In article ,
Carl Gibbs wrote:
Quite a lot better. I'm not at all sure that it's enough of a margin
to justify the cost, but if it happens a lot it might be worth it
from a ease-of-life standpoint.

I'll look into it.

Car was dead again today, and that's after being hooked up to a proper
trickle charger (was supposedly fully charged Sunday evening). Took a
longer route to work (still only about 5 miles or so though) and this
afternoon it wouldn't start again. Reckon it might be new battery time
anyway.

Still can't find my multimater though grrrrr

Surely there must be an owner's club etc which can give you an idea of
just how long it can be left unused? I'd expect a minimum of two weeks.
And the car charging system should recharge the battery to about 90% in
short order. When I use the SD1 for work it's only about a 4 mile drive
through town - and in the winter lights etc on both ways - yet the battery
is fine.

Think you need to find that DVM and check the charging voltage. And get
the battery tested. A decent electronic battery tester will give the
battery condition and capacity even although it's not at full charge. Even
Halfords should be able to do this for you. They cost over 100 quid so not
really practical for most to buy for DIY use. Although I do have one. ;-)

--
*Few women admit their age; fewer men act it.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

In article ,
Terminal Crazy wrote:
In article , Carl Gibbs
wrote:
Took a longer route to work (still only about 5 miles or so though) and
this afternoon it wouldn't start again.

Get a clamp meter on the alternator. Mine would quite happily put out 20
to 50+ Amps with everything on but the load was virtually the same so sod
all was going into the battery.

That's not much of a test because if the battery is charged it won't be
taking any current. You need to measure the voltage at the same time. And
DC clamp meters are pretty inaccurate at small currents.

If the battery is low but otherwise good you should see about 14.4 volts
with the engine running at a fast idle. If the battery is good and fully
charged this should be about 13.8v. With a faulty battery it could be well
outside these figures. Switching on a heavy load like headlights etc may
alter these figures depending on the max output of the charging system.

--
*If you can't see my mirrors, I'm doing my hair*

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Carl Gibbs wrote:
Quite a lot better. I'm not at all sure that it's enough of a margin
to justify the cost, but if it happens a lot it might be worth it
from a ease-of-life standpoint.

I'll look into it.

Car was dead again today, and that's after being hooked up to a proper
trickle charger (was supposedly fully charged Sunday evening). Took a
longer route to work (still only about 5 miles or so though) and this
afternoon it wouldn't start again. Reckon it might be new battery time
anyway.

Still can't find my multimater though grrrrr

Surely there must be an owner's club etc which can give you an idea of
just how long it can be left unused? I'd expect a minimum of two weeks.
And the car charging system should recharge the battery to about 90% in
short order. When I use the SD1 for work it's only about a 4 mile drive
through town - and in the winter lights etc on both ways - yet the battery
is fine.

As I've said before it's a common problem that TVR's can drain a battery in
1-2 weeks if left unused. The usual solution is to keep it hooked up to a
battery conditioner. TBH I think I might just end up getting the garage
electrified to save the hassle.

Think you need to find that DVM and check the charging voltage. And get
the battery tested. A decent electronic battery tester will give the
battery condition and capacity even although it's not at full charge. Even
Halfords should be able to do this for you. They cost over 100 quid so not
really practical for most to buy for DIY use. Although I do have one. ;-)


Feel free to pop round then My other half is borrowing a DVM from work
on Monday as i suspect mine is in the SD1 (unless I find time to pick mine
up at the weekend). But a new and uprated Varta battery can be had for £72
so not too bad, and since I can't find any evidence of a change in the
service history I may get one anyway as starting always seems a struggle
even when the battery is behaving.

In article , Carl Gibbs
wrote:
I may get one anyway as starting always seems a struggle even when the
battery is behaving.

Check all cable connections especially ground connection on block for
dirt/moisture & tightness .

--
Terminal_Crazy

Mitch - 1995 Z28 LT1 M6
Lancashire England http://www.sand-hill.freeserve.co.uk/terminal_crazy/

"Terminal Crazy" wrote in message
...
In article , Carl Gibbs
wrote:
I may get one anyway as starting always seems a struggle even when the
battery is behaving.

Check all cable connections especially ground connection on block for
dirt/moisture & tightness .


Right, solar idea is shelved. Speaking to a friend of mine who used a
similar panel to what I'm looking at for a wireless internet transmitter on
top of hill with absolutely no obstructions and said it was crap. He needed
one twice the size to keep the wee transmitter going. Instead I'm putting
electricity out to the garage and I will buy a proper battery conditioner
(damn car is getting expensive!).

New battery arrived today. £70 from the bay, so I'm happy with that.

Saturday is the day for TVR electrickery as I will take the car to my Dads,
get it up on the ramp, replace the battery, check/clean connections and have
a play with the multimeter.

And in amongst there somewhere I'm going start putting the SD1 back
together. I'm loaded up with Hammerite and other goodies so the first job
will be to give the floorpan a paint to help protect it. Then the interior
can finally start going back in. Woo!

In article ,
Carl Gibbs wrote:
Right, solar idea is shelved. Speaking to a friend of mine who used a
similar panel to what I'm looking at for a wireless internet transmitter
on top of hill with absolutely no obstructions and said it was crap.
He needed one twice the size to keep the wee transmitter going.
Instead I'm putting electricity out to the garage and I will buy a
proper battery conditioner (damn car is getting expensive!).

Think you're right. Everyone seems to recommend these panels - but
haven't actually used one. My calculations say you'd need something about
1 x 1 metre to cover a quiescent drain of 80mA over a 24 hour period on
a dull winter day. And mounted externally.

Lidl do a very nice SMPS charger for about 13 quid - comes up maybe 4
times a year. They were on sale recently, and some larger stores may still
have them. They switch automatically from a max (approx) 4 amp charge to a
maintenance one. They also attempt to recover a deeply discharged battery
by pulse charging it. I'm intending building one into the SD1 since
they're so cheap and light. I've got a weatherproof mains connector to fit
to the car so it's only a question of the tuits.

--
*Virtual reality is its own reward*

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Carl Gibbs wrote:
Right, solar idea is shelved. Speaking to a friend of mine who used a
similar panel to what I'm looking at for a wireless internet transmitter
on top of hill with absolutely no obstructions and said it was crap.
He needed one twice the size to keep the wee transmitter going.
Instead I'm putting electricity out to the garage and I will buy a
proper battery conditioner (damn car is getting expensive!).

Think you're right. Everyone seems to recommend these panels - but
haven't actually used one. My calculations say you'd need something about
1 x 1 metre to cover a quiescent drain of 80mA over a 24 hour period on
a dull winter day. And mounted externally.

Lidl do a very nice SMPS charger for about 13 quid - comes up maybe 4
times a year. They were on sale recently, and some larger stores may still
have them. They switch automatically from a max (approx) 4 amp charge to a
maintenance one. They also attempt to recover a deeply discharged battery
by pulse charging it. I'm intending building one into the SD1 since
they're so cheap and light. I've got a weatherproof mains connector to fit
to the car so it's only a question of the tuits.

Got a brand new Halfrauds maintenance charger of the Bay for a tenner, so
pretty happy with that. Other Chim owners recommend them if you don't want
to shell out for a Ctek / Accumate. Come with some ring terminals which you
can permanently mount on the battery to make things a bit easier. Might
also rig up a ciggy socket to this lead as TVR very kindly put the standard
one in the drivers door which is particularly useful for plugging stuff
into.

And the new battery has made a world of difference. Starts so much better
now, both from hot and cold. The old one was clearly well passed it's best.

And the Chim also went and passed it's MOT today, so I'm a very happy boy!!