View Full Version : The definitive battery thread
Hi all. One thing that crops up regularly is getting a new battery for your Supra. I'm in this situation now as my poor deep-cycled-to-buggery-over-three-years-old battery needs replacing. I know some of you on here have all this ampage and cranking hours malarky sussed out already, so for the new up-and-coming FAQ section I'd like a few ideas on what we need for a new battery, good places to get them from,and an idea of what they will cost :)
-Ian
Toyota will sell you a battery for a UK-spec for £50.
Ronseal.
Replaced mine last Thursday. Didn't shop around as I was in a hurry, so went to "Halfrauds". Bought a 65A/H, 510 cold crank amps for £50. Fires up first time, every time without any of that "starter motor hang up" that I used to get (Famous last words!!). I think it was a HCB 005.
I had trouble finding one for my j-spec because of the different terminals. Might be worth mentioning in the FAQ.
In the end I got the garage to change the lead terminals to bigger ones, and put in a battery from a diesel.
Originally posted by Lazarus
Replaced mine last Thursday. Didn't shop around as I was in a hurry, so went to "Halfrauds". Bought a 65A/H, 510 cold crank amps for £50. Fires up first time, every time without any of that "starter motor hang up" that I used to get (Famous last words!!). I think it was a HCB 005.
i need one too. the hcb 005 is the calcium battery on offer at £55 or the hb 005 is £50. so does anyone know the benefits of a calcium battery?
SupraStar 3000
13-12-04, 18:53
I also due for a new battery next week but didn't know imports had a smaller nut on top. :(
Originally posted by leett
i need one too. the hcb 005 is the calcium battery on offer at £55 or the hb 005 is £50. so does anyone know the benefits of a calcium battery?
Basically they're more powerful (compare the cold start amps) and are sealed so they don't ever need to be topped up or anything. Well worth an extra fiver.
I've got the Halfords HBC005 too.
Originally posted by SupraStar 3000
I also due for a new battery next week but didn't know imports had a smaller nut on top. :(
I've never heard anyone else having a problem, when I got mine it had a piddly little battery in it, about 25Ah I think it was!!!
Just check you terminals on the battery you've got (I took a little plastic clip off the battery and took it with me to Halfords).
Originally posted by SimonB
Basically they're more powerful (compare the cold start amps) and are sealed so they don't ever need to be topped up or anything. Well worth an extra fiver.
I've got the Halfords HBC005 too.
thanks simon, i'll go for that one
MONKEYmark
13-12-04, 20:48
i have had so much trouble with batterys. have had 3 on supra and this one on now had been stood for ages and is playing up. it drains completly flat. have bought a battery jump starter and carry that around. i have not had this battery on too long too. its a slim type with small terminals. not sure if my altanotor is playing up or if the battery has gone tits up.
this time i fancy getting a real heavy duty one thats going to last.
anyone know that the batterys with the yellow and blue tops that the americans all seem to use. what about a high performance light weight cost?
anyone know about the ones with colour tops, any specs ?
thanks
i have bought lots of batterys over the years for various cars.
what about putting in some FAQ on testing batterys and altanators
keep all the info in one place.
i bet everybody has suffered with the fast clicking it does. dont know whats up with mine as when im running about and turn car off then start it up its ok. just dies if i dont go in supra for a day or so.
does my head in :(
i need one too. the hcb 005 is the calcium battery on offer at £55 or the hb 005 is £50. so does anyone know the benefits of a calcium battery?
You're right. I checked my receipt and I did pay £55 for a calcium battery (bad memory).
I had trouble finding one for my j-spec because of the different terminals. Might be worth mentioning in the FAQ.
Mine's a J-spec, I didn't have any trouble with the terminals, they were exactly the same, it doesn't look like the cables have been changed either, unless they were done very early in the cars life.
The battery I took off was a 60A/H 450 cold crank amps, is that a standard battery?
Monkey I think the coloured ones are "Optima".
HTH
Rich
Monkey get yourself an Optima Yellow top and you should be looking to mount it in the boot, in front of the rear axle...actually behind the passenger seat would be better, as you're so into your Drag Racing :) :thumbs:
I thik any battery has to be capable of 500+ Cold Crank Amps and that mean it can't be "Light weight" you need a big effing battery :)
Whitesupraboy2
13-12-04, 22:59
Mines 360 cold crank and been fine for over a year now! :thumbs:
yes i am a NA cant make much difference though
Originally posted by Lazarus
[B]Mine's a J-spec, I didn't have any trouble with the terminals, they were exactly the same, it doesn't look like the cables have been changed either, unless they were done very early in the cars life.[B]
Many other j-spec owners said that when I first mentioned my battery problems. But still worth a mention to anyone who's thinking of getting a new battery just in case. Something to check at least.
