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jalalski
Date Registered: 02-2004
Location: SUTHERLAND, SYDNEY
TOTAL POSTS: 29100
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Re: battery replacement
quote: bluetrail wrote:
bettryas jalal said .
You must be dreaming mate, I think there is bug in your version of the spelling check LOL
Last edited by jalalski, 8/Jul/2006, 8:25 pm
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8/Jul/2006, 8:23 pm
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jalalski
Date Registered: 02-2004
Location: SUTHERLAND, SYDNEY
TOTAL POSTS: 29100
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Re: battery replacement
I think there was too many batteries in that post of mine, one of them had lost its charge. hahahaha
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8/Jul/2006, 8:37 pm
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Naff
X-TRAIL VETERAN
Date Registered: 09-2005
Location: QLD
TOTAL POSTS: 786
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Re: battery replacement
Ok I'm no auto electrician, just a lowly engineer... A battery is only really used for starting, as suggested by John. It will run your accessories etc... for a certain amount of time anyway The alternator does all the work when the engine is running. You used to be able to start a car and then take the battery out... going back to the old days! Once the car was running, you didn't need the battery. I haven't tried these days... but I'm pretty sure you can't.
And as Noel suggested, a battery can read 12+ volts one night, and the next morning won't kick over the engine, especially during the colder months. The charge can appear to remain, but at the end of it's life, it's almost as if it is a superficial reading. It's really the same principle as a mobile phone or laptop battery... for the first year or so you will get long lasting charges out of it, then after that it will eventually diminish to a useless amount (yeah this is a sour point with my current phone). It says it is fully charged, but lasts a day as opposed to 4 days.
You could probably leave a factory stereo on for a few days with a brand new battery and still start the car. With an old battery of 3+ years... you could lose starting ability within hours.
My Dad once taught me a quick way to see how your battery is fairing... get someone to jump in the car and put the headlights on. Then have them start the car whilst you watch the headlights. The lights on car whose battery is on its way out will dim substantially more than a new battery... it just indicates the amount of current being drawn.. a battery can have its full voltage, but may not be able to supply the same full current.
Like with anything electrical.. it's the current that counts. A thousand volts won't kill you, but half an amp can.
Hope that makes some sense, I may have started rambling :P
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10/Jul/2006, 9:37 pm
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AKAK9
X-TRAIL ENTHUSIAST
Date Registered: 01-2006
TOTAL POSTS: 133
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Re: battery replacement
Couple of things kill off batteries, cold, extended use (when they are not designed for this) and poor maintenance.
Considering the cold weather we are having at the moment in Sydney, I've been looking for a battery jacket around the place. These are really good things to have and I've proven them time and time again.
A lot of people use their battery for the wrong reason. Eg Fridges, misc accessories etc. If you are going to run these sort of things, then get a 2nd deep cycle battery. They handle recharging a whole lot better. Spotties are hard on batteries as well, so if you run your spotties for long periods, then expect reduced life of the battery.
Maintenance on a battery is essential for longetivity. I always use post pads, a daub of vaseline, and clean the posts EVERY service. If I use a non sealed battery I'll check the solution with a Hydrometer to make sure the acid is at the correct acidity.
One last thing, there are numerous signs to a battery about to fail, least of which is starting brightness. The thing is, over a couple of years use the steady degredation of the starting sound is hard to pick up unless you think about it.
I had a friend at work who got 7 and half years out of a battery. Why? cause like me he checked it every week.
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10/Jul/2006, 9:52 pm
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duxbac
X-TRAIL ENTHUSIAST
Date Registered: 02-2004
TOTAL POSTS: 288
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Re: battery replacement
I thought i had a battery problem,and mine is three years old,but it turned out i had picked up a tank of very bad fuel.I was used to the exy starting,first time,every time,and i was not letting the engine crank over long enough.New tank of fuel and exy was back to normal.I left it outside,and the exy had ice on the windscreen last week and started easy,and then the turn on the lights trick,and then start,which it did no trouble.How long do these iridium spark plugs last,mine have been in for 40thousand ks,and seem alright,but when plugs loose a bit of performance,the car is harder to start.cheers
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6/Oct/2006, 1:05 pm
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