1969Mk3Spitfire Posted December 24, 2021 Report Share Posted December 24, 2021 Winter time is always a test for a lead acid battery, especially for a car fitted with a dynamo. The comment above to check the earth connection is sensible but otherwise if lights are dimming it’s probably time to replace the battery, especially if it’s 7-8 years old. Nothing worse than being stranded with a dead battery for the sake of £50. On sailing forums, posts about batteries are very common. My boat has 7 x 110 Ahr batteries and I need to replace the 4 domestic bank before next season launch. This will hurt my pocket but is about par after 8 years. The usual advice if that if you’re questioning the battery, it’s time to change it. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougbgt6 Posted December 24, 2021 Report Share Posted December 24, 2021 13 hours ago, daverclasper said: are those Lions 063 suitable for 6 cylinder please?. Also, I assume, they are maintenance free (I guess they all are now?), if so, are they the ones that you can take the top covers off to top up if necessary? (I have been told they do exist?), as apparently useful, if running dynamo, as battery can get warm by overcharging, as not as accurate a Alternator setup? Dave, I have a 063 in my GT6, although mine's an Exide. The Lion is 40amp/hrs my Exide 44 you could go for a Bosch which is 52 a/h but £80. I find the Exide works well enough. I bought the Exide because it was the cheapest at the time currently £51, but I didn't pay that, low 40s I think. The prices seem to go arbitrarily up and down with no rhyme or reason. Keep the receipt! Most are 3 years guarantee some 4, some 5. Guess which is 5? But consider, 2 successive Lions would be 6 years guarantee and £72 while one Bosch 5 years and £80. I must put the trickle charger on! Today. Yes, I'll do that today. Euro Car Parts have a "sale" on most of the time currently 45% off, but if you're unlucky you might catch them during one of their rare full price days. Yes, maintenance free, the top don't come off. Doug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted December 24, 2021 Report Share Posted December 24, 2021 Doug, has your Exide got a rounded top/front edge? the one I bought has, and means the clamp wasn't as happy. Trouble with the cheaper batteries is they are made cheaply, and more likley to let you down, which is a PITA if you have to go through the grief of returning etc. So I happily pay a little extra and get (fingers crossed) a better one. Incidently, the mk3 soitfire we bought 4 years ago has a halfords HCB075 battery in it. That was a few years old when we got the car, it lives in a lock up, and has never failed to start even after being unused for a few months. The seem to be pretty good... (HCB063 is £56 with a tradecard, so yes, not a cheap option) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badwolf Posted December 24, 2021 Report Share Posted December 24, 2021 There is also Tayna on fleabay who appear to get good reports. They regularly take part in promos of everything from 15 to 25% off. Off what, depends on what you need. ECP have numerous trading names both on Fleabay and the net, all with a DFS style sale system!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougbgt6 Posted December 24, 2021 Report Share Posted December 24, 2021 1 hour ago, clive said: Doug, has your Exide got a rounded top/front edge? the one I bought has, and means the clamp wasn't as happy. I do recall some re-adjustment, did I turn the clamp up side down? It's fixed anyway, definitely clamped now. My previous Exide in the GT6 died most oddly, first turn of the key the battery struggled, second turn and thereafter no problem. I changed earth straps, battery connectors put on the spare solenoid, but the same every day, struggle, then fine. Went on for weeks. Then I recalled a new one I had that exploded! An internal connection wasn't properly made and started arcing, blew the side clean off the battery. Was the Exide doing something similar? I didn't wait to find out, It sits in the corner of the garage now waiting to go to the dump. Doug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wagger Posted December 24, 2021 Report Share Posted December 24, 2021 I once had the job of testing batteries for 'Acceptance' on equipment used in mines. I had to do a 'Short circuit Test' on many samples from various manufacturers. I placed them under a concrete bunker and watched via video outside of a reinforced concrete room waiting for the current to 'Die'. Some exploded, others just melted the links. I chose the ones with external links . Hard to come by now. Gas detectors for methane etc were fitted inside a strong cage covered in fine copper gauze to contain the battery. Sealed fuses were essential. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted December 24, 2021 Report Share Posted December 24, 2021 at school we had 2v glass accumulators we connected a load in series and welded name tags with some stiff wire and tin plate Kaboom two exploded as the charging gas and discharge gases mixed to a spark ignited boom i was saved by the metal carry strap otherwise i would have been seriously shot with glass ,much ended up in the ceiling panels and acid discoloured the red tile floor till the day I left nasty things batteries Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted December 24, 2021 Report Share Posted December 24, 2021 1 hour ago, dougbgt6 said: It sits in the corner of the garage now waiting to go to the dump. Doug Take it to your local scrappy. £5-15. I have a collection of cables/copper pipe/brass fittings and a car battery. Missed the pre-christmas visit, but I expect £100 or so. where theres much etc.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted December 24, 2021 Report Share Posted December 24, 2021 13 minutes ago, clive said: Take it to your local scrappy. £5-15. I have a collection of cables/copper pipe/brass fittings and a car battery. Missed the pre-christmas visit, but I expect £100 or so. where theres much etc.... Really? I just leave mine in a portable unit they have for batteries, no-one ever mentioned getting money for them. They put very nice little red and black caps over the terminals so last time I was there I sneaked a few home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badwolf Posted December 24, 2021 Report Share Posted December 24, 2021 Oh yes, I have a bag of copper wire trimmings, lead bits and bobs and a couple of batteries to trade in. I must have made several hundred pounds out of scrap over the years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted December 24, 2021 Report Share Posted December 24, 2021 You are aware of the Scrap Metal Dealers Act of 2013? It prohibits cash dealing, only via a bank account, to deter metal thieves. Not that that describes you, of course! 