Really Dead Battery

[kyepan 291]

I let a battery get really low, and now the fancy charger says it has no polarity. My trusty old charger that usually picks batteries up from the depths enough for the fancy reconditioning one to take over wasn't able to get any amps flowing into it either. Any suggestions or is it new battery time?

[cheesegrater 43 1 Cars]

Tried connecting it to your car via jump leads and leaving it running for a bit?

[chipstick 382 1 Cars]

Be interested to hear how you get on with this if you try cheesegraters method.

 

I have a battery which got flattened trying to crank my 205 GTi6 over for the first time to get decent oil circulation, and fitted a mates battery in the mean time and now when I try to jump the old battery it won't have any of it. I tried cheesegrator's method and it would only do a half arsed half crank. I could turn it on and off a dozen times or more and all it would do each turn is crank it half a turn by the sounds of it. I even left it for a few minutes with the other car running and it made no difference at all. So I am guessing it is goosed. IIRC it is sealed.

 

I should invest in a charger really, but when batteries get to this stage I buy a new one. I'm not sure how effective chargers are at reviving a 'past it' battery.

[welshpug 1,666]

have you checked the fluid level if possible?

[SurGie 54]

This happened to my GT a while ago, tried charging it for about 2 days with no joy, the cells were dead. I think if they are left dead for too long they cant be brought back, like most types of charged batteries.

[kyepan 291]

have got a new battery on order, as i need the car for the weekend!

[Anthony 1,003]

In my experience, jump leads are useless at putting a decent amount of charge into a battery that's been flattened so much that a battery conditioner can't determine polarity.

 

If anything will bring it back, it's being left for a couple of days on trickle charge, but if they're too far gone then it'll need replacing - and to be honest, the £40 odd for a new 063 battery isn't a bad investment if you're keeping the car for a decent period.

 

To give you some idea, the battery that was fitted to the Jalopy which had stood for over 2 years and was completely flat (showing about 2-3v from memory) came back fine after leaving it on a trickle charger for a couple of days - I wouldn't like to say that it's as new, but certainly it functioned just fine to get the car MOT'd, start-stopping it to move the car around at home, compression testing the engine etc.

 

Equally though I've had others that have appeared to take charge, but won't hold it, usually dropping to around 10-11v.

 

If you get stuck Justin I've got atleast a couple of spare good 063/065 batteries at home

[chipstick 382 1 Cars]

I've got a nearly new Bosch Silver 063. That will be pathetic for a GTi6 engine won't it? I wanted to try it last night but it's buried at the back of my shed and with the gales and rain, I didn't want to be emptying the shed out getting soaked if I was going to be 'pissing in the wind'.

[welshpug 1,666]

063 will be fine.

[chipstick 382 1 Cars]

Winner!

 

From memory it is a bit smaller than the GTi6 battery box. But should still clamp down with the existing bracket. May have to pack it out a bit that's all.

[Anthony 1,003]

063 sized battery will be plenty good enough - 065 would be a better fit in the battery box.

 

I'd be more dubious of it being a Bosch Silver though given the issues that I (and others) have had with them in the past.

[chipstick 382 1 Cars]

I always thought the Bosch silver ones were meant to be quite good? It came with the 205 which didn't run, so I can't comment on it really.

 

What did you find with it Anthony?

[welshpug 1,666]

075 is a perfect fit in the 306 battery box, not sure what the listed unit is for the 306 but that's what the zx16v was listed as using (or at least that's what the parts guy sold me, everywhere online says 027)

Edited December 13, 2011 by welshpug

[Anthony 1,003]

I always thought the Bosch silver ones were meant to be quite good? It came with the 205 which didn't run, so I can't comment on it really.

 

What did you find with it Anthony?

They might be better now, but a few years ago they were hopeless IMO.

 

They seemed to be fine until you let them run down, after which they never seem to hold proper charge again. I had two fail on me within the space of a year (both replaced under warranty) and had so little faith in the 3rd when it to started to show the same issues that I went out and bought a cheap unbranded battery that worked fine for years.

 

The Bosch Silver in my 306 HDi never worked again properly after it went flat from me trying to start/diagnose it after the fuel pump relay failed, and again, never worked again properly - random battery from a Xsara VTS I'd broken and it's been going strong ever since. Friends have had similar issues with them - common theme is that they've been fine until they've been discharged, and then they're hopeless.

 

No harm using it if it's a battery you've already got, but certainly I'd never buy one again - at best they're not worth the premium, and at worse, they're simply not fit for purpose on a car that's not used regularly.

 

075 is a perfect fit in the 306 battery box, not sure what the listed unit is for the 306 but that's what the zx16v was listed as using (or at least that's what the parts guy sold me, everywhere online says 027)

065 and 075 are the same dimensions - 243x175x175 - but 075 has more capacity and higher CCA.

 

(027 is the same length and width, but 15mm taller)

[welshpug 1,666]

ahhh he probably didn't have an 027 on the shelf then

 

just had a quick scan and the 065 is 53-55ah and the 075 60ah+, the 027 is 63ah.

[kyepan 291]

It's for the slipper (mx-5) the pug one is fine (abeit cheap) decided on

 

015 is 42 Ampere hours Cold cranking amps 410

 

to replace the

 

038 is 38 Ampere hours. Cold cranking amps 280

 

Both would be Numax which are a second line Varta battery.

 

I also want to figure out what size solar panel i need to get to keep it from going flat with the alarm on.

 

Cheers

 

J

 

i'll leave the old one on trickle charge and add it to my growing collection of slightly dead batterys... i'll be able to go off grid soon and power my house with them.

Edited December 13, 2011 by kyepan

[welshpug 1,666]

ahh bloody japs and their ikkle batteries!

[Anthony 1,003]

ahh bloody japs and their ikkle batteries!

Bloody aftermarket alarms more like - my (alarm-less) MX-5 still happily starts on the button after sitting for weeks on end.

[kyepan 291]

Bloody aftermarket alarms more like - my (alarm-less) MX-5 still happily starts on the button after sitting for weeks on end.

yep, fancy clifford - lasts a couple of weeks but no more.

[Baz 421]

As Anthony says - Bosch Silvers are fine until they get slightly more than a little discharged, then they never recover and seem to be crap, fooling you into thinking they're fine then leaving you stranded somewhere...

 

I have 3 left of 4 and two of those may as well be dead!

Edited December 13, 2011 by Baz