If you're going to leave your car without starting it for ages you need a different type of battery to one that you want to provide loads of current for cold starts. Some batteries are good at powering a small current for ages (like the alarm etc when you're parked up for ages, or car stereos with the engine off) - these are the deep cycle ones. Most are good at providing a lot of current for brief periods - i.e. cold starts (the cold reduces the power of batteries). Then you get some that are good at both. One of the optimas is like that (can't remember which), but they are so expensive that unless you are planning on running your stereo for ages without the engine running or something I don't think there's much point IMHO.
I got the premium supreme lucas battery the other week and its probably the best battery i've got for a car! the car now starts instantly every time without fail! its got over 600Amps cold crankage and 68 amp hours.. i also bought new battery terminals from sexons.
Exide Maxima Deep cycle 900DC Gel battery.
Still for 10 months, and fired up a car no probs.
Weights a bomb tho.
Upon trying to trickle charge it after 10 months, it didnt need it, the battery tester actually got warm and the needle jumped to the full side. :thumbs:
Before, wed too hav many probs, but this seems to be ok.
MONKEYmark
14-12-04, 01:31
just found some specs for batterys
the yellow top optima
http://www.dcbattery.com/optima_yellow.html
Matt Harwood
14-12-04, 08:08
The Red Top Optima is the one that will hold charge for extended periods of non-use, but bear in mind that's assuming there is NO continious current draw. They're designed for plant vehicles. So to get an Optima to work for you, when you som to leave it for a long period, you also need to disconnect the battery terminals, so obviously, it needs to be in a safe place.
The battery termainal problem seems to be on all Supra's from facelift onwards.
The terminals are fairly easy to change over, and not too expensive to buy. Well worth doing to save you having to shop around for one of those piddly batteries with naff terminals.
Dragonball
14-12-04, 09:54
Matt
Whilst on the subject...
What about bunging the battery on the boot m8 - what / how do you recommend please?
:thumbs:
A question was asked regarding the benefits of Calcium-Calcium batteries.
Atrade flyer I recently read states:
With a few exceptions all 12volt car batteries are "lead/acid flooded". The plates in these batteries are made from a lead alloy, until recently this alloy was Antimony but over the last few years premiun batteries have changed this alloy to Calcium.
They are still "lead/acid flooded" the "Calcium only highlights the change of alloy.
Benefits : Significantly lower Grid corrosion leading to longer life.
Effectively zero water loss in normal service making them 100% maintenance free.
18 months storage time from manufacture to fitment.
Cold Cranking and Amp Hour ratings match and often exceed O.E. Specification.
Suitable for vehicles with Smart Charge Systems.
Definately worth the extra money if you will be keeping the car for a couple of years.
Originally posted by Matt Harwood
The battery termainal problem seems to be on all Supra's from facelift onwards.
The terminals are fairly easy to change over, and not too expensive to buy. Well worth doing to save you having to shop around for one of those piddly batteries with naff terminals.
Mine's a facelift and my terminals are fine. Could be VVTi onwards?
I had a yellow top Optima which lasted about 2 years.
Then I had a red top Optima which lasted just over a year.
Now I have a normal battery from Sextons that's lasted about 6 months so far with no sign of dying yet - best value for money IMO.
Geezabloke
14-12-04, 13:53
I bought a TOYOTA OME Battery last year and thats now started to die if left more than around 5 days, from memory that was about £80.00?
Am now looking at the Optima range but the costs are quite a lot higher.
You pays your money...you takes your choice.
Dave :flame Dev
MONKEYmark
14-12-04, 13:59
Originally posted by Christian
I had a yellow top Optima which lasted about 2 years.
Then I had a red top Optima which lasted just over a year.
Now I have a normal battery from Sextons that's lasted about 6 months so far with no sign of dying yet - best value for money IMO. so you better off with a heavy duty battery and take your chance. if a normal battery can last a fair while and say up to £50 do you think its better just replacing them when they play up. what sort of prices are the optima range?
i would love to know whats involved relocating battery to boot area.
is it not just a case of extending the original cables to boot. or do you have to re make some new leads up.
matt how much is the cable and connectors to relocate to boot area.
