More batteries please it must be xmas

[Bongo.Baz.tard]

Just stuck in the last 7 litres of veg oil into the already low on fuel bongo and thought ill just do the journey ,then top up with diesel when i get ther.
Bongo chugged and chugged then stopped .( IM ASSUMING YOU ARE ALL RIGHT ABOUT UPING THE diesel CONTENT IN THE MIX BUT THOUGHT THAT IF THE ENGINE WAS UP TO TEMP IT WOULD BE ENOUGH TO HEAT THE OIL UP AND GO IF NOT STOPPING )
Pulled in tried to start it, no go . Went and toppped up the tank with 15 litres of diesel and ran the twin batterries flat. Put them on charge overnight fitted them this morning. when putting in the second one there was a flash of sparks, terminals not wrong but pulled that one anyway and tried to start with one. JUST TUCKED THE POS on the second bat terminal wire out the way. But battery weak after a few turns.
Took the good one to halfords and came back as over or under charged unservicable.
So i now want to know whats story with putting in a 90ah battery with 850cca. ANY PROBS WITH DOING THIS . The standard batts seem a bit weedy. If this is okay any recomendations on experience .
Sorry for not trawling through threads i have glanced at afew but im on my lunch break so dont have that much time.
IF I JUST FIT THE ONE BATTERY DO I JUST INSULATE THE POSITIVE WIRE OFF THE SECOND BATTERY WITH TAPE AND LEAVE OR IS THERE MORE TO REMOVING THE SECOND BATTERY?
Appreciate the help guys thanks.
Just a quick ps to this for further reference.
PS
The glow plug light had been staying on for afew seconds after start up the last few weeks, so i understand that this is a sign the battery could be on the way out as well

[francophile1947]

Yep, just insulate the positive terminal on the passenger side lead - no problem running with one battery. I actually put a switch in the positive lead and used the second battery as a leisure battery.
I've run mine on 100% cooking oil once the engine was hot - how far had you gone to heat the engine up?

[Bongo.Baz.tard]

I had just been out for 15 mins then stopped for about an hour. started it up and let tick over for 10 mins while i put the oil in, then whent off on a rather rough ride On reflection i think ive been a rather stupid boy not listening to the bongo masses regarding mixture but have ran in better weather on %100 veg then topped up with diesel before i switched off.
I am hoping its just a case of fitting new battery and turnig it over a few times till the diesel gets through. Or would it be advisable to pull the fuel filter turn it over to pump the diesel through .
IM very new to the old veggy oil thing. its took a year and a half of ownership waiting for the price to drop sufficiently to make it worth my while .Now all that money i saved can be put to good use BUYING A NEW BATTERY

[francophile1947]

It doesn't sound as if your engine was hot enough (after stopping for an hour) to run on high levels of veg oil. Running the engine whilst tipping in the oil was probably not a good idea either - I've found that the veg oil can sink, when you first put it in, so you may well have been drawing up a very high content of veg oil and, when just ticking over, the engine wouldn't have been heating up much at all.
I would be inclined to remove the fuel filter and fill it with neat diesel (or injector cleaner) before refitting it. Trying to pump veg oil through could be very hard for the pump when it's this cold.

[Bongo.Baz.tard]

Thanks francophile ,will do this tomorrow if i get the chance.
Do you have any views on the best battery size to get ,im thinking a bigger than 70 ah battery would be best. More cranking power but all the ones ive looked at ar 30 mm longer (may not be a problem)and 45mm higher: could pose a problem. The trouble is she's sittin' at the side of the road 1 mile from here so i cant just pop out with a tape (unless it was a very long one ) Or do you think the one from alpha batteries that is supposedly for a bongo(70ah and 570 cca) is alright .

[francophile1947]

Or do you think the one from alpha batteries that is supposedly for a bongo(70ah and 570 cca) is alright .

The CCA seems a bit light to me, but fine in a twin battery setup. I've just bought one of these http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/12V-90AH-800AMPS- ... 2ea6ff0993. It's a bit too long to fit in the battery tray though (I mis-measured before ordering ), so I just turned the undertray over so that it sticks over the lips of the tray.

[brorabongo]

Some suitable battery types here....

http://www.igmaynard.co.uk/bongo/forum/ ... 1&start=30

[Bongo.Baz.tard]

Franco,
how long for delivery from ebay shop? do you have a contact number for them so i could phone direct?

[francophile1947]

It arrived in a couple of days . Sorry, no idea of phone number

[Bongo.Baz.tard]

Thanks francophile,
Just ordered the 950amp 90ah one for £55. That should start it
I was just reading on my other post about batteries that there may be probs with the clamping. I just assumed the bongo clamp would just go over it. I haven't looked at the tray but would either just follow your lead or cut it down a bit. Might have a bit of stainless thats big enough to make my own Did yours clamp easy enough?

[francophile1947]

Yes, but it meant screwing the bolts nearly to the bottom - my battery is lower than the original.