New starter battery advice

[Gigantor]

Hello!
I've not had my bongo for very long and have just had the starter battery fail on me. It's a pretty old looking Japanes battery and i'm having trouble working out what to replace it with.
After scouring the fact sheets I've found that I probably want a 95 a/h "068" battery, but these all seem to be bigger in size than my old one. Given that they seem to be coming in at around £98 I'd rather avoid buying one that will electrify the bonnet!
Could anyone be kind enough to recommend a specific battery / online vendor?

thanks,

Dave

[mikexgough]

068 or 249 are the DIN numbers....... Some makers have own part numbers.... Go to a Local Motor Factor with a Trade counter.....got my battery for £41.... ..... Yuasa 030 professional..... equivalent to 068... my diesel starts on the button.... if you feel the need for more Ah then go for a 249 ..... still get the same warranty...

[mikeonb4c]

Hello!
I've not had my bongo for very long and have just had the starter battery fail on me. It's a pretty old looking Japanes battery and i'm having trouble working out what to replace it with.
After scouring the fact sheets I've found that I probably want a 95 a/h "068" battery, but these all seem to be bigger in size than my old one. Given that they seem to be coming in at around £98 I'd rather avoid buying one that will electrify the bonnet!
Could anyone be kind enough to recommend a specific battery / online vendor?

thanks,

Dave

This very recent discussion on batteries may help (even though the thread appears from the title to be about waxoyling!):

http://www.igmaynard.co.uk/bongo/forum/ ... t=batmanuk

Oh, and welcome

[Gigantor]

thanks guys. I tried a bunch of local places but nowhere had a compatible battery in anything higher than 60AH. Not sure where I read it but I'm sure I saw somewhere that I needed a starter battery with higher AH than my leisure battery. My leisure battery is rated as 80AH so I was after a 95 AH one to be on the safe side.

After wading through the waxoyl thread, I found the link to batmanuk. I plumped for the 249 heavy duty which is 95AH (not stated on the website) and cost me 89 squid after VAT, delivered next day. Although it doesn't fit entirely snugly in the clamps, it seems to be held in tight and everything's working well (for now!).
One question though - the new battery is bigger than the plastic tray that was under the original battery. Do I need to get a new bigger plastic tray or is the battery OK just sat on the metal base tray?


Thanks!


Dave

[Scigsy]

I've just replaced my starter battery. Its a Numax UK249 and it cost £105 from a local supplier in Bournemouth (yes - £105!) but they did fit it for me. Hope that helps.

Regards,
Jane

[g8dhe]

Not sure where I read it but I'm sure I saw somewhere that I needed a starter battery with higher AH than my leisure battery

Wherever you read it, its wrong!
The normal starter battery is about 95Ahr and the a leisure battery can be any capacity you like, the restrictions are more to do with size and 110Ahr is currently about the largest you can fit due to there size.

[Scubas00]

Hi all- I need a new battery (still got the original japanese number) -I've found this Lucas one on Ebay with a lifetime guarantee- is it suitable?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/LUCAS-12V-335-249 ... 414ce8ace7

[mister munkey]

I have a stonker of a 95ah Bosch starter battery, part number 0-092-540-280.

It was about £70 from memory.

[g8dhe]

Looks OK electrically for a starter battery.
But if you also have a Leisure battery make sure its a Calcium variety as well, as otherwise you will have a charging problem the addition of Calcium causes the voltage to rise by 5%-8%, so if your L/B is a standard Lead Acid with no calcium added then it will tend to take all the charge from the Alternator and will end up possibly being overcharged or conversely the S/B won't be as fully charged as expected - depends on how good the Alternator regulation is! See these links for more details http://batteryuniversity.com/index.php/ ... 2ace39dda/

[mikeonb4c]

Looks OK electrically for a starter battery.
But if you also have a Leisure battery make sure its a Calcium variety as well, as otherwise you will have a charging problem the addition of Calcium causes the voltage to rise by 5%-8%, so if your L/B is a standard Lead Acid with no calcium added then it will tend to take all the charge from the Alternator and will end up possibly being overcharged or conversely the S/B won't be as fully charged as expected - depends on how good the Alternator regulation is! See these links for more details http://batteryuniversity.com/index.php/ ... 2ace39dda/

Well, I'd never heard that one before - must try and remember when renewal time comes around.

[g8dhe]

Its not something I have direct experience of (using two different types in parallel for charging in cars) I must admit, but its something I've been aware of, and hence expected slightly different readings from Calcium to Antinomy (the normal / older style) batteries. But they do have differences of which the voltage is the most obvious electrically and mixing batteries of different voltages is always a danger

In fact its something from working in the old mechanical (Strowger) days in telephone exchanges, making certain when changing the large lead acid batteries used for running and back-up of the exchanges you had to be wary of, in some exchanges you would need to switch from one battery to another and you couldn't of course interrupt the supply so the voltages had to be virtually identical before you switched a new one in and took the old one off line, otherwise you knew about it in the most alarming fashion if you were lucky just an almighty big flash as you opened the knife switches, if you were unlucky then the main fuses blew 200-800 Amps so you had a BIG bang followed by the utter silence of an isolated telephone exchange....... not something you wanted to have to explain about !!!

[Scubas00]

In case anyone in the area is interested, i got an Excide 249 100AH battery from Christchurch Tyre Co fully fitted for £88 which, having done some internet trawling today seemed a pretty good deal... think I'll be back soon for tyres...