Starter battery question....

[Simon B]

What spec battery for a diesel Bongo with one starter battery?

Thanks in advance!

[wonkanoby]

249 as i recall 95 ah or there abouts

[Jaws]

This
http://www.elecsolbatteries.com/product ... l-100.html
works for me but there are good alternatives.

Just check the dimensions and connection post orientation before buying any replacement.

[Ron Miel]

I'm a great fan of Elecsol as both leisure batteries and leisure batteries which can double as fair starter batteries. However, if you're only , or even primarily, looking for a starter battery (which is required to deliver high current but not to withstand regular deep discharge cycles), I suggest they're not the best choice.

I use an Elecsol 100 for the leisure side, mainly camp lighting, and a Varta Asia 249 for the starter battery. Prices are similar (and there are cheaper 249s) but the Varta delivers far more Cold Cranking Amps than the Elecsol (830 against 375), which is what you really need in a starter battery on a cold winter's morning. It is also slightly lower in overall capacity (95Ah against 100Ah), and so takes a bit less charging up.

http://www.tayna.co.uk/Elecsol-Batteries-S1017-1.html

http://www.tayna.co.uk/Varta-Asia-Car-B ... 293-1.html

Both the Elecsol 100 and the Varta Asia ("Asia" for Japanese style terminals) 249 fit a standard Bongo battery tray (or at least they fit the two trays in a twin battery cold weather spec Bongo) but I'm not sure the much more powerful Elecsol 110 does.

[Ron Miel]

I'm a great fan of Elecsol as both leisure batteries and leisure batteries which can double as fair starter batteries. However, if you're only , or even primarily, looking for a starter battery (which is required to deliver high current but not to withstand regular deep discharge cycles), I suggest they're not the best choice.

I use an Elecsol 100 for the leisure side, mainly camp lighting, and a Varta Asia 249 for the starter battery. Prices are similar (and there are cheaper 249s) but the Varta delivers far more Cold Cranking Amps than the Elecsol (830 against 375), which is what you really need in a starter battery on a cold winter's morning. It is also slightly lower in overall capacity (95Ah against 100Ah), and so takes a bit less charging up.

http://www.tayna.co.uk/Elecsol-Batteries-S1017-1.html

http://www.tayna.co.uk/Varta-Asia-Car-B ... 293-1.html

Both the Elecsol 100 and the Varta Asia ("Asia" for Japanese style terminals) 249 fit a standard Bongo battery tray (or at least they fit the two trays in a twin battery cold weather spec Bongo) but I'm not sure the much more powerful Elecsol 110 does.

Have just noticed that Elecsol developed a heavier duty leisure/starter battery series, since I bought my Bongo - with an Elecsol 100 (375 CCA) fitted. The nearest equivalent in the new range, their EL105F 105Ah gives a more impressive 500 CCA but, at 350 mm wide, I suspect it's too big for a Bongo battery tray - at £183 incl. VAT from the source I looked at (http://www.electricfence-online.co.uk/s ... 45782.html) it's got a big price too. Really designed for the big RV and yachtie worlds, I think.

[mikexgough]

Din numbers ... 068 or 249... 068 is closest to Bongo largest standard spec which has a max of 64Ah...
As I always say...... yer pays yer money.... I have an 068 Yuasa equivalent (their denotation 030) which is now 3 yrs old and still starts on the button.... the 030 has a 4 yr warranty too.... for £ 50 ish (dependent on outlet) a bargain

[maxi_77]

A battery which is primarily intended as a liesure battery is never going to be an ideal solution as a starter battery. There are plenty of decent starter batteries around which will do a lot better.

[Jaws]

A battery which is primarily intended as a liesure battery is never going to be an ideal solution as a starter battery. There are plenty of decent starter batteries around which will do a lot better.

Naturally not. Nevertheless the Elecsol 100 is sold as a dual purpose deep cyle and engine start battery. Like I said it works for me and has a five year warranty. If you only have one battery and plan to do some camping etc then there is a certain logic in having one which can tolerate discharge IMHO. If the Elecsol 110 fits it could be ideal...

