Battery Care

Electrical trouble shooting; circuit diagram links; component repair
Post Reply
User avatar
Editor
Posts: 5515
Joined: 10th October 2004 - 8:52pm
Location: Pensford, Bristol
Contact:

Battery Care

Post by Editor » 25th October 2004 - 9:52pm

Here's a few tips for keeping batteries working OK:-

Keep terminals clean and connectors tight and greased with vaseline

When changing a battery, undo and spread the clamp apart a bit so it goes down the full length of the terminal post. Tighten the clamp.
Never hammer the clamp onto the post - the casing may crack and always leak acid

Avoid rapid charging - 4 amps will be much less damaging than 10 amps, particularly for a fully discharged battery

Keep batteries charged when the car is not in use

Re-charge a battery that has been left discharged at a very low rate, maybe 1/2 to 1 amp for days - it may recover well enough to do a year or two more in our cars

Keep an eye on the fluid level in hot weather - most are now sealed cells, but some may suffer evaporation.

Top up only with pure water (fridge defrosting ice is fine)

Problems:-

Acid Leaking from posts - very hard to stop this once the seal is damaged

Corrosion of terminal clamps - often caused by acid leaks - clean off, use sodium bicarbonate solution to neutralise, grease; repeat treatment if needed

Battery overheating/boiling - over-charging fault - probably the voltage regulator, but less common with (lower powered) dynamos than alternators

Batteries may freeze and crack in extremely cold weather - fully charged ones are less likely to suffer

Keep + terminal covered by insulation to prevent possible shorting by seat springs (plastic flap may have been fitted originally)
If your early Type 3 has a metal top, be very careful not to touch both terminals or + to frame

Dave.

Post Reply