One For You Battery Experts

[_dg]

The car would not start recently due to a flat battery - it had not been used for a few days and I assumed the last 10 minute run with heater/demisters/air-con and lights on had caused this. It was totally flat

 

So I jumped it and all was well and even after the journey, it was sufficiently re-charged for me to start it again to get home.

 

I put it on charge and the charger indicated that it was taking charge and gradually recharging - all the cells were bubbling.

 

I left it on charge for two days, then switched it off. Out of interest I checked it with a volt meter, and it read 11.6 volts and falling. It fell down to 10.6 volts, so I assume a cell has gone. I put it back on charge and noticed that one of the cells was no longer bubbling.

 

So, how can a cell go "just like that"? Is there anything to be done to revive it?

 

And is it worth putting it back in the car, or should I just bin it?

 

It just says Pb on it, no mention of calcium, so I assume I can just replace with lead

[kalel]

 

So, how can a cell go "just like that"? Is there anything to be done to revive it?

 

And is it worth putting it back in the car, or should I just bin it?

 

It just says Pb on it, no mention of calcium, so I assume I can just replace with lead

 

 

Yes one of your cells have shorted due to electrode separator failure. Not too uncommon specially when recharging from totally flat.

 

That battery is a goner I'm afraid, there's now way I know that can ressurrect a shorted cell.

 

The MkII Shalahaxyline can do both pb and Silver/Calcium batterys, what the manufacturers say about only use S/C is balooney. A car electric system designed for S/C can accomodate Pb batteries too without problems.

The other way is a NoNo as a Pb system will not charge an S/C to nowhere near full capacity.

S/C batteries have higher capacity and other advantages but this does not warrant their steep price.

Unless your'e running your box on very short trips with a lot of gizmos running I would like to say, don't bother with S/C:s

[Guest gooner52]

im no battery guru ,

but i would say it is defo naffed

 

i was always told charge for 24hours

 

so 48hours is a bit over the top

 

i bought a heavy duty one for mine for

[buford_t_justice]

Ford do okay for batteries some times.

 

I bought a heavy duty Silver Calcium last weekend with a 3year warranty for

[JohnR]

Ford do okay for batteries some times.

 

I bought a heavy duty Silver Calcium last weekend with a 3year warranty for

[mumof4]

a calcium battery is whats recommended..so that is what i get....our currant one is a varta one and cost about 80 quid i think, it was nearly 3 years ago....

 

At my course on weds.....you say Johnr that batteries are designed to fail after a certain length of time..i beg to differ..they can keep going 5/10 years or more..they arent designed to fail after just a few years....

 

Now batteries for motorbikes usually come with no guarantee as they do fail quicker....

 

 

but a car one...does come with a guarantee as it is supposed to last for some time..

 

For some batteries that have plugs in the top that can be filled with water...(or whatever it is)...you can actually get little tablets called bat aids to put in them (one in each cell).....to make the battery last longer..

 

sealed batteries have this stuff already in them...non sealed ones dont..that is why non sealed batteries do not last as long as sealed ones.i believe the calcium battery is better than an acid one...and i believe that you shouldnt mess around draining etc an acid battery considering the damage can be caused...when a new battery is X amount ..why risk yourself?..

 

 

By the way..these bat aids can be used in motorbike batteries where accesable..but you need to crush them up and only need to use half a tablet..

[NikpV]

Ford do okay for batteries some times.

 

I bought a heavy duty Silver Calcium last weekend with a 3year warranty for

[tim-spam]

Companies producing mature products (which car batteries definitely are) who indulge in producing planned obsolescence usually destroy their own reputation and go obsolete themselves.

 

The life of a car battery depends upon many factors, some of which relate to the car itself. The original battery on my wife's Mercedes 190D lasted 11 years and was replaced with the Halfords heavy duty battery specified for the vehicle. This is a calcium battery and is now 5 years old with no problems so far. Coincidently, when I replaced the battery on the Alhambra earlier this year with the recommended Halfords calcium battery, it was exactly the same model as the one fitted to the Merc, and has the same 4 year guarantee. It will be interesting to see which one lasts the longest....

