proper battery rating for a 2.5 n/a D?

My 2A has always been incredibly hard to start, It had a new battery about 3 years ago but i think it was too low a rating as even with that it was tricky to start.

It has no hope now in the cold and ive been jumping it for the last week or so to move it round the garden.

What is the proper rating of battery you should use on a 2.5 n/a diesel engine? The current one is a 69Ah one. I reckon something like 100Ah would be more like it!

PS - Lee - it aint going to snow this year! I've just got to fix the broken drivers seat and find a battery that will start it (i think he may fail it out of spite if he has to jump it for its MOT!) and its being booked for its MOT!

Reply to
Tom Woods
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On or around Sat, 12 Jan 2008 21:33:46 +0000, Tom Woods enlightened us thusly:

get a small commercial one: 643 or 644, depending on which way round you want the terminals.

the next one up is 663/664 I think....

Reply to
Austin Shackles

Both of which are listed as the correct battery for a 2.25 NA Series.

Reply to
EMB

If you have the physical size take a look at my quick 'n dirty battery page at:

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This should return the BCI group numbers of batteries that match the supplied dimensions/tolerance along with the terminal layout and type as defined by the BCI. The CCA, RC and capacity are also given but those are not defined by the BCI and will vary from maker to maker.

The database almost certainly isn't complete either but it's a starting point.

Reply to
Dave Liquorice

Which is near as dammit the same engine, so will require a similar battery to crank it

Reply to
Alex

Physical size doesnt matter as long as it is smaller than a series petrol tank (since its sitting in one of them with the top cut off!)

I should think this leaves me the option of pretty much any car/truck battery on the market :)

Reply to
Tom Woods

My 2.5 has always required more effort to turn over than any 2.25D i've known. Its got a new starter, new earth cable, the battery +ve cables are still pretty good (only being 5 or 6 years old). Glow plugs are only a couple of years old.

Can you skim the heads/blocks on 2.5D's? it was rebuilt once before i bought it and did it again. Wonder if it had owt done?

Even when the battery on it now was new you got one chance to start it - it just doesnt turn over very quickly and you get 10-15secs max before the battery is spent. I returned the battery and we drop tested it finding no problem.

The battery charger/boost starter i have is 200A i think and even with that it doesnt turn over anywhere near as quickly as any of my other vehicles.

When it i warm it turns over really quick and starts with no glow plugs easily. Just not happy when it is cold.

Reply to
Tom Woods

I got a Maverick one from Halfrauds bigger and cheaper than the apparently recommended one for the TD 110.

Look at that 3 / 4 year warantee and I seem to recall it wasn't all that bad on price.

Do a google as I posted finer details around 12 months ago.

Lee D

Reply to
Lee_D

ok. a 643 is 90Ah-95Ah from what i can tell. fair step up from the 69Ah im struggling with now!

Reply to
Tom Woods

ok. Found you quoting your own post but not the original one!

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I like the sound of it.

Reply to
Tom Woods

I tend to fit 663/664 which is 115Ah, 800CCA. Cranks most things for a while. It does fit into a series battery tray, provided you lengthen it by 2" in the forward. For those of us who prefer the battery under the bonnet rather than elsewhere. The longer the cable from the battery, the greater the voltage drop.......

663/664 is also a very common light commercial (7.5t) size, although usually used in pairs for 24v. Gonna cost you about £80 for a unbranded one, about £120 for a decent one like Varta.

Alex

Reply to
Alex

It sounds like you still have a problem of some sort - except on a bloody cold morning the battery you have should be capable of giving an old 2.5NA a decent spin. I'd be checking the current draw of the starter, and the voltage drop in the cables. Slow cranking makes diesels disinclined to start - which makes the whole problem self-perpetuating.

Reply to
EMB

On or around Sun, 13 Jan 2008 00:16:09 +0000, Tom Woods enlightened us thusly:

what oil have you got in it?

Reply to
Austin Shackles

On or around Sun, 13 Jan 2008 00:01:28 +0000, Tom Woods enlightened us thusly:

You might not get the really big f*ck-orft ones in - some are going to be too tall and at least one I can think of is going to be too long - bloody great thing with 3 cells each side and both terminals at one end.

Oh, and find an agricultural merchant to buy it from, as a "tractor battery", you get much better prices.

Reply to
Austin Shackles

On or around Sun, 13 Jan 2008 01:10:33 +0000, Alex enlightened us thusly:

last 643 I bought was a lot less than that, although it's the next one down, and "only" about 750A.

Reply to
Austin Shackles

Prices of lead-acid batteries have gone up by about 30% in the last year, because the price of lead has gone up

Alex

Reply to
Alex

Have a look on

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Tom, they are helpful there too - good prices delivered! they also have lots of spec information in terms of sizes etc

Reply to
Si K

Theres quite a bit of space inside a series petrol tank!

Was thinking that. A mate has an old diesel tractor for his field. It is ancient and has no glow plugs and will turn over for a good minute or so and then start on the battery it has on it!

Reply to
Tom Woods

I cant see what the problem is - ive replaced most things!

The starter was rebuilt (twice) so i hope its good. I have a 100A ammeter with shunt so can perhaps try testing it with that.

I might try replacing the +ve cable with some better stuff. I used domestic mains supply cable (like wot goes before your meter) when i rebuilt it but can afford some proper stuff from VWP which is better (but no bigger).

Reply to
Tom Woods

Which starter have you got? Someone suggested checking the current drain, have you done that? If it's the old long series2 one I'm thinking about or the shorter one with the rounded end cap which they first fitted to miss the vertical exhaust downpipe then both of these were slow. You need to borrow one off a later series3 to try but check the number of teeth first, if I'm not mistaken I think the later starters had only 9 teeth as against 10 which would effectively gear them down and improve performance but I seem to recall a difference in the ring gear as well BICBW. I have seen the later Lucas fitted with both 9 and 10 teeth.

Martin

Reply to
Oily

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