Bum, now it's definitely dead

[spitzie]

OK, so the cerb is conpletely dead, door don't open(had to get in via the other route), light don't light, etc.

Clearly my first port of call is the battery, but I did connect another car's battery with jump leads to try and open the doors(fortunately haven't fastnered the bonnet down) but the door would open.

IS there anything special I have do after I have removed the battery and charged/replaced it, to get everything running again?

[M3John]

spitzie said:

OK, so the cerb is conpletely dead, door don't open(had to get in via the other route), light don't light, etc.

Clearly my first port of call is the battery, but I did connect another car's battery with jump leads to try and open the doors(fortunately haven't fastnered the bonnet down) but the door would open.

IS there anything special I have do after I have removed the battery and charged/replaced it, to get everything running again?

In a nutshell no. Every time i tuck mine away (like just now) i remove the battery cable as it goes very dead after about two weeks.
Are you getting ignition lights? If so what happens when you crank it over?

[amazon]

Bear in mind that once completely drained, batteries never quite seem to be as resilient again. I have learnt this and I keep the car hooked up to an Accumate most of the time too!

[VPower]

Did you alarm go loopy?

On mine I had to unplug the alarm unit until I got some charge into the battery.

Then sat in the car (just in case!) and get alarm unit plugged back in and then immediately press the remote.
Press ignition on and all reset!

[spitzie]

In answer to the questions:-

There is no electrical power, no ignition light, no radio, no alarm led.
It is on an accumate every night(but I am now thinking I may have forgot to flick the mains switch), but on Thursday it stopped and would not re-start. Has been in works car park(secure) since.

No idea why the battery is so drained, guess I'll try charging it and see. Otherwise the nice AA man is taking it to Andy @ APM.

Was thinking of getting an Odyssey heavy duty battery, as severval posts say how good they are.

Edited by spitzie on Sunday 10th April 21:47

[amazon]

I am really interested to learn the verdict Spitzie. Couple of weekends ago, I was on my way up to Silverstone, stopped for fuel, the petrol station was busy, so I started the car and moved it to a parking spot. When I got back in after paying.... it coughed. That was it.

Plasticman (very clever) came out and had a look - no definitive answer - but the car turned it's headlights on . Anyway, we jumped the car and I went on my way giving advance notification that I would probably be requiring a jump start at Silverstone. Which I did. Have just bought a new battery, but not yet installed.

I'm a bit suspicious, planning to clean up the earths, but apart from that no ideas.

So I look forward to hearing more!

[PoleDriver]

amazon said:

I am really interested to learn the verdict Spitzie. Couple of weekends ago, I was on my way up to Silverstone, stopped for fuel, the petrol station was busy, so I started the car and moved it to a parking spot. When I got back in after paying.... it coughed. That was it.

Plasticman (very clever) came out and had a look - no definitive answer - but the car turned it's headlights on . Anyway, we jumped the car and I went on my way giving advance notification that I would probably be requiring a jump start at Silverstone. Which I did. Have just bought a new battery, but not yet installed.

I'm a bit suspicious, planning to clean up the earths, but apart from that no ideas.

So I look forward to hearing more!

Sounds like a dead battery!

[amazon]

PoleDriver said:

Sounds like a dead battery!

But it was so sudden. Fine, then nothing in the space of minutes. Still suspicious..... You think I'm mad?

[mikethebike1127]

PoleDriver said:

amazon said:

I am really interested to learn the verdict Spitzie. Couple of weekends ago, I was on my way up to Silverstone, stopped for fuel, the petrol station was busy, so I started the car and moved it to a parking spot. When I got back in after paying.... it coughed. That was it.

Plasticman (very clever) came out and had a look - no definitive answer - but the car turned it's headlights on . Anyway, we jumped the car and I went on my way giving advance notification that I would probably be requiring a jump start at Silverstone. Which I did. Have just bought a new battery, but not yet installed.

I'm a bit suspicious, planning to clean up the earths, but apart from that no ideas.

So I look forward to hearing more!

Sounds like a dead battery!

+1

This happened to me last year. Car was on trickle charger all the time back then.(I have a sneaky feeling that some trickle chargers eventually knacker batteries)


Started car, drove 10 miles & shut it down. Back to car an hour later, started no problem, drove 15 miles & shut her down again. Back to car 10 mins later, pushed the button....click click click click from the starter motor, main beam came on and stayed on till I operated the main battery isolator swith (very hand addition to the car). Started it off a booster pack and mover the car into a car park for the afternoon. Came back to it and ditto with the starter & the lights. Started it with the booster again, drove it home, parked it up and checked the battery with a meter.....12.8v....stuck the charger on and it was showing a green light within 5 mins. Tried starting it again, this time I got about one crank of the engine before the clicking & the main beam coming on again. As the battery was only 6 months old, I took it back to the shop, he sent it back to get tested and low and behold....battery had a knackered cell.....loads of volts - no amps. Aint used the trickle charger since - if I'm leaving the car for any length of time (I work overseas) I use the isolator switch and would recommend this mod to all Cerb owners. My car sat over the winter with the battery in & the switch off. If I needed into the car I only had to flick the switch....not refit the battery.

