Motorsport Mickey Posted May 19, 2020 Report Share Posted May 19, 2020 (edited) 8 minutes ago, Mick Forey said: I drove the TR6 to Halfords and bought the highest capacity battery that fitted nicely and had the terminals in the right place. Job done, has worked well for years but I do use a smart charger for extended layups, also Halfords for £14 but sadly no longer available. Mick The Aldi or Lidl smart chargers are great value. Normally cost about £12.99 (they compete) and if you check the label on them (mine anyway) are made by Medion a well known electrical producer who make quite reasonable electrical gear and they have a 3 year warranty. They are on sale periodically and I keep a couple spare, one in caravan one in car etc as well as those in daily use keeping the classics charged. Mick Richards PS: get a Halfords Trade card, you get 20% or more off various car orientated "if it goes or slows" electrical parts, batteries, bulbs additives (Wynns diesel EGR cleaner) etc. Well worth it. Edited May 19, 2020 by Motorsport Mickey Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Waldi Posted May 19, 2020 Report Share Posted May 19, 2020 Hi BigBogan, thank you for the background and explanation. My battery was leaking a bit of acid through the vent and made a bubbling noise so I did not trust it. I went to my local car parts store, and bought a Varta E24, 70Ah and 630A (EN). It is probably manufactured in the same plant as my old Bosch S4-027, and it made a day and night difference compared with the old (neglected) Bosch battery. It came with a voltage of 12.6 V, and when charged with my 8A charger for 2 hrs the voltage rose to above 13 V. When I started the car my Bosch 55A alternator (new, remanufactured by Bosch) beefed it up to 13.8 V, and it will probably go up a bit further on the road once fully charged. Regards, Waldi Quote Link to post Share on other sites
astontr6 Posted May 21, 2020 Report Share Posted May 21, 2020 On 5/5/2020 at 7:03 PM, RobH said: Perhaps if you reverse the J bolts so they are outside the brackets......?. Those batteries are a bit big and you don't really need anything so large. The standard 072 size battery should be perfectly fine. You don't need a super-large Ampere-hour rating unless you intend using the battery a lot with the engine off but a big CCA is good. Avoid calcium batteries as they are not matched to the charging system. They will work OK but you will never fully charge them, so you pay more for something you never actually use. With any lead-acid battery it is imperative that you keep it at full charge, by using a battery conditioner if the car is only used intermittently. That will prevent sulphation of the plates, which is the reason many people find batteries do not last long. Thanks for your explanation on calcium batteries, I had to buy a battery in hast as my nearest Halford's did not have any ordinary lead acid types. As you indicated my 18 ACR could never fully charge it even after a 2000 mile trip! When my car was laid up for the winter I always had to leave it on trickle charge but that also did not fully charge it.? I still had to give it a dose of full power with automatic cut off to fully charge it. But it did last 8 years? Bruce. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kcsun Posted June 24, 2020 Report Share Posted June 24, 2020 My Halfords hb015 battery is coming to the end of its useful life (7 years, which I am happy with) I would like to replace it with either a Bosch or Varta, can someone advise me what the model number I require many thanks kc Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Waldi Posted June 25, 2020 Report Share Posted June 25, 2020 See my post above. Waldi Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kcsun Posted June 25, 2020 Report Share Posted June 25, 2020 Yes I saw that Waldi, but i wondered if your Varta battery was a Dutch version I will check it out, thanks kc Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Waldi Posted June 25, 2020 Report Share Posted June 25, 2020 Hi KC, tbh I do not know. But I was told the Bosch and Varta are made in the same factory and indeed, the new Varta casing looked exactly the same as the old Bosch. Cheers, Waldi Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ntc Posted June 25, 2020 Report Share Posted June 25, 2020 16 hours ago, kcsun said: My Halfords hb015 battery is coming to the end of its useful life (7 years, which I am happy with) I would like to replace it with either a Bosch or Varta, can someone advise me what the model number I require many thanks kc 037 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stuart Posted June 25, 2020 Report Share Posted June 25, 2020 28 minutes ago, ntc said: 037 Bolt on terminals though 037 battery I would fit 072 072 Battery Stuart Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ntc Posted June 25, 2020 Report Share Posted June 25, 2020 (edited) Also available pole Edited June 25, 2020 by ntc Quote Link to post Share on other sites
