How long do you leave your Z parked?

ShanksKop

Club Member
I had the same problem with mine which started in October with the battery going dead. It would start ok with jump leads and last for a couple of days before it died again. Turned out to be a dud cell inside and it wouldn't charge with a battery charger. I bought a new one from Battery megastore a couple of weeks ago which was a Hankook battery with 4 years warranty for £59 delivered. Time will tell if it is value for money but if it isn't I have the warranty to fall back on.

https://www.batterymegastore.co.uk/hankook-mf57024.html

As was previously said, if you do need a new one you need an 069 to make sure you have the terminals in the right place & the right way round. It should fit in your battery tray and is the right height.
How do returns work? Who pays for postage (assume it's costly)?

I've always attempted to get Euro Car Parts/GSF to price match, so then I can pop in with any returns
 

toopy

Club Member
Shows how much I know [emoji4]

It did look very different to me, but with a load of warning signs.

Should I remove caps now?
Should I also look to top up?

I can always stop the charge and restart as it's only been a few hours.

You don't need to remove them completely, but loosen them while charging, if you take them right off, acid could spit out as it charges!

The level of the liquid should be a few mm above the metal plates, use a torch to properly see inside.
 

AliK

Vehicle Dating Officer
Staff member
Club Member
This is the switch that I used which is a tidy and easy to operate solution.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Durite-B...142137&hash=item1cc57b6520:g:74kAAOSwQGZauM3C

Oooooh I really like that !!! :thumbs:

And +1 or mr Toopy's advice, I once (and only once!) did this without them on on my first car and found acid spat out EVERYWHERE !!!!!

Who here remembers those 6 plastic screw caps that were always impossibly tight!? Or the acid tablets you could drop in to recondition the cells!? ;)

Final thought - I have been sorely tempted with one of these to reduce weight and have the positive terminal in a less precarious place! Maybe next time - in 10 years ;)

http://www.super-b.com/en/automotive-1
 

Sam_C

Club Member
Oooooh I really like that !!! :thumbs:

And +1 or mr Toopy's advice, I once (and only once!) did this without them on on my first car and found acid spat out EVERYWHERE !!!!!

Who here remembers those 6 plastic screw caps that were always impossibly tight!? Or the acid tablets you could drop in to recondition the cells!? ;)

Final thought - I have been sorely tempted with one of these to reduce weight and have the positive terminal in a less precarious place! Maybe next time - in 10 years ;)

http://www.super-b.com/en/automotive-1

Lithium-Ion batteries have to be handled carefully, especially in the charging regime. I saw a video of some American "car guys" who had put an ex-Tesla battery pack into a pick-up and were charging it with a golf-cart charger. The pack is made of many small individual cells (7,100 in their most common pack!) and the good ol' boys
managed to get a bit of thermal runaway and the pack cooked off like it was November 5th, individual cells being launched like rockets in all direction. And you can't really stop it by throwing a bit of water on it, they eventually had to run for cover and call in the local Fire Brigade to cool it down. On the plus side they are very light!
 

AliK

Vehicle Dating Officer
Staff member
Club Member
Turn the battery around and re-cable.

I guess the point was more reducing weight than the connector safety.

The point on Lithium Ion charging and heat runaway scares me a lot - but equally I have many friends who race for fun or semi-pro who use them to great effect so there must be a safe way of having these batteries as replacements for Lead Acid.
 

Farmer42

Club Member
How do returns work? Who pays for postage (assume it's costly)?

I've always attempted to get Euro Car Parts/GSF to price match, so then I can pop in with any returns

If the battery is faulty and is under warranty, the supplier should cover the cost of a return. I think this lot send a courier to collect it after you complete a form. The details are on their website but it doesn't look to be much hassle. GSF or ECP will only price match to an identical item. I don't think they supply this make of battery.
 

ShanksKop

Club Member
To test your battery disconnect it, charge it fully, leave it disconnected for a week, reconnect and try to start the car.

The CTEK charger is telling me the batteries charged. What was the thinking for letting it sit for a week, purely to see if it's holding charge?

Also that isolator is that attached to any terminal or a specific one?
 

ShanksKop

Club Member
I found the cause of my 240Z power drain - the glovebox door was badly adjusted and sometimes the light plunger wasn't fully depressed and so the light stayed on even with the door shut!

Good shout, I'll check when I take the battery back to the vehicle. This thing is back breaking, with how heavy it is

Lights imI now aware of....
Map light
Glove box
Dome Light
 

Jimbo

1978 260z in yellow
Club Member
dont charge the battery indoors they give off flammable and toxic gasses!
the easiest way to find a current drain is to disconnect the positive lead and wire in series an ammeter, this will tell you the size of your current drain.
now pull fuses one by one until you see a significant drop in the current drain on the meter, find out what circuit the fuse you just pulled controls then you will be able to pinpoint along which circuit your drain is.
if you've pulled all the fuses and you still have a drain then you need to look at ignition lives and the wires to starter motor and alternator and the starter and alternator itself.
remove connections one at a time being very careful if its live wires as you do not want them to touch earth at all costs!!! all your trying to do is make the ammeter drop so you can find the current draw.
mine was loosing battery charge and it turned out to be the stereo had been wired in permenently live and the live starter cable insulation was breaking down and leaking to earth
 
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