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Flat battery!


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Hi Guys

 

Just went to get the TR6 out today as the sun was shining .... and it hasn't yet been out of it's house (Garage) this year.

 

I leave it constantly plugged into a c-tek charger/optimiser to ensure that's it's ready for use every time.

 

I last started the car a few weeks ago and the battery was fine but this time it was just dead and didn't want to turn over at all.

 

My question is, how long should a battery last in a car that's not used much at all - although it is constantly left connected to the c-tek.?

 

I've dug out my receipt for the battery and it was bought from Rimmers on the 29 March 2013, so just over 3 years ago.

 

I thought it might have lasted a bit longer than this but as said, the car isn't used much.

 

If the consensus is that this is how long it should last for, I'll happily go and buy a new battery but if it's thought that it should last longer, then I''ll still go and buy a battery but perhaps be concerned that I've got an electrical problem.

 

ps is there any way to test whether a battery has had it or not?

 

Thanks in advance for any advice that anyone has.

 

 

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How do you know you battery has had it and not the charger? Or possibly the charger killed the battery?

 

However if a battery is flat for some time it is usually doomed even if you can get it to recharge.

 

Batteries should last perhaps 5 to 10 years if not allowed to discharge too much, too regularly - but then that is just an average MTBF

 

Also buy a cheap time switch so the charger is only on twice a week for perhaps 30 minutes or so each time.

 

 

Alan

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I find that batteries are best left disconnected if not used for a while. Anything I think I won't use regularly I disconnect one terminal.

Don't know why that should be but I started my own TR6 up today for the first time since December .Spun over at a very healthy rate and started right up. Think that battery is around 5 years old

An hour ago I started up my old 3 1/2 ton digger to give my wife my version of help in the garden.( If you have to weed then weed big!)

That has been sitting for at least 6mos with a battery that must be 7 years old.

Stuck the terminal back on and the old girl roared into life.

Works for me so assume I must be doing it right but not sure why as ,especially in the case of my digger there is absolutely nothing that could be drawing current when it is idle.

Steve

 

PS

 

If you think there is no place for an old digger in car restoration, here's a pic of the old girl being used to remove the suspension from a scrap GT6 chassis.

 

 

post-13767-0-43585700-1460310161_thumb.jpg

 

Edited by Stevecross
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The C-tec may be at fault!

are you sue the connection is good?

I have mine connected to a ctec and have done for the past 5 years, never an issue car always starts I do make sure i use the reconditioning function every 6 months .

Ideally regular use is the best option, but if your not able to, then a charger/ conditioner is definitely the way to go ;):D

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I would suspect the charger might not be functioning.

The question is also whether the battery is shot?

 

Modern radios and alarms are quite a problem in that they slowly discharge batteries.

 

Unlike NiCad batteries lead acid batteries don't last as long if regularly discharged and particularly if left discharged.

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Hope you do not need a new battery after only 3 years but

 

I have today just ordered a replacement battery for my Audi RS4. I decided to go with a Bosch 4 series. It comes with a 4 year warranty and it says in the blurb that it can be left charged for up to 18 months at a time with no damage to the battery

 

https://advancedbatterysupplies.co.uk/product/bosch-100/

 

I would expect they also do a battery suitable for the TR6 with the same capabilities. Incidentally the battery on my TR is a Halfrauds special - 5 years old - and never seems to go flat even after leaving the car for 2-3 months, although as has been said in previous posts I always disconnect the earth terminal after every trip

 

kc

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Re-reading your post and what it does not say.

 

Could the battery be fully charged and raring to go but faulty (corroded) connectors.

 

You have checked the battery connections?

Have you measured the voltage directly from the battery terminals?

If you have a battery isolator screw have you removed and checked the bottom surface is still clean and looks like it will pass a large starting current.

 

 

Alan

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msport,

 

Before you condemn the battery (or the C-Tek) what voltage did the battery read when the starter wouldn't turn. And what combination of lights were showing on the C-Tek just before you disconnected it?

 

Paul

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Just went to get the TR6 out today as the sun was shining .... and it hasn't yet been out of it's house (Garage) this year.

 

I leave it constantly plugged into a c-tek charger/optimiser to ensure that's it's ready for use every time.

 

I last started the car a few weeks ago and the battery was fine but this time it was just dead and didn't want to turn over at all.

 

My question is, how long should a battery last in a car that's not used much at all - although it is constantly left connected to the c-tek.?

 

I've dug out my receipt for the battery and it was bought from Rimmers on the 29 March 2013, so just over 3 years ago.

 

I thought it might have lasted a bit longer than this but as said, the car isn't used much.

 

If the consensus is that this is how long it should last for, I'll happily go and buy a new battery but if it's thought that it should last longer, then I''ll still go and buy a battery but perhaps be concerned that I've got an electrical problem.

 

ps is there any way to test whether a battery has had it or not?

 

 

 

 

Hi,

 

What type of battery do you have . . . lead acid, AGM? From what I've seen, lead acid batteries are usually only guaranteed for 3-4 years, so if you get much longer life than that you are beating the manufacturers' odds. If yours is three years old, then it might just be that it's come to the end of its life. AGM batteries are usually guaranteed for 5+ years.

 

As others have said, it's not obvious at this stage whether the problem is with the battery or the charger (or perhaps with the car), so might be worth you trying another charger if you have excess to one. Do you have a volt/multi-metre so that you can test if the battery has any voltage? If you do, then what I'd do is charge the battery (either with the C-tek or another charger) and then check to see if I get around 12.5v out of it. However, as I found recently on my son's car, you can register a surface charge of around 12v, but the battery might still be finished. To test that, you'll need a battery tester. I have one that indicates the cranking amps put out by the battery, so I can see if it's close to what it should be.

 

Also, which model of the C-tek do you have? I ask because some of the models are not really for use with car batteries, as I found with the first one I bought. My latest one is the MXS 5.0, which has modes for different types of battery. Like Paul says above, what lights did you get on the charger? If the battery wasn't talking a charge properly, I'd expect to see the red exclamation light showing on my charger.

 

Darren

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I have one of those disconnecters that attached to the +ve post. You just wind out the knob when you park her up and it isolates the battery.

 

I have one of those too Stallie. Maybe I have it wrong, but I was under the impression (don't know where from), that it had to be attached to the negative battery terminal.

 

Darren

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I always remove the battery's ground clamp before loosening the positive. Shorting of the positive terminal to ground will then produce no current flow because the current has no return path to the negative post. Then always reconnect the ground last.

So I agree with Darren by putting the disconnect on the ground post.

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Yes, you are right Darren. I've just looked at the description on the Moss website (from where I bought it several years ago) and it says mount to the negative post only. Thanks - i'll change it on the weekend.

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