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One Ten
23rd April 2004, 07:37 PM
I need to replace th battery on my Defender130 TD5 and seek advice on what battery to replace it with. I am assuming the one that landrover fit is not only big enough to run a fleet but will cost me a small mortgage to replace.

any thoughts

bigbugga
23rd April 2004, 08:27 PM
What use are you going to put it too.

For example

Are you running 6 spot lights, a fridge, large stereo system and all the other bits and peices that can drain a battery out.

OR

Are you just chasing a good quality battery for starting and the very basic accesories?

Will make a big differance in what you need to look for.

rar110
23rd April 2004, 08:27 PM
A neighbour who made batteries reckons 'Supercharge' batteries were the best batteries.

I haven't tried them myself.

pd

drivesafe
26th April 2004, 09:39 PM
You don't need to buy a super special or expensive battery but you should try and get the largest battery you can fit in the vehicle as this will usually give you the best long term result for both starting the vehicle as well as operating your accessories.
Large means the more plates in a battery, the bigger the battery.
Simple but safe. 8)

One Ten
27th April 2004, 08:07 AM
Bigbugga

I only need this to run the vehicle as i already have a secondry battery running the accessories, it will have to run the spot lights though but nothing excessive there.

just too many batteries to choose from, and the battery that comes in the vehicle i am lead to believe can not be charged with a normal domestic battery charger, which to me seems a little strange, i just getting fed up with having to jump start it after short trips of say 2-3k's normal daily trips of 15-20k's not a problem, just the short trip seems to take it out of the battery.

any advice on brand names.... i do beleive some are a lot better than others.

thanks

bigbugga
27th April 2004, 10:43 AM
If I am reading you right then your main battery is failing and can not be relied on to even start you car every time.
Dont know why it wouldnt charge off of a charger unit.

Well as for brand name there are so many good ones to be honest I dont even know what brand my own are, will have to go look now.

As someone else said look for one with more plates.

VladTepes
27th April 2004, 10:48 AM
I'd check if the battery is being charged AT ALL when you are driving...

drivesafe
27th April 2004, 11:04 AM
Hi again, you have not stated how you are charging the backup battery and how the vehicle is wire for the to batteries.
I specialize in Dual battery charge control systems and might be able to help you ( with imfo, Not trying to sell anything )!
8)

One Ten
28th April 2004, 09:13 AM
Drive safe ... i have a chargemaster dual battery system that was installed by opposite lock. The problem seems to be the main battery which after a couple of short runs...2-3 ks does not have enough grunt to start the car......i had the problem when i installed a CD player (pre dual battery days) and had the ignition on for awhile while sorting out the speaker cables. The vehicle failed to start after this. Our local dealer said that the battery that is installed by Landrover needs a large charge and the domestic style battery chargers that most of us own would not charge it and they charged it for me and said it was OK. I never have a problem starting it by jumping from the spare battery but this is starting to become a pain in the arse ( 2-3 times a week). I can only assume that the main battery has died a natural death and needs to be replaced. I have an overlander as the spare battery and thinking about using this as the main, with a deep cycle as the spare. Whilst the Overlander is reasonable size, had it in my hilux, it is about 2/3 rds of the size of the orginal battery and i have concerns as to whether this is significant or not. Any advise would be welcome.

drivesafe
28th April 2004, 07:32 PM
Defender130 Before you do any thing, check the battery cable connections including the earth lead.
If all seems wel then try putting the other battery in for a week or so, just because it is not as large as the other one should not be a problem, just see if it fixes the problem.
Continually jumper starting off the deep cycle is not a good idea.
As for the charger, any charger will do the job no matter how low a current rating as long as you get at least 13.7 volts across the battery terminals after it has been charging for a good period of time then the battery should charge. If you are using a low current charger just leave it charging for a longer period.
All this so far is to find the problem, see how it goes.
PS not sure how that dual battery system is wire up. If you have time let me Know.
Regards
:idea: 8)

landrovermick
1st May 2004, 11:26 AM
Drive Safe - im interested in your product. I have often thought that there cant be much to a dual battery system, and seeing as my old man (landroverterry) is a sparky id be able to get him to make one. Now if i could but one for the right price .....

Id like to throw open to others BB etc , as id like to see you put an advert in the for sale part of this forum.

Whaddya recon guys Drive sfa emight have somthing to sell us, it would be ok for him to put a post up in For Sale ...wouldnt it ?

drivesafe
1st May 2004, 08:42 PM
Hi Folks, not trying to drum up business, just happy to try and help landi owners.
Regards

bigbugga
1st May 2004, 08:49 PM
Originally posted by landrovermick


Id like to throw open to others BB etc , as id like to see you put an advert in the for sale part of this forum.

Whaddya recon guys Drive sfa emight have somthing to sell us, it would be ok for him to put a post up in For Sale ...wouldnt it ?

I have no problem with this at all.
Incisor will have the final say on it.

But as drivesafe says he isnt looking to drum up sale's, he is just looking for information from landrover owners about duel battery systems, and also to help out with the information he has.

So good one drivesafe. :wink:

drivesafe
2nd May 2004, 01:22 AM
Hi folks, as bigbugger put it, I am not trying to drum up business, just happy to try and help other Landi owners 8)

jf1056
2nd May 2004, 06:56 AM
Don't you guys go to bed!!! Bottom line for defender130 is, battery is no longer servicable, short trips are not putting enough charge into the battery. A deep charge will put what looks like full power back but will drain quickly when starting. This is due to the age problem of sulphating. The cells form a sulphate that does not let an individual cell reach its full potential. Sometime this can be fixed by adding a product that desulphates but is rarely successful. Time for a new battery. An N70 style is what you need, just need to determine the orientation of the posts, IE positive post on the left or right. The N70 series are at least 500CCA (cold cranking amps, the bigger the better) and are at least 13 plates, some are 15. There are only two manufacturers of batteries in australia and a couple of imports. Exide manufacture about 80% of brands that are common, Chanpion, super charge, etc. Two best buys are:- go to your loval Apollo battery distibutor. in sydney they are at Seven Hills, and buy direct, about $90. Best bet, go to Big W and buy the champion N70 for $88. Just check the pole orientation first. They all come with at least 1 year warranty. Hope this helps.

landrovermick
2nd May 2004, 10:56 AM
Having sold both Excide and Apollo product at some stage I would definately go with the Excide battery as JF1056 said they make Excide, Beaurepaires, Super Charge, Champion, Masse, Ignition Plus, Marshall and many others .

When I was running a JAX Tyres store we had no end of problem with Apollo batteries tot he point that in the end we refused to sell them. We went against the grain and got Excide in - we tripled our battery sales with Very few warranty claims.

One day when my battery goes ill be straight down to BIG W and get the champion - thats a good price - shop round and you will get the N70 series (N70, N70Z, N70ZZ). for prices up to $120.

regards

Mick

Ps go to a reputable tyre outlet and let them do a "smart battery test" this test takes aboyt 10 minutes and it will give you a printout with exactly what is wrong with yours . as has been said it is probably sulfation which is characterised as a white - grey buildup on the plates of the battery. Mick

drivesafe
2nd May 2004, 03:54 PM
I also do NOT recommend Apollo, they have been caught making claims that were anything but the truth and caused problems for auto electricians that WERE selling them.