Changing the battery - any tips?

[sleeptalker]

Hi all,

Last night I went to start my S3 and the battery was totally dead - clock had stopped, immobiliser not flashing...the works!

Long story short - I need a new battery so having read up on this forum i've ordered the Numax battery and it should arrive tomorrow ready for fitting!

As with all things TVR i'm sure there are some things worth knowing before I attempt to start this job so if anyone can think of anything I should know or prepare in advance i'd really appreciate hearing about it.

I understand i'll need some ratchet straps to secure the battery to the tray due to missing lips at the base of the battery.

I've also had to buy some caravan levelling ramps to drive the car up so I can fully open the bonnet - as it grounds out before I can put the 'arm' up and into place to hold it open.

I'm guessing all the electrical terminals are standard and the existing battery cables should just fit the new one?

Thanks all as ever!

[Roy C]

Hi Anders,

The ratchet straps are available from most DIY superstores and much more secure than the original clamp.

Make sure there is enough clearance between the battery terminals and the bonnet to avoid star-cracking the bodywork.

Roy

[sleeptalker]

Thanks Roy I will try to make sure - I picked the Numax as it seemed to be the most popular choice for a 'beefy' battery and other's have fitted them and they 'fit' from what I've read so the bonnet should clear the terminals OK finger's crossed!

Last night was a nightmare - car battery flat, eventually jumped it (just!) using a 1.5 Renault Scenic, drove a mile, left it idling for 2 mins, ran out of petrol (!), couldn't restart, couldn't jump from the same Scenic, nor a 1.1 Picanto, no AA cover as too close to home, luckily my folks had homestart so their AA covered me and jump started the S using a booster and then did some electrical testing on the battery only to tell me it's only holding 22% charge. Not the best or cheapest evening i've had recently!

Would be so much easier if the bonnet opened the other way wouldn't it?!

That and the fact that mine grounds out before it's fully open really is a pain!

[Wiz]

My bonnet catches the ground as well winded the shocks up a full turn,about 10mm at the chassis, which helped.
Also drilled another hole further up the bracket for the prop to sit into.
Still very low to work on so generally drive onto two pieces of scaffold plank.

[ketvrin]

They are all pretty low but on level ground you should at least be able to prop the bonnet open on the rod... are you sure your shocks have not sagged and the whole car is sitting low ? check the heights between the ground and the outrigger corners... (145 front 165 rear ??? from memory but check)

I too keep a couple of short lengths of wood to drive up onto if I need to open the bonnet on rough or uneven ground...

You'll forget all of those bad winter nights when you are blasting along in the summer with the roof off... chin up

K

[sleeptalker]

Battery fitted and all is good (touch wood!)

Thanks to everyone for the advice.

I would only add to it by saying maybe a few obvious things but you never know who it may help one day:

When removing the battery be careful of catching the thin copper brake lines that run quite close to the tray - don't want to snag those!

Make sure you orientate the battery with the negative pole nearest to the windscreen side of the car (positive one facing headlights)

The more open you can get the bonnet the easier the whole job!

Grease the terminals of the battery to help prevent any corrosion

Don't over tighten the battery connecting clips

I think i'm right in saying attach the positive terminal first then the negative

Use a 14mm spanner to loosen the nuts on the battery connecting leads.

Make sure you tighten the battery strap to the tray - using the Numax battery means no metal clamps can be used on it.

Other than that it was a 5 min job to remove and another 5 to fit!

Cheers all!

[phillpot]

sleeptalker said:

Battery fitted and all is good (touch wood!)

Thanks to everyone for the advice.

I would only add to it by saying maybe a few obvious things but you never know who it may help one day:


Grease the terminals of the battery to help prevent any corrosion


Cheers all!

Should use a petroleum based grease, eg Vaseline, rather than any old "axle grease" you have hanging around

[sleeptalker]

Think I used 'LM Grease' which looked pretty much like vaseline - is that OK?

[phillpot]

I'm no expert but recall being told once that most greases are actually water based ? Therefore may well encourage the formation of that crystally stuff that grows on terminals.
Personally, because my Tiv is a hobby car and bonnet spends as much time up as it does down I prefer to just keep everything clean. Any sort of grease will attract muck to stick.

Mike.

[Roy C]

sleeptalker said:

I think i'm right in saying attach the positive terminal first then the negative

[chrischat]

Hi Anders have you got the code number for the Numax battery please.

[sleeptalker]

It was this exact one:

http://www.tayna.co.uk/089-Numax-Car-Battery-P1008...

All good height-wise (not snagging the bonnet etc.) and as I said can't be clamped in but can be strapped in (as my previous one had been!)

[chrischat]

Cheers for that Anders I'll order one tomorrow

[graham kay]

[quote=sleeptalker]

Grease the terminals of the battery to help prevent any corrosion
[quote]

Don't grease the terminals of the battery before you put the leads on as this can create a bad connection between the battery and the lead always put the grease/no corrode paste on afterwards, I have been to many a vehicle that won't start (sometimes intermittantly) after the customer had fitted a new battery and this has been the cause.