New Battery

eadmr04

eadmr04

Member
I've had a few problems with my battery recently and have decided to buy a new one. Has anyone got any recommendations on where to get one that fits well with the correct configuration etc. Don't know if it makes any difference but it's for a 1968 3500 P6b. Cheers. :D
 
Take the battery box along to a supplier and get a battery that fits . An 071 battery used to fit , but only if you get one with no side brackets
 
Chears Dave, makes sense, just wondered if maybe someone had bought one quite recently and I could pop straight in an pick one up? being a bit lazy I suppose :oops:
 
halfords sell them i just got a heavy duty for my 69 v8 just messured the size and it was all done
 
Just been to local dealer and Halfords and the ones they list don't fit in the battery box. Halfords have some that do fit but I need to know what starting ampage I need. The 072 that Halfords say is the one for the P6 (but too big) is rated at 550 amps and they have 3 that fit rated at 520amps, 540amps and 600amps and are priced accordingly. Would all of these be suitable or do I need least 550amps and will therefore have to go for the 600amp one. Would 600amp be too much??? :?

Very confused.
 
If you have a P6 V8, go for at least 500 Cold Cranking Amps. Provided it is not too expensive, go higher. Remember, the cranking power is needed mostly when starting from cold. From what I understand, you will need all the power available in a UK winter.
 
Finally got one today. It is a Motaquip diesel heavy duty with 4yr guarantee Part No.VBZ3 and BBMS No. 075 for £47!!!! :D . It fits like a glove. The only other batteries that seem to fit seem to be numbered 063 or 075 the 063 seem to be less power though. The 072 which I was quoted by Halfords and a few other parts suppliers definitely doesn't fit in my battery box so beware and try before you buy one of the shelf.
 
From a car parts supplier locally in Colchester called Exhausts Unlimited EU, they have quite a few branches around East Anglia and the south east.
 
I just replaced mine with a Halford HCB065. Fits fine and starts well so far!

Retail is about £80 but with the trade card something around £50.

"Halfords has an extensive range of Car Care and Maintenance products available to buy. Halfords 12V Calcium Car Battery HCB065 comes fully charged and ready to fit.

FEATURES AND BENEFITS

Startup Power: 500 Amps
AH value: 60
Reserve capacity: 105
Bench Charge: 6.0 Amps
Weight (kg): 14.45
Dimensions (LxDxH): 242x175x175mm
Guarantee: 4 Years"
 
I would get on the net-Ebay in my case. My 2000Sc needed a new battery in July and having reently put swapped a 2year from the SC to my TC which is needed for shows.. I was quoted £70 from my local spares shop. Unfortunately(for them) I have the reciept for the one just swapped to my TC for £40 only 2 years previously. "Its the recession was the explanation- prices are exploding" If this had been for one of my 'moderns' I would have bitten the bullet but no - one car is used throughout the summer and the other is needed for shunting as it is being restored. I found a 4year guarantee 12V CAR BATTERY.TYPE 075 / 065. 4YR GTEE.NXTWKNDAY Del from a seller in Rochdale. Cost £29.99 plus £9.99 delivery.Seller is alpha-products-man. I don't know if he is still on Ebay but this battery is still starting ther engine first time and never been on the road to recharge yet. I dont know if it was a good deasl or not but I do consider worth a punt. I have just checked on eBAY and found there are at least 3 offering similar deals and prices
 
"Its the recession was the explanation- prices are exploding"
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I've had that given to me as the reason for dramatic price rises in HiFi speakers and washing machines .Plus the £ being weak against the Euro
To my mind you can't lose with a £29.99 battery with a 4 year guarantee
 
Just a note of caution on choosing car batteries that might be useful:- it is advisbale to stick with the cold cranking rating (CCA) that is specified for your car. Although more current at start up (when the starter motor is stationary) might seem like a good idea, you run the risk of knackering your starter motor more quickly because you may be burning out the motor by delivering too much current to it when it is stationary or not fully up to speed.

It is usually cheaper and easier to replace the battery than the starter motor.

So long as a battery has a sufficient CCA to get the engine turning at normal ignition speed, it is the the Ampere Hour (AH) capacity of the battery that is important. It is OK to get a battery with a slightly higher than specified capacity - this is a good idea as it will hold a greater charge and allow you to turn the starter motor for longer (e.g. in cold weather). Also, starting the car will tend to deplete the charge less which is good for extending the life of lead acid cells.
 