John L Posted June 25, 2020 Report Share Posted June 25, 2020 While on the calcium batteries, what's the best trickle/charger or high rate charger, I don't seem to see ones that have the big boost for these batteries, unfortunately I still have a 15 AC alternator, its always showing a charge on the gauge, but perhaps not enough pok is going in, this is without lights on and current day time use, and even long trips 100 miles + a day. John Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kcsun Posted June 25, 2020 Report Share Posted June 25, 2020 Thanks to all, have ordered the Varta 24 as suggested by Waldi -- thanks kc Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ntc Posted June 25, 2020 Report Share Posted June 25, 2020 (edited) 5 minutes ago, John L said: While on the calcium batteries, what's the best trickle/charger or high rate charger, I don't seem to see ones that have the big boost for these batteries, unfortunately I still have a 15 AC alternator, its always showing a charge on the gauge, but perhaps not enough pok is going in, this is without lights on and current day time use, and even long trips 100 miles + a day. John Ctek. Edited June 25, 2020 by ntc Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RobH Posted June 25, 2020 Report Share Posted June 25, 2020 (edited) 13 hours ago, John L said: While on the calcium batteries, what's the best trickle/charger or high rate charger, I don't seem to see ones that have the big boost for these batteries, unfortunately I still have a 15 AC alternator, its always showing a charge on the gauge, but perhaps not enough pok is going in, this is without lights on and current day time use, and even long trips 100 miles + a day. John Assuming your car has an ammeter, it's possible that may not be showing charge going into the battery John. If you have any extra loads which have been added but which have been wired to the battery side of the ammeter rather than the alternator side, any current drawn by that load will show as a 'charge'. ( Perhaps a new direct feed for the fuel pump?) Edited June 26, 2020 by RobH Quote Link to post Share on other sites
astontr6 Posted June 26, 2020 Report Share Posted June 26, 2020 12 hours ago, John L said: While on the calcium batteries, what's the best trickle/charger or high rate charger, I don't seem to see ones that have the big boost for these batteries, unfortunately I still have a 15 AC alternator, its always showing a charge on the gauge, but perhaps not enough pok is going in, this is without lights on and current day time use, and even long trips 100 miles + a day. John Hi John, I went over to a 18 ACR years ago for the reasons you state, you will notice the difference straight away. The fuel pump whine does not play a high/low tune anymore when stopped awaiting to turn right or left with the indicators on. In my view an ACR15 is not much better than a C40 dynamo. Bruce. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PodOne Posted October 21, 2022 Report Share Posted October 21, 2022 (edited) Evening all Rather than start a new thread I thought this old thread worth updating. After using a series of dubious old batteries to test bits and bobs over the years while restoring the old girl (69 TR6 PI) its time to consider buying a new battery for her and conditioner as mine has given up for some strange reason. So what's peoples more recent experience and recommendations for a reasonable battery to go with a 45A alternator and fit into a plastic battery tray along with a decent conditioner? Thanks Andy Edited October 21, 2022 by PodOne Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dave I O W Posted October 21, 2022 Report Share Posted October 21, 2022 Hi Andy I bought one of these batteries a couple of month's ago it fits in a battery tray ok and come's with a 5year warranty, They have gone up in price by £10 now, Hope this helps Cheers Dave. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/201207669462 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
FatJon Posted October 22, 2022 Report Share Posted October 22, 2022 Optima Red Top or similar quality battery like a bosch or yuasa and an EBay £20 Chinese battery trickle/conditioner. I have this combo on old my old cars and some have lasted nearly a decade. If they get parked up for more than 2 weeks they go on the trickler. Being left flat is the kiss of death for a lead acid battery. Avoid that and they can go for many years. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mike C Posted October 22, 2022 Report Share Posted October 22, 2022 I generally leave a trickle charger connected through a timer for about an hour a day top up charge. I have several cars and I boat I leave like that for 6+ months and the batteries last for years. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Motorsport Mickey Posted October 22, 2022 Report Share Posted October 22, 2022 Hi Mike, That’s good, all my charges have to have the 12 volt car programme selected after power is turned on so can’t put them on a timer. What trickle chargers are you using ? Mick Richards. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rcreweread Posted October 22, 2022 Report Share Posted October 22, 2022 Hi all - having had a number of well known chargers/trickle chargers fail over time and/or ruin a battery, I found this company: http://www.batteryfighter.com.au/pages/battery_fighter_a_series.htm I have successfully used one of their battery maintenance chargers for over 6 years on my TR4 with no problems and a battery still performing as new - accepted not cheap, but nor is a ruined battery. No connection other than a very satisfied customer Cheers Rich Quote Link to post Share on other sites
astontr6 Posted October 26, 2022 Report Share Posted October 26, 2022 On 6/24/2020 at 11:38 PM, kcsun said: My Halfords hb015 battery is coming to the end of its useful life (7 years, which I am happy with) I would like to replace it with either a Bosch or Varta, can someone advise me what the model number I require many thanks kc My experience with Varta is NBG. I have had 3 that have failed in the warranty period??? on my daily drivers. Bruce. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MilesA Posted October 27, 2022 Report Share Posted October 27, 2022 Just goes to show. Had two Vartas over a period of 12 years on my 3A with no problems. Not on a daily driver admittedly. Second still going strong. Hooked up to a conditioner from Aldi or Lidl when the car is not in use. That too has lasted about 7 years so far without problem. Miles Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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