Recently life has become full of battery issues. Boat and vehicle owners will know batteries are a consumable with a finite life. Many new vehicles come with a five year warranty, but usually in the fine print it will state the starter battery warranty is 12 months. The battery in our Isuzu has now been in use for 4½ years, which is probably well beyond its anticipated life. Over the last six months the vehicle has occasionally been either hard to start or the engine dies shortly after starting.
I didn’t want to be in the middle of outback nowhere and wake one morning to find a dead battery. Therefore six months ago I bought a new battery during a discount sale. However I didn’t fit it because I wasn’t planning a remote trip in the immediate future and I wanted to maximise its life.
Yesterday the Isuzu wouldn’t start. The battery was so flat it would only illuminate the dash lights and wouldn’t turn over the engine. I placed the battery on the 240V charger for three hours which got the engine going. However the vehicle was in “limp mode” which means less power.
This morning the old battery was removed.
It had a CCA Rating of 450 when new.
The replacement battery is larger and will be a bit of a squeeze to fit in the battery area.
It’s rated at 810CCA
Nearly twice the cranking power of the original. Hopefully the new battery will last longer and not fail far from civilization.
It was a squeeze to install it.
I remember the first car I owned, a 1967 Vauxhall Viva. There was enough spare room in the engine bay to hold a party. Today’s engine bays are crammed. Or have my arms and hands got larger?
The new battery started the Isuzu without issue. However the vehicle was still in ‘limp mode’ with the engine check light illuminated. I used the Ultragauge to clear the fault code which returned the engine to normal operating mode. That saved the cost of having the garage clear the code for me.
Whilst I was fitting the battery Postman Pat delivered a package. To my surprise it was the 12V battery charger I’d asked Jan to order. I plan on taking the drone on my outback trips and need a way to recharge the drone batteries and controller.
Whilst the drone came with a 240V charger it’s highly unlikely I’ll find a 240V socket in the middle of the desert. This charger will enable me to recharge the drone from the car.
Meanwhile Jan has been busy in the kitchen. Yesterday she bought a tin of black beans and today she baked a black bean cake. I had a slice for lunch. Lovely and moist, and it tastes like chocolate cake. The cake doesn’t contain flour as Jan is trying to cut down my carbohydrates after I was diagnosed with diabetes back in May. It’s now 135 days, 14 hours and 37 minutes since I last had beer, chocolate or ice cream. Not that I’m counting!
2 comments :
Hi Tom.
I do think Batteries and the charging systems are a lot better than what they used to be.
I can remember my dad in the late 60's early 70's having to buy a new battery almost every year after winter had done its worst.
Even my first cars needed new batteries every couple of years and a new exhaust.
Dave, I don't doubt lead-acid batteries have continued to develop. However they are a consumable. I used to need to replace the battery in our first Isuzu every 3 years. Never replaced the exhaust on a diesel but it was a regular event with a petrol engine.
Post a Comment