What did you do to your Z this week?

[MCBladeRun]

Hi, Its a C-tec is that ok ?

1. Can I leave the charger connected to the battery for a long time?

Yes. CTEK chargers are designed to fully charge a battery and then automatically switch over to long term maintenance. Before leaving the charger unattended for a long time, ensure that the battery is fully charged, as indicated by the green LED.

Copy and pasted from their faq section. It's good that it's number 1 as if it's a priority.

A lot of jump packs that have a trickle charge option get used as battery chargers but are no good for fit and forget usage.

Batteries are just boxes of chemicals that need to be looked after just like we do

 

[toopy]

Ive found over the years that the best way to keep a battery healthy in long term storage (several months or longer) is to disconnect it entirely.

Over Covid my car didn't move for 2.5 years, and the battery was charged twice in that time, it still read 12.3 volts before charging after roughly 10 months on both occasions.

In the past i have used a battery conditioner/trickle charger long term and initially it was fine, but eventually the battery goes bad. The regular little booster charges over a long period seem to do more harm than good, but several to maybe six months seems to be fine.

 

[Huw]

I find those battery conditioner units quite good. The blurb says their primary purpose is to restore the capacity of lead acid batteries by removing the lead-sulphur deposits which build up during storage and reduce the battery's ability to hold charge. They don’t actually charge the battery much at all. Bit like stirring up paint to stop all the pigment settling to the bottom and going hard

 

[Rob Gaskin]

.................. They don’t actually charge the battery much at all. Bit like stirring up paint to stop all the pigment settling to the bottom and going hard

Very good.

 

[MCBladeRun]

When I had a nickel cadmium battery for my drills, you had to fully discharge the battery before you charged it back to full charge. The reason being if you only discharged to 50% and then top it back to 100%, the battery thought it only had the 50% you'd been charging/ discharging.

My new lithium ion batteries are the opposite, they last longer if you keep them 100% all the time. The moment you leave it too long discharged, it seems to forget what its maximum capacity was.

Chemistry for you. Can't wait for solid state to be the norm instead of what we have. You guys know my stance on mining the damned things

 

[Rob Gaskin]

When I had a nickel cadmium battery for my drills, you had to fully discharge the battery before you charged it back to full charge. The reason being if you only discharged to 50% and then top it back to 100%, the battery thought it only had the 50% you'd been charging/ discharging.

My new lithium ion batteries are the opposite, they last longer if you keep them 100% all the time. The moment you leave it too long discharged, it seems to forget what its maximum capacity was.

Chemistry for you. Can't wait for solid state to be the norm instead of what we have. You guys know my stance on mining the damned things

What I discovered with my Lithium Ion battery on my 'pedal assist' racer bike is that they won't charge if too cold. I thought my battery was knackered (£800 a pop) but after searching on the 'net I brought the battery into the house and after a few hours it would charge. EV batteries must be protected from this somehow?

 

[IbanezDan51]

What I discovered with my Lithium Ion battery on my 'pedal assist' racer bike is that they won't charge if too cold. I thought my battery was knackered (£800 a pop) but after searching on the 'net I brought the battery into the house and after a few hours it would charge. EV batteries must be protected from this somehow?

A thermal system that heats/cools the batteries as required during charging.

 

[Aerialmark]

What I discovered with my Lithium Ion battery on my 'pedal assist' racer bike is that they won't charge if too cold. I thought my battery was knackered (£800 a pop) but after searching on the 'net I brought the battery into the house and after a few hours it would charge. EV batteries must be protected from this somehow?

Yes I’ve had the same problem with my Cube emtb. I have two batteries ( for when I ride coast to coast ) and found that charging them in the garage was hard work and very hit and miss as is charging the batteries on my Ego lawnmower. Charging them in the kitchen works great apart from the noise ( mostly my wife complaining )

 

[yellowz]

Charging them in the kitchen works great apart from the noise ( mostly my wife complaining )

Don't charge the wife up quite so often.......................