Originally posted by SimonB
Mine's a facelift and my terminals are fine. Could be VVTi onwards?
Nope, mine's not a facelift or a VVTi, and I had the problem. Seems random!!
Wouldn't normally recommend Halfrauds, but they're batteries have either 3 or 5 year guarantees. We had problems with a battery that was a good couple of years old and they swapped it for a spanky new one - no questions !
Just don't lose the receipt, I was STUNNED I hadn't lost mine ;)
Matt
SupraStar 3000
14-12-04, 18:17
Just got my HCB 005 for £55 from Halfrauds.
:thumbs:
Thanks gang :)
Originally posted by MONKEYmark
if a normal battery can last a fair while and say up to £50 do you think its better just replacing them when they play up. what sort of prices are the optima range? I'm definitely going to try the standard battery thing.
If I can get away with £50 a year and replace it as soon as it doesn't survive a 2-week holiday in the garage I'll accept that as part of the annual cost of having a Supe that spends half her time in the garage.
Optimas are about £150 or more I believe and only have a 1-year warranty (I'm sure about that).
SupraStar 3000
14-12-04, 22:15
You can get both red and yellow Optimas from here:
http://caraudiosecurity.com/catalog/index.php+cPath+48_226
I buy all my car audio equipment from here and find the service very good :thumbs:
I got the HCB005 (510 Cold Crank Amps)from Halfords for £55 this week - The Toyota one I took off was 65Ah - 250A.
Does battery power effect the performance of the car at all then, or is it just the starting of it etc...
I would not mind getting a new one, as having mine on just for a little while drains the battery to a point where it does not quite have enough power to turn the engine over.
Any more info on batteries on performance etc. I dont fancy putting one in the boot.
New Battery
Something I am going to have to do in the next few weeks. Takes a few seconds turning over before starting. Battery for sure. Changed the last one only 9 months ago or so.
J-spec......small battery poles
Is it worth buying come bigger clamps.Theres an ICE shop selling some stainless ones( bling bling) , european sizes, so I can fit a larger battery.
Anyone any opinions on the deep cycle batteries like the ones that are used for big ICE installs? These the optima ones mentioned previously? Quoting €250.00 for these here.
John
For information, a 200A battery will start a Supra.
Mine's 45Ah and start it fine, got it in July kind of time and it's still OK.
I think deep cycle batteries are long lasting aren't they? Would think the supe needs a good cranking capacity more than anything.
I put in a Halfords HCB005 and boy did it spark when I put the live terminal on ;) Hurrah, power! And the ability to leave the car standing for more than 3 days! Fitted fine to a '96 facelift non-VVTi.
-Ian
Just cut off the crappy small terminals to re-fit bigger ones as I have just got hold of a red top Optima. Unfortunately the new battery has its terminals in a slightly different posistion to the small crap battery I am replacing.. Therefore, any ideas where is the best place is to extend the cables from, ie from some juntion box somewhere, or try to strip the wires where they are now and just add a bit more length to the wires so they reach?
If its easier to just extend the original wires a bit, any ideas how to join two battery cables togeather, as they are damn thick. And the posistive has two very thick wires which need to run off the cable which is going to be connected to the + on the battery.
Had a look around a few car shops today to see what I could use to join the cables.. They had nothing :( Only thing which came close was these fancy things from Halfords they use on Audio installs. Big wire feed going in, and quite big wire feed out.. 1 into 4. But holes look big enough to take the battery cable's girth :) - Any thoughts on using these things to solve the problem?
http://www.vehicle-wiring-products.co.uk/
For all your battery wiring needs :)
If someone wanted the ultimate battery,I would suggest using an aircraft battery,they are alkaline ,made up of cells of 1.2 volts nominal,they are aerobatic ie will not spill ,have immense current capability (over1000amps with ease)and will not drop off voltage with load,the down side is they are very very expensive £300 a cell new ,and will need a thermal cut out as they can explode!!!, but if you know anyone in aircraft maintenance,they can get the cells for free if they go to the battery bay,as they are deemed unfit for aircraft use below 85% capacity and thrown away. you will not find a lighter more powerfull battery--on large turboprop aircraft they put out over 3000 amps and a 20 cell battery is no bigger than a large car battery (you would need only 10 cells)
Hmm
Whle you's are all running out to buy nice new batteries :) , maybe you's should all have a look at the earthing on the car, which can get into a state and will give you probs as well with the battery, starting,renewing th earths is a good idea.