A very long winded way to tell you that your battery is knackered.

You can just see the switch in the (large) pic below...as you look it's above & to the right of the number plate

[Tanguero]

If you suspect that your battery is not charging correctly in the car, then check your big fuse. It is directly between the alternator output and the battery.

A couple of deep discharges will ruin most car batteries, so it definitely wont be the same after being totally flattened unless it is an Optima or the like which is specifically designed to allow deep cycling.

[amazon]

mikethebike1127 said:

+1

This happened to me last year. Car was on trickle charger all the time back then.(I have a sneaky feeling that some trickle chargers eventually knacker batteries)


Started car, drove 10 miles & shut it down. Back to car an hour later, started no problem, drove 15 miles & shut her down again. Back to car 10 mins later, pushed the button....click click click click from the starter motor, main beam came on and stayed on till I operated the main battery isolator swith (very hand addition to the car). Started it off a booster pack and mover the car into a car park for the afternoon. Came back to it and ditto with the starter & the lights. Started it with the booster again, drove it home, parked it up and checked the battery with a meter.....12.8v....stuck the charger on and it was showing a green light within 5 mins. Tried starting it again, this time I got about one crank of the engine before the clicking & the main beam coming on again. As the battery was only 6 months old, I took it back to the shop, he sent it back to get tested and low and behold....battery had a knackered cell.....loads of volts - no amps. Aint used the trickle charger since - if I'm leaving the car for any length of time (I work overseas) I use the isolator switch and would recommend this mod to all Cerb owners. My car sat over the winter with the battery in & the switch off. If I needed into the car I only had to flick the switch....not refit the battery.

A very long winded way to tell you that your battery is knackered.

You can just see the switch in the (large) pic below...as you look it's above & to the right of the number plate

Ooooh, that's interesting..... making me feel a bit more confident it's just battery now! Thank you

[LooneyTunes]

mikethebike1127 said:

+1

This happened to me last year. Car was on trickle charger all the time back then.(I have a sneaky feeling that some trickle chargers eventually knacker batteries)


Started car, drove 10 miles & shut it down. Back to car an hour later, started no problem, drove 15 miles & shut her down again. Back to car 10 mins later, pushed the button....click click click click from the starter motor, main beam came on and stayed on till I operated the main battery isolator swith (very hand addition to the car). Started it off a booster pack and mover the car into a car park for the afternoon. Came back to it and ditto with the starter & the lights. Started it with the booster again, drove it home, parked it up and checked the battery with a meter.....12.8v....stuck the charger on and it was showing a green light within 5 mins. Tried starting it again, this time I got about one crank of the engine before the clicking & the main beam coming on again. As the battery was only 6 months old, I took it back to the shop, he sent it back to get tested and low and behold....battery had a knackered cell.....loads of volts - no amps. Aint used the trickle charger since - if I'm leaving the car for any length of time (I work overseas) I use the isolator switch and would recommend this mod to all Cerb owners. My car sat over the winter with the battery in & the switch off. If I needed into the car I only had to flick the switch....not refit the battery.

A very long winded way to tell you that your battery is knackered.

You can just see the switch in the (large) pic below...as you look it's above & to the right of the number plate

Good idea, although having routed wiring for the isolator switch I'd probably also be tempted to see if there was a convenient place to add a discreet power socket as well (something like a booted Anderson?) so that there was a quick and easy way to hook up a charger/external power source too.

[gruffalo]

I have fitted one, mine is under the bonnet so you still have to gain access to the car to start it though.

[spitzie]

Thanks for all the advice.

Battery is currently on the accumate, initially with flash green & yellow leds i.e. completely discharged.

If it goes appears charge is anything under 24 hours, I guess the battery knackered. I'm still going to get another, as the current 1 appears to be an original.

Mike, I'm interested in your isolater switch, any chance you could provide the details of how you did it, parts, etc.

[M3John]

spitzie said:

Mike, I'm interested in your isolater switch, any chance you could provide the details of how you did it, parts, etc.

Me too ! Was speaking to another Cerb owner local to me on Saturday and he has one neatly installed on the nearside `inner wing`.

[mikethebike1127]

The isolator switch was fitted to my car when I bought it however, it's a very simple installation. See the photo below of Barry Martin's Cerb (hope you dont mind me stealing your pic from FB Barry)...my switch is mounted in the same place (bottom right of pic). All you need to do is run the a (main earth) cable from the battery to the switch & from the switch to the earthing boss. Job done & you'll never need to charge your battery again.

[scotty_d]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BATTERY-CUT-OFF-ISOLATOR-SEC...

£6.50 job done fit these to all my cars never had a issue yet and i work away for weeks at a time.