[Guest MATT jr]

...jst grow a lemmon tree and use lemmons to power our fruity cars!

 

MJR :D

[Guest gooner52]

i was just gonna buy some pigs

 

the power one would have :D

[JohnR]

i was just gonna buy some pigs

 

the power one would have :D

 

I described a mechanism whereby batteries could be designed to fail predictably. I certainly remember buying a battery with a 2 year guarantee some 10 years ago or so, and having it fail at 26 months. The battery supplied on my old Volvo lasted 6 years. The replacement only 3. The designers of such products do have an input into how long they last!

 

I think generally people are more environmentally aware these days and designers have to be conscious of this and not make it too obvious. Generally speaking, products tend to become obsolescent these days due to customers' expectations changing and technology being superceded.

 

Just wondering how well something like....say...a Sanden air-con compressor was tested prior to release and how they managed to come to the conclusion that an L10 failure of about 2 years would be acceptable to customers! They seem to have just about got away with it. If it was any worse I'm sure Ford would have had to do a recall!

[_dg]

I went around several shops to get a price and not one of them mentioned anything about the need for calcium or just lead batteries on the different models, and their reference charts only listed one type of battery for petrol, diesel and V6.

 

They all said that calcium was just better, more heavy duty low maintenance and lasted longer, and that there would be no problems with charging etc.

 

The one I finally got (cheapo lead) has a curious clear plastic tube which is connected near the +'ve anode and looks like some kind of filling tube to the cells. What do I do with this?? I've never had one of these before :angry2:

[RADIOTWO]

 

 

For some batteries that have plugs in the top that can be filled with water...(or whatever it is)...you can actually get little tablets called bat aids to put in them (one in each cell).....to make the battery last longer..

 

sealed batteries have this stuff already in them...non sealed ones dont..that is why non sealed batteries do not last as long as sealed ones

 

By the way..these bat aids can be used in motorbike batteries where accesable..but you need to crush them up and only need to use half a tablet..

 

 

Its a shame people don't read up on things before making comments like this, as a little knowledge is dangerous !!

 

All lead acid batterys have this "stuff" as you put it, all the "batt Aid" tablets are, are dried Acid, and its just to give a battery a sort of kick start, and if you look after a non sealed battery it will last longer than a sealed one.

 

The thing that kills a battery is a overcharging circuit, if your alternator puts out more than 14.2 Volts then it will what thay call "Cook" (or Boil) the battery, and boil off all the acid.

 

The ideal Voltage is 13.8, and as long as you are doing enough milage thats the best.

 

 

 

 

The one I finally got (cheapo lead) has a curious clear plastic tube which is connected near the +'ve anode and looks like some kind of filling tube to the cells. What do I do with this?? I've never had one of these before :angry2:

 

 

Hi dg

 

The tube is a breather tube, so when the battery builds up pressure it has somewhere to release the gas,so just feed the pipe down so it points down to ground and not onto the bodywork etc

 

Radiotwo

[Guest BagPuss]

I buy all our batteries from my VW Dealer, always have alway will, especially when I get them at cost.

So

[buford_t_justice]

Ford do okay for batteries some times.

 

I bought a heavy duty Silver Calcium last weekend with a 3year warranty for

[neiluk]

For some batteries that have plugs in the top that can be filled with water...(or whatever it is)...you can actually get little tablets called bat aids to put in them (one in each cell).....to make the battery last longer..

 

I am used to sealed batteries with little green spots in my last two cars but my 'new' Galaxy has what looks like the old fashoned top up type that used to be in my fathers Cortina?

 

My Galaxy has a lead Heavy duty battery and it performs very well (touch wood). How should I look after it to keep it this way?

 

My father used to top his cortina's battery up with distilled water only. I have never heared of acid tablets before. Should I get some incase I need them and how will I tell if I need them?

 

Thanks for any advice,

 

Neil.