Andy
I took out the old small battery.. Says on the side the cars its recommend for. Nissan Micra is one of them.. I think the battery is just a bit crap :)
This thread would make an amazing poll to see what people have don't you think?
*hint* *hint*
Well, what a job that it.. Fitting an Optima battery into the place of one of them crappey little ones with small terminals. NEVER AGAIN...!!!
And yet again, a bolt flips off and drops somewhere into the engine bay... Its like a fecking black hole trying to find things which drop around the engine!!
Alas, as I suspected. I could not find it *sigh* Just hope it finds its way to the floor nice and tidy :)
Took the car out for a spin.. No bad noises from the engine bay yet. Lets hope the bolt has gone for a walk on the road...
Anyways please find below a pic or two from the new battery install.
One question though.. I had to remove a few strands of wire within the plastic to get the two terminals from the battery - & + into the block connectors to connect up to the cars feeds.. Does anyone think this effects anything by removing some of the copper wires?
Took the car out for a spin.. No bad noises from the engine bay yet. Lets hope the bolt has gone for a walk on the road...
Anyways please find below a pic or two from the new battery install.
One question though.. I had to remove a few strands of wire within the plastic to get the two terminals from the battery - & + into the block connectors to connect up to the cars feeds.. Does anyone think this effects anything by removing some of the copper wires?
on an aircraft - yeah, on a car - should be no problem
What would be the problem on an aircraft then? :) What would it effect?
Guesing it would just overheat the wires due to the current flowing through them, but on less amout of wires to travel on than the norm?
yeah, effects the current flows, which are rather crucial for the equipment etc. on board.
certain types of wire, slightest bit of damage/stands missing will cause the wire to ignite and take out the rest of the loom, bearing in mind, theres over 7k's of wire in a fighter jet - and its all one colour ;)
generally, the outer on aicraft cable is paper thin to allow the maximum diameter of conductior, the same sized auomotive cable will have the same outside diameter, but 20-40% less conductor diameter. its also damn expensive - £1187 per meter... ask Ian C - he took a photo of a real of it which i had borrowed from work ;)
Bloody hell.. Very interesting. Thanks..
So bearing that in mind, should not effect anything at all in a cars situation.. Guess the main draw of current in a car is when the start motor is cracnked over?
nope, no effect. yep, like you say biggest drain/current draw is on cranking
mentioning the aircraft side is right at the end of the extreme! when we replace wires we have to make sure we dont even scrap the individual strands! if we do - start again!
Well my HCB005 is on it's last legs now....only 2yrs in. I have charged the battery for the last two weekends but, needed to get the booster pack out last night just to get home from work.
I do a lot of short trips ~8miles / 15-20mins
Only showing 11.82 volts.
Has anyone swapped theirs out under the 4yr guarantee OK or had any problems with Halfords ?
I have my receipt.
MKIVDreamer
21-12-06, 12:56
I have a problem with mine - took it back to hellfrauds and some old duffer simply pluged a simply charge meter to it and waited for the green light to come on - "good charge that" he says, so no swap out for me - In his defense, the battery does appear to hold the charge ok, but its the cold cranking amps that seem to be suffering...
I have a problem with mine - took it back to hellfrauds and some old duffer simply pluged a simply charge meter to it and waited for the green light to come on - "good charge that" he says, so no swap out for me - In his defense, the battery does appear to hold the charge ok, but its the cold cranking amps that seem to be suffering...
Yeah, same here. The guy on the desk said that if the machine says it's OK then no swap out!
Bloody thing was showing 12.2v on his desk......a 5min debate/chat and he calls his Dep Mgr over....the store is busy so, the Dep Mgr tells the guy just to give me a new battery without the blink of an eye :)
If I get another 2yrs out of this one, I have had my ££'s worth :D
Think I'll try one of these types next http://www.boschautoparts.co.uk/pcBatt9.asp?c=2&d=1
During the summer I've had the little racing battery on the Supe (Varley red top 30) with an incredible 850 cranking amps from a 26Ah battery. Starts okay for a couple of weeks, but doesn't seem to like doing short journeys and runs out of power. Only 9kg though so perfect for the track.
i bought the bosch asia silver, they are for import cars with the small terminals. fitted straight in and works a treat, 4 year gaurentee too
Guys, i need to buy a new battery as well (best time of the year) are there any battery;s that are little bit smaller but can deliver the same output?
