ADVICE PLEASE - How do I change the battery?

[Alpinestars]

Sorry if the question has been asked before but how do I go about changing the battery on the Noble?

Thanks

[JLSELAN]

Unfortunately, with some difficulty .
The cables can be accessed and disconnected via the removable wheel well panel, but the battery itself has to be removed from below--i.e., with the car on a lift or supported by jack stands.

[art411y]

ive just changed my battery on jacks and in the garage.took me an hour of real struggle .my advice as others will testify is get it on a car ramp

[snuffy]

JLSELAN said:

The cables can be accessed and disconnected via the removable wheel well panel, but the battery itself has to be removed from below--i.e., with the car on a lift or supported by jack stands.

You don't need to remove the wheel panel to disconnect the leads. You can do that from above. Then undo the two nuts that hold the battery in place ( with the plate going across the top of the battery).

Turn the battery through 90 degrees and drop it down the hole. You will need the car jacked up so you can remove it once it's though the hole.

Putting it back is much harder because you have to push it up through the hole and then turn it. It will be easier with two people, i.e. one to push it up and one to grab hold of it and pull it ( oo-err missus ). Expect to spend all fking day if you are on your own !!!

[Lakelord]

Phone up the likes of Kwik-Fit and ask them if they install for free if you buy the battery from them.
They'll put it up on the ramp and save you a whole load of ball ache

[AMG Merc]

Not sure I'd let a spotty 18-year old near the underside of my Noble (I've nothing against spots mind you - just an observation!)

[Jim O.]

I usually disconnect the battery leads from above - removing the wheel well panel makes it easier, but you don't really have to. Remove the negative lead first, so there's less chance of arc welding your wrench to the chassis. I put pieces of rubber hose over the battery terminals to reduce the possibilities of shorting something across the terminals.

Removing/replacing the battery has to be done from under the car. Much, much easier if you have the car on a lift, but can be done on jack stands. Go under the car and remove the hold-down bracket. On the US cars, there's a separate piece of aluminum angle that supports the rear of the battery - push up on the battery, pull out the aluminum piece, move the battery rearward an inch to clear the front support, and the battery will come straight down out of the car. Installation is the reverse of removal. If the car is on jack stands, it may be easier to use a floor jack to lift the battery up.

[Alpinestars]

Many thanks guys. I changed it today, largely using Jim O's guidance.

HOWEVER, the car is still not starting and I have to jump it using a charger pack?? Confused. Any ideas?

[art411y]

dont know if this helps but,bought a new battery for my golf and it was also dead.think it had been sat at the back of their cold damp store for well over a year

[Alpinestars]

The strange thing is it's showing 12.7 volts across the battery and the jump starter is showing 13v. I have had the battery on charge overnight and the diagnostics suggest it's all ok. Any ideas?

[Adrian W]

Alpinestars said:

The strange thing is it's showing 12.7 volts across the battery and the jump starter is showing 13v. I have had the battery on charge overnight and the diagnostics suggest it's all ok. Any ideas?

Short the starter out, and see if the engine spins

[Alpinestars]

Adrian W said:

Alpinestars said:

The strange thing is it's showing 12.7 volts across the battery and the jump starter is showing 13v. I have had the battery on charge overnight and the diagnostics suggest it's all ok. Any ideas?

Short the starter out, and see if the engine spins

How do I do that and what will that diagnose? Could it be a poor earth?

[snuffy]

If it jump starts ok then that would suggest the earth is okay. I'd expect nearer 13.5 volts from the battery, 12.7 might not be enough. Is the battery you have fitted a brand new one ?

[Jim O.]

Check the battery voltage using a load tester - it may be supplying enough voltage, but not enough current to start the car. If you don't have access to a load tester (many garages, auto parts places, service stations will offer to test your battery on their load tester for a nominal cost, or even free), then check the voltage while trying to crank over the engine.

Do all the lights seem to be at their normal brightness? If everything else seems normal, but the engine won't crank over, then I'd suspect the starter relay. Also check the 80 amp maxi-fuse for signs of heat damage.

[Alpinestars]

Brand new Bosch battery and I have had it on trickle charge overnight. I agree that it seems odd it would be an earth problem if a jump pack with 13v will start the car.

Lights etc all seem fine.

[Alpinestars]

Not sure if the AA guy load tested it? He said the voltage dropped to around 10 whilst cranking it and then straight back to 12.6 ish almost immediately so he thought the battery was healthy. Would that have been a load test?

[JLSELAN]

If the engine was running at the time, 12.6 volts is low--it should be closer to 14 volts with the charge coming off the alternator.
Seems like a very strange problem. If the engine starts and runs fine with a jump but not with the new battery it really suggests that that battery is defective. For example, a battery with a bad cell could show 12+ volts and be OK for powering accessories but not have enough cranking power to start the engine.

Edited by JLSELAN on Sunday 21st September 20:29

[Alpinestars]

Runs at high 13s to 14v when running. I thought a dead cell would lead to a drop in volatage of at least 2v ie, in the 10s or 9s. I will check the earthing because it seems a high cranking makes all the difference.

[JLSELAN]

A bad cell may not be "dead" though, and the real test is how much current the battery can deliver to the starter motor. If the battery is not healthy internally the max current it can deliver will be compromised.

[S26VE P]

I had this very problem on the old rover coupe, every test was done apart from cranking power and eventually turned out that the new battery had a dead cell. so upon cranking the battery would give next to no power.