'My' scrapper interprets the Act to allow barter, so any old rusty scrap iron will buy me useful alloy panel or extrusions. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted December 24, 2021 Report Share Posted December 24, 2021 32 minutes ago, JohnD said: You are aware of the Scrap Metal Dealers Act of 2013? It prohibits cash dealing, only via a bank account, to deter metal thieves. Not that that describes you, of course! 'My' scrapper interprets the Act to allow barter, so any old rusty scrap iron will buy me useful alloy panel or extrusions. John Yes, I am fully legit. Nothing complicated, you have to show some ID etc but only once, and money is paid direct into my account. They link it to my car registration, so when I change cars, just tell them, show my bank card, all sorted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johny Posted December 24, 2021 Report Share Posted December 24, 2021 On 23/12/2021 at 12:54, JohnD said: Not so, Johnny. Yes, multiple cells, because the most that a single lead/acid cell can produce, fully charged, is 2.1V. Car batteries stack six of those in series to give the 12V that they are designed to run off. Vehicles that use 24V will have two such batteries in series to get that. Batteries, or cells, in parallel, would not sum their voltages, but can provide more charge to get a car started. That's what you do when you use jumper leads from another car or an extra battery. John Its just that when I took one apart there seemed to be one row of cells in series, as you say six, followed by another row of six in series and maybe more rows (it was a while ago). Then the various rows were connected by common rails (parallel like jumpering various batteries) to the battery terminals so still giving a nominal 12v however one of the rows of six had a broken connection between its series cells and I surmised that this would explain the loss of available current... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badwolf Posted December 25, 2021 Report Share Posted December 25, 2021 I am also fully legit and registered, which is more than I can say for the directors of one scrap yard, who have just been given suspended jail sentences. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted December 25, 2021 Report Share Posted December 25, 2021 16 hours ago, johny said: Its just that when I took one apart there seemed to be one row of cells in series, as you say six, followed by another row of six in series and maybe more rows (it was a while ago). Then the various rows were connected by common rails (parallel like jumpering various batteries) to the battery terminals so still giving a nominal 12v however one of the rows of six had a broken connection between its series cells and I surmised that this would explain the loss of available current... Some vehicles run "dual voltage" systems. 24v to run the starter etc, 12V for lighting etc. That would need a battery that can supply either which could be two batteries or a single, multicell battery with internal connections appropriately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted December 25, 2021 Report Share Posted December 25, 2021 1 hour ago, Mathew said: 24v battery with a centre tap for 12v ? Just the big brother of the original 6v / 12v ballast resistor system... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted December 25, 2021 Report Share Posted December 25, 2021 when i retired from truck manufacturing there was a move talked of going to 36v to reduce the current draw no idea it that happened was a few years back in 2003 i remember we had batteries returned under warranty and the electrolyte was less than 1.00 ( better than water ) even litmus paper was unaffected so what was it ??? Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted December 25, 2021 Report Share Posted December 25, 2021 Probably a leak, topped up with distilled, so all the acid washed out. Snatching moment between grandchildren games! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted December 25, 2021 Report Share Posted December 25, 2021 they were branded ,not old and there were no leaks and too many to be one off's think they were filled with just tapolene from day one happy Christmas Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougbgt6 Posted December 25, 2021 Report Share Posted December 25, 2021 8 minutes ago, JohnD said: Snatching moment between grandchildren games! I gave the youngest boy a drum machine. What was I thinking?!!😱 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badwolf Posted December 25, 2021 Report Share Posted December 25, 2021 Doug - Get the batteries out. Tell everyone you want to try them in the GT6 or find an old set of headphones, quick. Pete - The acid was probably taken out to use in an old battery and then filled with water, returned as faulty and replaced. Two working batteries for the price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris A Posted December 25, 2021 Report Share Posted December 25, 2021 2 hours ago, Badwolf said: The acid was probably taken out to use in an old battery and then filled with water, returned as faulty and replaced. Two working batteries for the price. You have a very low opinion of the human race. Not saying you're wrong just saying. . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badwolf Posted December 25, 2021 Report Share Posted December 25, 2021 Chris A - In my life, I have met and worked with an awful lot of people. So many are kind, considerate, thoughtful and a credit to mankind. The others are put to shame by those people and make the difference even more pronounced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted January 4, 2022 Report Share Posted January 4, 2022 I see prices have really gone up... I could get two Heralds for that amount. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris A Posted January 4, 2022 Report Share Posted January 4, 2022 37 minutes ago, Colin Lindsay said: I see prices have really gone up... I could get two Heralds for that amount. But at least the postage is less than the purchase price for once, unlike that old Tacho . . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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