And what kind of values does the battery need to use it in a Supra?
Like:65 Ah, 480 A coldstart
SupraJames
27-12-06, 18:23
The Optima's are good battery's but pricey, they come in 4 flavours:
Yellow Top - Deep Cycle for big ICE installs, lighting etc.
Red Top - Heavy Duty starter battery, mainly used it machinery.
Blue Top - Marine Use deep cycle.
Orange Top - Same as Red Top with reversed posts.
The Exide Maxxima's are all very good but again aimed more at the big ICE install market like the Optima Yellow Top.
Handy guide to help you choose your Optima battery -
http://www.1st-optima-batteries.com/optima_battery_selector.asp
I personally use the Halfords Calcium battery and its very good and well priced. May upgrade to a Blue Top Optima when all my ICE goes in though.
Red Top - Heavy Duty starter battery, mainly used it machinery.
i have this one, it really cranks over well
Soonto"HAS"soop
27-12-06, 19:09
I'm going to be going for something that is probably more suited for a Diesel. Higher CCA and above 85AH rated. Should be fine with my new PHR alternator..
i have 2 supes and 2 relativley new batterys on them and if i leave them for over a week they both will not start wtf:(
I have the red top. Good holding for charge also. Fits in the normal space, but if you have the small Jap one in there you will need to adjust the battery clamp. Also I had to move the radiator res tank.
Just for info - I have a Starter Motor problem which means that my old battery could of been fine after all......who knows ;-)
Here is a photo of the battery label.
SUPRASUZUKI
03-01-07, 20:23
I use a battery optimiser. Connect up while the car's in the garage, leave as long as you like and the battery is maintained at full charge.
Obviously the car starts first time, every time.:)
electricmini
06-01-07, 00:55
Just a heads-up for those thinking of using Optimas/Exide Maxximas as their main battery - since they're so damned expensive, it pays to make sure your alternator is outputting the correct charging voltage.
( 13.8 V for float charge at 25 deg C, 14.4 V for bulk charge )
If it's just a titch too high, the battery will vent when it gets full. Sealed high-performance AGMs (absorbent glass matt) like these hate being overcharged -
- even 1/2 amp charging current can make them vent if they're 100% full, if you leave it on long enough.
(I know, my electric Mini has 10 Exide Maxximas in it, they WILL vent if I try to overcharge it )
Each time you make a battery vent, you're losing water from the electrolyte. Since you don't know how much was lost, you can't put ithe right amount back in even if you could figure out a way to reseal the battery afterwards. End result; the battery slowly dries out, the capacity reduces and eventually you have a very expensive paperweight that won't start your car.
Car alternators are made for maximum cheapness, not accuracy. As long as the battery lasts longer than the warrantee, they don't care.
So if you're going to spend the bucks on the battery, investigate getting a special regulator for the alternator too. It'll protect your hard-earned investment.
Treated right, AGMs can last for years - I have some bluetop Optimas here that'll still start cars, and they're 8 years old with hundreds of
deep-discharge cycles on them from EV use.
Watch out for short circuits with these batteries too - both the Optimas and the Exide Maxximas can supply over 1,500 amps
(one of the EV racers in the States tested a Maxxima900 at over 1800 amps before it melted its insides). That's enough current to melt a spanner....
Mines got a totally smaller battery with the smaller terminals.
It also fits in its own little padded surround which the main cables are fixed too.
240w x 200h x 120d
Its about the size of x2 PP3's :d
45ah
400a cold crank
I had a bit of trouble finding a decent battery to fit (Sealed, Silver Calcium (which most seemed to be) 5yr warranty)
Found this one.
Trane T11 (054 056)
106H60L SMF
with a magic eye ;)
I did find Halfrauds the most expensive place to buy from though.
All the independents were at least £20 cheaper than them.
Most were about £50, Halfrauds £70.
I bought a Halfords HCB005 this week as I couldn't wait around to look into anything else much really - car was getting worse and worse.
Anyway, they've changed the design I think as there was an older dusty on on the shelf, and a more obviously new one which I chose.
The newer one is more square and required modification of the battery holder bracket (bend back the inner most down angle bracket). It holds it in fine, but is a little close.
As this battery was slightly taller than my previous the earth cable only just reached to fit properly.
