Starter battery help please

[Seren-y-dwr]

Hi all

 

My starter battery dies last weekend (managed to keep going jumping it from the leisure) - tested and was 12.2 from the multi

 

Assume this is therefore dead as 

 

A its quite old

B I am sure the charging is ok as had new alternators etc in last year and leisure are ok

 

Can anyone advise me on what starter battery I need to get? Ideally from somewhere like Halfords (as there is one near me) not bothered about cost - want it to work and be low maintainance

 

Engine is an old (1993) Thornycroft Mistubishi K3D

 

thanks :)

[rusty69]

One that fits in the same space as the existing one, has the same terminals ideally, in a location that the cables will reach too. Read the CCA on the current battery, and if it has been acceptable, try and match the new one to that.

 

I would also check it actually is charging before condemning it.

Edited September 3, 2019 by rusty69

[WotEver]

18 minutes ago, rusty69 said:

I would also check it actually is charging before condemning it.

Yup. “I’ve had a new alternator fitted” doesn’t mean squat. Check the battery voltage with the engine running; you’ve said it’s 12.2V stopped, so does it rise to 14.4V when the engine is running?

[Momac]

Perhaps a Yuasa HSB110 from Halfords.

5 year guarantee.

[MtB]

3 hours ago, WotEver said:

Yup. “I’ve had a new alternator fitted” doesn’t mean squat. Check the battery voltage with the engine running; you’ve said it’s 12.2V stopped, so does it rise to 14.4V when the engine is running?

 

Seconded. 

 

Most of us have at some time or other (usually earlier in life!) bought a new battery only to find the symptoms return after a couple of weeks, because the old one was not being charged by the engine. The "14.4v with engine running" is the way to check it is being charged. 

 

Even so, in my experience quite a flat a battery with 12.2v on the terminals at rest will still start an engine perfectly well. The voltage at rest test just tells you the state of charge, not whether the batt is knackered. I suggest you measure the terminal voltage with the key in the 'engine starting' position (prolly need two of you). Tell us the terminal voltage you get when the engine ought to be turning over but isn't.

 

And matching the battery format, i.e. height, length, width, and terminal layout is actually very important when replacing a battery. Batteries often have a three digit 'format code' marked on them (e.g. 687) for you to use when matching a new one one up.

 

 

[Tony Brooks]

The 12.2V is a pretty meaningless measurement. On the face of it that battery is a true nearly 50% charged. I bet if you measured it while cranking it would be 8 volts or less. Also measure on the lead posts, not the terminals because dirty or loose battery terminals will prevent the engine starting.

[Seren-y-dwr]

thanks all - going to boat tomorrow (without buying new one at moment) to check all this

 

love this forum

[BruceinSanity]

9 hours ago, Seren-y-dwr said:

going to boat tomorrow (without buying new one at moment) to check all this

Duw! You don’t need to buy a whole new boat just because the old one won’t start!

 

[Alan de Enfield]

43 minutes ago, BruceinSanity said:

Duw! You don’t need to buy a whole new boat just because the old one won’t start!

 

Maybe the ash-trays are also full,

[Seren-y-dwr]

22 hours ago, MartynG said:

Perhaps a Yuasa HSB110 from Halfords.

5 year guarantee.

actually got this one and fitting tomorrow (delayed going to boat). Even if there is a charging problem (which there might be and I know what to look for) the existing battery is a number of years old before I got the boat 2 years ago so - hey.