What size (CCA) battery is best SIII with 186 red motor?

[pfillery]

My SIII with a holden red motor has a really small battery, I think it is a 500CCA, is only about 2/3 the size of the battery tray, starter seems like it is laboring and only turns over slowly (doesn't seem to turn too quickly, more like the speed of hand cranking) but the engine fires really easilly after less than a second of key movement.

Just want to know if a 500CCA is large enough to adequately operate - considering the old holdens with the same motor generally had small batteries but maybe the gearing is different when a landy starter is cranking a holden motor? Most of the time I have no trouble except when starting from hot, the thermo fan sometimes kicks in as soon as the ignition goes on and makes starting a little more difficult.

Can you adapt a hand crank handle to the 186 at all?

[bee utey]

A 350cca battery should be AMPLE to swing a red motor into life every time. Take out the starter motor and dismantle the end caps, check for sand inside, brush length and bush wear. Two new bushes fitted and oiled will make it sing. Or go out and buy another starter for it. Aslo check solenoid cap for signs of burning, earth leads etc.

[pfillery]

Thanks bee utey, are there any other starters that will bolt straight on from other models? I'm assuming it is a landy starter and not a Holden one. Mine has the straight starter with the seperate solenoid, the cranking seems better since cleaning the battery terminals, and, despite my desire to keep whats left of the original fittings, Someone has used a negative battery clamp on both sides of the battery so its a very tight fit and not the easiest to remove, plus the wires are looking a little worse for wear, so I'm thinking a new set of battery/earth/starter leads may be in order to keep her purring. A bit hard to push start a land rover (they don't have heated rear windows like ladas do)

I guess it is just that I'm not used to a car engine that doesn't turn over multiple times before it starts, it is almost like it fires before the starter has done any work, may be down to the tuning of the motor being good, not sure, but I guess if it aint broke.....

[bee utey]

It will be a Holden 6 cylinder starter, fitted from 1963 to 1985, EH Holden to VK Commodore. Shouldn't be hard to get one just about anywhere, even new.

[pfillery]

It will be a Holden 6 cylinder starter, fitted from 1963 to 1985, EH Holden to VK Commodore. Shouldn't be hard to get one just about anywhere, even new.

If only it was that easy. According to the previous owner who had the conversion done (bear in mind I still know little about Holden engines or Land Rovers as I'm still a newbie) that it is a Land Rover starter, not that I'm disputing what you say (you probably know more than me about it). When I bought the car and we were chatting about parts availability, I commented that Holden starters should be 10 a penny, to which he replied that it was a Land Rover starter not a Holden one.

Not really sure how you can tell, is there any easy way to pick it? If it has a LR flywheel wouldn't the tooth spacing and shape be different to Holdens one?

[bee utey]

If it fits onto the original Holden rear engine sheetmetal plate, it's probably a Holden starter. I can't see why anyone would convert a LR flywheel to a Holden engine, doesn't make sense. LR clutch to Holden is feasible.

I suggest:
1. unbolt it, have a look at it, cart it off to your local sparkie, determine what it is.
Or 2. drive it to the sparkie and let him have a look.
Or 3. beg/borrow/steal a Holden starter and see if it fits.
Or 4. take a pic of it and post it up. In focus.