Defender battery apparently extinct

[popotla]

In my Defender Td5 I have an Exide Premium 12v EA 1000 1OOAh 900CCA starter battery, which I bought in Germany in April-May-June 2014 (I don't remember exactly). Since then, through the European winter and through very hot weather, the engine always burst readily to life at first touch. Until tonight.

Instead, I got a clicking sound (and the interior lights, which run off this battery, don't work). The battery is under the driver's seat. I had a look and found that the plastic insert, of which the battery condition indicator is part, had completely blown out and on top of the battery was a small amount of acid. After replacing the insert, I get a yellow reading, which for the LR original Delphi YGD 100860, means 'do not charge or jump start: battery must be replaced?. On trying to start (again) there was no sound, then, later, I got the same clicking sound as before.

I presume I'm going to have to fit a new battery but I'd like to know why this might have happened and if it might happen again with a new battery. Also, I wonder if some other parts might be damaged, if, in other words, replacing the battery isn't going to solve the problem.

At present I'm parked at a petrol station 30km from Mendoza, Argentina, and 8km from the nearest town., so am probably lucky as I was about to head into more remote areas.

Any advive or suggestions would be much appreciated.

[Loubrey]

Hi Popotla,

Had me confused about the battery location for a moment until I realized your car will be left hand drive...

Some batteries just end up dying and there can be carious reasons including temperature fluctuations, excessive shaking and movement and obviously shorting against the metal bay lid. Sounds like yours have definitely reached the end of its life for some reason and you certainly don't want to chance remote travel with a dodgy battery.

Make sure the new one (maintenance free if possible) is securely anchored, the terminals are clean and that there are no shorts anywhere.

Sounds like you are on a a great trip and keep us up to date on progress.

Cheers,

Lou

[wrinklearthur]

Get a new battery that is designed for use in rough conditions, for example; earth moving machinery ( Caterpillar is one brand that offer a well constructed battery ), tractor, forklift and some marine batteries.

After replacing with a new battery, I would get someone to check the charging voltage with a voltmeter.

A dirty earth connection or faulty regulator in the alternator, can lead to a new battery being damaged by over voltage while charging ( Cooked ).
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