I believe mine has had the larger terminals installed on its cables at some point.
Mine's been getting harder and harder to start just lately, despite the occasional charger session. Today it wouldn't turn over at all - it just gave the dreaded clicks of a refusal.
So I've just been to Halfords and bought an HCB005 which fitted straight in no sweat.
BUT - it was £79.99! :blink:
Had to be done though. Good job it's got a 4 year warranty. :(
Looks like i will be popping into halfords soon to get mine, had to boost it with jump leads the other day but dont want to keep doing that, if they last a year i would be happy with that.
bought a turbo one for £72 from car spares
dangerous brain
26-01-08, 19:23
I just stuck an optima yellow top on my rangey as its security system keeps deep cycling my battery flat and nadged the last battery. The red tops though would be for a supe the better value battery as it has better cold cranking and is half the price. You only need a yellow top if you deep cycle the car regularly. If you are in the market for a yellow top and have time to shop around go to a farming supply shop. They are considerably cheaper than your high street or glitzy online retailers.
If you are in the market for a yellow top and have time to shop around go to a farming supply shop. They are considerably cheaper than your high street or glitzy online retailers.
Good advice :) I was very surprised when I found one in my dads tractor last year!
dangerous brain
26-01-08, 20:58
Well think about it tractors and heavy machinery need whoop ass big cranking and can often be left in a field for months to drain the battery. They still need to start on the key every time though. Batteries like the yellow top are almost a necessity for these vehicles and as they don't have "showcars" to pay for they can afford to sell them at a reasonable rate.
Supra-Brett
27-01-08, 19:41
Which is the correct model number of Optima red or yellow top to use in my supe (93 N/A 5 speed manual - not sure if that makes any difference). Will it need any modification of the battery holder to fit ?
dangerous brain
27-01-08, 20:50
I'm not sure there is a correct model as such. You just go for the biggest one you can fit in there with the same terminals as you already have I guess.
I read this thread a few weeks ago before buying a new battery for my car. I took off the original Japanese battery that was probably as old as the car was.
I opted for the calcium battery (HCB005) from Halfrauds (£79.99), and stuck that on. It fitted perfectly, and was fine initially.
Unfortunately, as I'm only really using the car at weekends now (cycling to work), its standing unused for days on end, and is already causing me problems with starting. Maybe its the damp, cold weather we've been having, but I'm not that impressed by its holding charge.
I may have to get one of those battery optimisers, which hopefully I can leave outside (weather protection permitting), then I may be alright.
Has anyone else had similar problems recently, or is it just me?! :)
Maybe it's been left on the shelf too long?
My battery has just died so I need to get one for my 96 facelift NA.
Thinking of getting a halfords hcb005 but over the next month i am only going to be using it at weekends so is it worth me getting the battery now or holding out until i am going to be using the car a little more as I am worried about the battery draining again?
My battery has just died so I need to get one for my 96 facelift NA.
Thinking of getting a halfords hcb005 but over the next month i am only going to be using it at weekends so is it worth me getting the battery now or holding out until i am going to be using the car a little more as I am worried about the battery draining again?
As you may know I've got one of those Halfrauds HCB005s, and I was getting a drain, which could either be a bad earth, or time of year (wet/cold), but I recently bought a solar powered charger that sits on the dashboard and plugs into the cigarette lighter when I'm not using it. I haven't had any starting issues since. Which is nice :)
This one: http://www.nigelsecostore.com/acatalog/Solar_car_battery_charger_2W.html
I assumed that as its 2w, it should be a reasonable performer, and its been perfect. I personally recommend it, but I haven't got a battery tester to see how much it does charge (or not) though.
That does seem a very good idea if it works.
dangerous brain
11-02-08, 08:06
Those are all well and good unless you leave your motor in a garage. Anyone recommend a decent permanent trickle charger?
Those are all well and good unless you leave your motor in a garage. Anyone recommend a decent permanent trickle charger?
This is a good article I read recently on battery conditioners mate...
Auto Express battery conditioners article (http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/products/products/59293/battery_conditioners.html)
Seems the CTEK 36 Charger & Conditioner is definately the one to go for :)
Hi all
I changed my battery yesterday in my 96 NA supra (import) after reading this thread to a halfords hcb005 following many people saying they were a good battery and that I wouldn't need any new connectors etc to fit the battery.