 

[AliK]

Ive found over the years that the best way to keep a battery healthy in long term storage (several months or longer) is to disconnect it entirely.

Over Covid my car didn't move for 2.5 years, and the battery was charged twice in that time, it still read 12.3 volts before charging after roughly 10 months on both occasions.

In the past i have used a battery conditioner/trickle charger long term and initially it was fine, but eventually the battery goes bad. The regular little booster charges over a long period seem to do more harm than good, but several to maybe six months seems to be fine.

100% wot he said!!! I disconnect mine (using the isolator) every time she goes back in the garage and the car gets fired up / brought up to temp once a month. Haven’t had to buy a new battery for 8 years now and still going strong. On that note, the garage is insulated and heated so I’m sure that helps too.

Scarily though - I’ve bought only a half a tank of fuel this year!!!! Need to get out more often (only done 70 miles in 13 months )!!

 

[AliK]

Pushed the car out of the garage to get to the trolley Jack and some tools for sorting out the winter tyres/wheels on the Audis. Trouble is, the Z wouldn’t start then the heavens opened up!



Had to take out the spark plugs, put them in the oven (Mrs K was dead pleased), use a hairdryer on the HT leads and spark plug holes, spun the engine a few time without plugs in to move on any flooding fuel and finally she came to life.

Interestingly, on the choke at 2.5k rpm and 11.5 on the AFR, the primaries were visibly glowing! The iPhone does exaggerate it but they were very clearly glowing to the naked eye!

Edit: this is exactly how it looked to the naked eye!!

 

[jonbills]

Pushed the car out of the garage to get to the trolley Jack and some tools for sorting out the winter tyres/wheels on the Audis. Trouble is, the Z wouldn’t start then the heavens opened up!

View attachment 54945

Had to take out the spark plugs, put them in the oven (Mrs K was dead pleased), use a hairdryer on the HT leads and spark plug holes, spun the engine a few time without plugs in to move on any flooding fuel and finally she came to life.
View attachment 54947View attachment 54946
Interestingly, on the choke at 2.5k rpm and 11.5 on the AFR, the primaries were visibly glowing! The iPhone does exaggerate it but they were very clearly glowing to the naked eye!

Edit: this is exactly how it looked to the naked eye!!

View attachment 54948

It's your punishment for not using it for MONTHS.

 

[Mr Ex Jnr]

My Rb25Det gearbox aswell came this week happy days

 

[toopy]

As usual, nothing done to the car other than a couple of pics.

She's been on the drive since late October as I no longer use the on bloc garage i rented just down the road (for the last 5 years). £1000 a year which I've decided i need in my bank not someone else's, searching on line apparently what i was paying was on the cheaper side too. You can barely get a shed for that now!
And all in time for some of the wettest and now coldest weather for quite a while

A not so sunny sunroof!

 

[status]

Outdoor carcoon is wot you need Toopy

 

[toopy]

Outdoor carcoon is wot you need Toopy

Were hoping to move sometime in the first half of next year. Preferably with a garage large enough for the Z and my gardening business equipment. If that isn't' possible a Carcoon or outdoor garage of some description is definitely on the cards.

 

[Huw]

Outdoor carcoon is wot you need Toopy

Worth doing even if just to get through the winter.

 

[Makesy]

Went to shift car 1. Clutch pedal was very light. I thought I smelt a bit of clutch burn last time I ran it and have long since needed to perform a bleed, however the bleed nipple had previously sheered.

Very grim colour for the fluid to be. I've now removed the slave cylinder and drilled and retapped the bleed nipple. Will reinstall next week and find out what the next problem is to be

 

[Jay.]

Worth doing even if just to get through the winter.

Agreed, you can buy them second hand on eBay/FB or brand new, they hold their values well.

 

[jonbills]

Ive taken the suspension and diff etc out at the back so I can paint underneath the back half.
While I'm there, might as well change the bushes. Here's the special tool to remove the spindle pin :