have a Halfords copy and with the help of a conditioner it's been perfect for about 5 years.

Not only should you have the correct cranking amps (620?), but also make sure the dimensions are no bigger than the old one, or it won't fit in the battery box!

[andy o]

072 looks like the one then.

I have now compared prices as follows

Haldfords £85inc

Motorworld £54inc

Pretty much all batteries are manufacturered by UKCP? and re badged. £ year warranty as standard.

Does anyone have suggestions on the best way to maintain over winter i.e. trickle charger and if so which one?

Cheers

Andy

[nicbowman]

LSUK 031/4. This is from the renamed Lucas supplier. Check cold cranking amps, some with the 069 and 072 are as low as 450. The 031/4 is 600 odd. This makes a huge difference to hot starting. Cost about £72 all in, fit straight into my 4.3. Web search on LSUK, to find local supplier.

Nic

[shpub]

This is covered in detail in the bible in the sample chapter on my website - www.tvrbooks.co.uk

It also has fitting instructions and how to maintain the battery.

Check that the replacement battery size is the same as the original as some do not fit.
Last one I bought was from CAFCO - under £40 IIRC

[cjs]

I replaced mine on Saturday in my 92 Griff. I ended up with a UKB battery its an 069 and has a cold crank of 650 amps which fires my Griff up really well, cost me £61.00. I bought it at my local Tyre and Battery place, I've never heard of UKB and can find no info online, probably just a generic brand thats badged up, works well though and comes with a four year guarantee.

I took the Battery Box with me to make sure it fitted, also watch to ensure the terminals are the correct way round.

Chris.

[richb]

andy o said:

Does anyone have suggestions on the best way to maintain over winter i.e. trickle charger and if so which one?

Accumate and plug it into your cigarette lighter socket. p.s. There's one on eBay at the moment for £30...

Edited by richb on Wednesday 20th September 10:04

[andy o]

I had it tested yesterday and it is apparently OK just low on charge. Good news on one hand but on the other I need to now sort out why it is running low and also sort out the most appropriate charger to maintain.(Richb thanks for the Accumate idea), any further suggestions also welcomed.
One othe pint is that there is no battery box in my car the battery was just sat in the footwell. Has any one else come across this in their early Griff?

[nicbowman]

You need a battery box, should be fully bolted in and strapped down in case of accident. suspect someone removed it? My 92 griff has one.

Nic

[richb]

Indeed but I'm not sure they were ever bolted down... just bolted to the floor with a few self tappers holding a lid on the box

[andy o]

Cheers all

[cjs]

My 92 Griff has a box and the bolt holes in the floor and threads in the box......but no bolts! Something I need to attend to someday.

[mf68]

have a 93 griff, my battery box is bolted to the floor with 2 13mm bolts inche and a half long going into the box from under the floor pan, if you ever remove a bolted battery box.... get a permanent marker and draw a line across the box edge on the floor pan....
Makes putting it back in so much easier [as qouted in the bible]

martin

[Griffter]

cjs said:

My 92 Griff has a box and the bolt holes in the floor and threads in the box......but no bolts! Something I need to attend to someday.

Bolts for the rear brake caliper sliders are a perfect fit. These are normally supplied with pads, so use an old set to hold the battery box down.

[andy o]

Anyone know most likely place to get a battery box

[richb]

TVR? It's really nothing more than a few bits of fibre glass pop rivetted together, you could make one...