What a nightmare, read what happened here:
http://www.mkivsupra.net/vbb/showthread.php?p=1808408&posted=1#post1808408
So can anyone tell me, are the UK battery braces wider than the jspec ones as mine was far too small?
Also where can i get or does anyone have the part number for some UK battery connectors
My car is outside most ot the time so a solar powered one would be ideal for me.
My car is outside most ot the time so a solar powered one would be ideal for me.
It'd have to be a big one. I have a 5w one in the boot of the supe (like the one in the link below) that gets good sunlight in summer. It doesn't keep the battery charged as the alarm etc takes more current over 24 hours than it can provide during the day. It does slow down how long it takes for the battery to get flat though.
And when the car cover is on it doesn't work at all.... Doh!!
http://www.amazon.com/Northern-Industrial-Solar-Powered-Trickle-Charger/dp/B00139YZLM/ref=pd_ts_hi_28?ie=UTF8&s=hi
It'd have to be a big one. I have a 5w one in the boot of the supe (like the one in the link below) that gets good sunlight in summer. It doesn't keep the battery charged as the alarm etc takes more current over 24 hours than it can provide during the day.
http://www.amazon.com/Northern-Industrial-Solar-Powered-Trickle-Charger/dp/B00139YZLM/ref=pd_ts_hi_28?ie=UTF8&s=hi
Maybe its just me, but I've really noticed a difference when I start the car, as it seems so much more positive on starting than it was before. Maybe its just me though :)
Maybe its just me, but I've really noticed a difference when I start the car, as it seems so much more positive on starting than it was before. Maybe its just me though :)
I might have a high quiescent current drain...... takes 2 weeks for the battery to go flat without the solar panel.
For £25 i think i will get the 2w trickle charge, dont use my supra that often so i should tell if it soon works or not.
For £25 i think i will get the 2w trickle charge, dont use my supra that often so i should tell if it soon works or not.
Almost an official test :) At least we can give a fair opinion then?
Obviously it has been very sunny recently, so that may make a real difference, but solar powered products do tend to work even on dim cloudy days too, so it will be good to know how you get on :)
Unless you leave the cover on the car that is ;)
I changed my battery recently also. As usual I went obsessive and spent ages googling for the largest capacity battery that I could fit in there. In the end I just bought a Halfords HB005, non-calcium, since I think they may be a con/not worth the extra/still be dead within 2 yrs/have crashed the car by then anyway/etc.
Car sounded lovely and sprightly when I started it. Then I took it straight into the bodyshop where it's now been sitting for a month :( Battery will probably be fooked when I get it back :(
Need4Speed
19-02-08, 18:52
I had one of the first J-spec TT's built and my Toyota dealer supplied the exact battery off the shelf. A TT doesn't need a huge diesel battery to crank, it's got low compression. A real Toyota one looks alot better than one that says "Halfords" on it!
My cigarette doesnt work unless the ignition is turned on, does anyone know if this can be wired up differently so i can plug in a solar powered charger ?
My cigarette doesnt work unless the ignition is turned on, does anyone know if this can be wired up differently so i can plug in a solar powered charger ?
Have you tried just plugging it in, as I'm sure my lighter only works with the ignition on too?
On the solar battery charger I bought, there is no 'in operation' light on it, unless you press a button to light a LED briefly to show its strong enough to charge.
I really must say, that its now over a month since I got the charger, and not once has it had trouble starting. :)
what is the weight of a supra car battery
Same as all the others and nice try on editing your post to get rid of the fact you tried selling stuff in an FAQ section :mad: One more stunt like that and it's points for you me laddo.
Well after spending nearly £50 getting my cigarette lighter live to plug in my solar powered charger, i find out it still doesnt keep my battery charged,1.5w, will have to find a bigger one to try and keep it charged :(
HCB005 is now £82.99 in Halfords. All the more reason to just buy a HB005. I'll post the same in the Battery FAQ thread too, as it says they're £55 in there.
Looks like i will be buying one of these, think mine has had it.
I've just gone and got a Varta E23 70ah 630 its big
but fits all ok, only thing is it cost 178 euros :blink:
downimpact
28-03-08, 19:12
HCB005 is now £82.99 in Halfords. All the more reason to just buy a HB005. I'll post the same in the Battery FAQ thread too, as it says they're £55 in there.
They tried that with me but they hadn't updated the price on shelf so i got it for £79.99 :d
There must be a [-]better[/-] lighter weight (5kg) solution than this battery from somewhere else :(
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