Certainly, throughout last winter, Jaws had no issue starting imediately whatever the outside temperature.

At the end of the day any new battery in good condition will be better than an old one which is failing

[Ron Miel]

A battery which is primarily intended as a liesure battery is never going to be an ideal solution as a starter battery. There are plenty of decent starter batteries around which will do a lot better.

Naturally not. Nevertheless the Elecsol 100 is sold as a dual purpose deep cyle and engine start battery. Like I said it works for me and has a five year warranty. If you only have one battery and plan to do some camping etc then there is a certain logic in having one which can tolerate discharge IMHO. If the Elecsol 110 fits it could be ideal...

Certainly, throughout last winter, Jaws had no issue starting imediately whatever the outside temperature.

At the end of the day any new battery in good condition will be better than an old one which is failing

Agreed, if camping use is also needed but I'm not sure we've been told that. I suppose there are some Bongos only used as family runabouts.

As mikexgough confirmed though, you can get a starter-compatible 068 for £50ish, with a 4 year warranty. Meanwhile, the Elecsol 100 costs twice that - i.e., 8 years of 068 cost, if all that is wanted is a starter battery.

I have started our Bongo with the Elecsol 100, BTW, so I confirm that their dual purpose claim is basically valid - and have said so here in the past. Elecsol doesn't declare the CCA rating for the 100 model though, so I was a bit disappointed to find that a number of battery dealers had winkled (only) "375 CCA" out of Elecsol (or had tested them?), and therefore now spec them for that maximum duty. I wonder how long one would actually deliver enough CCA if you had difficulty starting, for non-battery reasons, and consequently had to do a lot of repeated cranking.

Have you hit that situation? I did, in the deep freeze last winter, with serious starting problems until I changed dizzy cap and rotor - never managed to anywhere near flatten the (830 CCA) Varta Asia 249, which kept on cranking hard and always eventually started the engine.

The moral of that for me is, if camping use is needed and funds allow, spend even more to get upgraded and also carry a separate leisure battery.

[Jaws]

Hey, I agree! Biggest Baddest Battery is always Best.

And readers will buy the 249 they can afford. I personally rate the Elecsol 100 but that is my preferance and I do not seek to promote the product. I have no connection with the manufacturer. Just found it to be a good product. It is quite useful to have a pair fitted for the sort of situation you describe. (oops, won't start) since I can easily swap the "leisure" battery for the "starter" battery.

Not cheap though. Money/choice as usual.

[bigdaddycain]

I contacted Mikexgough for my new starter battery in the bongo... He did me proud! I have no idea what the battery is though... I just bolted it up and forgot about it!

My old Varta 85a/h battery did a sterling job though in it's 7 8 years service in the bongo... Despite being run flat and left for months on a few occasions.

[bongo frenzee]

In case it's of any help to anyone, I've just had this battery fitted from Halfords:
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... 65762#dtab

Bongo wouldn't start this morning (after not being used for 4 weeks so not surprising I guess) so called the AA who charged up the battery and it started fine, but on testing it he said it was about to fail so he recommended getting a new one asap. Halfords was the only place open at the time but they were very helpful in finding one that fitted and had the terminals the right way round.

[Ron Miel]

Had noticed these fairly expensive Halfords Calcium batteries, without understanding what the technology meant, so just looked it up. Best info on all the current starter battery technologies, written in an understandable form, is perhaps here: http://www.driverstechnology.co.uk/car-batteries.htm *.

Looks like you've made a good choice, worth the extra if you often leave the Bongo unused for long periods. If it's calcium-calcium (negative and positive plates both calcium) though, it looks as though you need to avoid letting it go fully flat (deep discharge), if possible. Happy starting, these cold mornings, and then for at least your 4 years guaranteed!

*(Thinks! It does say there that: "The next stage has dominated on a wide front in recent years and is called Calcium-Calcium." Does that mean we're all actually buying calcium based new batteries, and Halfords make it a special sales pitch?)