JVY wrote,..
it is advisbale to stick with the cold cranking rating (CCA) that is specified for your car. Although more current at start up (when the starter motor is stationary) might seem like a good idea, you run the risk of knackering your starter motor more quickly because you may be burning out the motor by delivering too much current to it when it is stationary or not fully up to speed.
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Hello JVY,

I am sorry JVY, but that is not right.

The starter motor will only draw as much current as it requires regardless of whether the battery is rated at say (purely as an example) 380CCA or 520CCA.

As a different example, you can connect a timing light across the battery and it will only be using mA (milli amps). Each application will only draw what it requires to operate and no more.

Ron.
 
A higher cold cranking capacity is an advantage, voltage less likely to drop as starter takes power and therefore likely to preserve the starter. A quick way to ruin a starter is to try and make it work hard on reduced voltage due to a duff battery.
 
The starter motor will only draw as much current as it requires regardless of whether the battery is rated at say (purely as an example) 380CCA or 520CCA.

As a different example, you can connect a timing light across the battery and it will only be using mA (milli amps). Each application will only draw what it requires to operate and no more.
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This is essentially true for components which represent a lighter load than a starter motor (i.e. have a higher resistance). In such circumstances, simple Ohms Law may be applied and, as in your timing light example, they will draw a current given by Voltage divided by Resistance.

However, for heavier loads where the resistance is comparable in value to the internal resistance of the battery, simple Ohms Law s not enough. You then might want to apply Thevenin's or Norton's Theorems:-

A heavy load (i.e. low resistance starter motor) will draw so much current from the battery that the battery's internal resistance must be considered. This internal resistance has a limiting effect on the current the battery will supply to a very low resistance component. The starter motor is a series wound DC motor that needs current limiting at start up but once up to speed draws much less current.

As I say, general advice would be not to exceed specified CCA rating as it is not good for series wound motors. That is why such motors may be fitted with current limitimg devices in industrial applications for running them up to speed.


necpwa said:
A higher cold cranking capacity is an advantage, voltage less likely to drop as starter takes power and therefore likely to preserve the starter. A quick way to ruin a starter is to try and make it work hard on reduced voltage due to a duff battery.
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Depends what you mean by "duff" battery? If the spefic gravity of the electrolyte is reduced for a variety of reasons (e.g. insufficinet charging or wrong quantities of acid and water), you may not be able to supply enough current to get the motor turning or the terminal volatge of the battery is too low (because the internal resistance is too high) then you are right. That is is why I advised using a battery of correct CCA specification as worked out by the guys who designed the car - I was assuming that the battery is properly mainatined, in which case you should not encounter these problems. A higher CCA will tend to give you an advantage in terms of starting quicker but, again, only at risk of burning out your starter motor windings by passing too much current through them when motor is stationary or running up to speed.

I love a good debate :D It is only advice but I know what I will be doing when I buy batteries. As a professional engineer, you tend to learn (often the hard way at first) that there are often snags associated with over or under rating components.
 
I have some sympathy with this view. But then the battery and earth cables start to be significant as well - in essence you're trying to analyse behaviour when exposed to a dead short! Plus the real issue here is the TIME that the cranking current is applied. Almost all electrical machines have a very high tolerence to very short time overloads, they get upset when the overload becomes continuous! It is as well to remember the dictum that there is no such thing as an electrical defect - they are all mechanical! Be it broken wire, flashover damage, heat melting of insulation etc etc. In this context there is no danger of flashover as the peak voltage is never above rated. All the hazard revoles around overheating and this is mainly a function of how long your engine takes to start. Churn for 10 minutes and any battery is capable of burning out your starter!

On that basis I'm after the biggest CCA I can get in the space!

Chris
 
Hmmm this is very interesting indeed. So what is the factory recommended CCA for the V8 and the four cylinder cars? It makes no mention of it that I can see in my 3500/S workshop manuals.

I am currently using a battery with a 480CCA rating, but over the years I have gone as high as 520CCA and as low as 350CCA. My starter motor (touch wood) is still doing its job after 35 years and 224500 miles having never been touched.

Ron.
 
JVY said:
However, for heavier loads where the resistance is comparable in value to the internal resistance of the battery, simple Ohms Law s not enough. You then might want to apply Thevenin's or Norton's Theorems:-
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This takes me back a bit to my clasroom days. Never thought I'd see someone quote Thevenin's or Norton's theorem on a car forum though :)
 
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