Battery knackered?

[Steveycaz]

My battery is now in a state where it is always flat after standing for more than 1 week. I use a jump starter which is usually fine, but this morning not even that could start the car. The battery semed to be sucking the life out of the jump-starter before my very eyes!

Is there a way of getting the battery tested to see if it can be reconditioned or should I just get a new one? Any recommendation for make / model of battery and approx. cost would be welcomed.

Cheers.

[gumball]

Same happened to mine, the battery is knackered, get a new one, I got a bosch from quickfit.

[Steveycaz]

Thanks. How do you specify the battery type? By car? By engine size?

[gumball]

Thanks. How do you specify the battery type? By car? By engine size?


I left it to quickfits catalogue, but then again I recall the polls were on the wrong side on their first attempt :rolleyes: , you could play safe with Honda, but there a lot dearer.

[Steveycaz]

Well I have got it started, but only after 30 minutes of being plugged in to a neighbour's car with his engine running. New battery tomorrow methinks!

[nsxselby]

i used a prelude battery it works fine it was about £40

[ctrlaltdelboy]

the topic of replacement battery options was recently discussed here:
http://nsxcb.co.uk/testvb/showthread.php?t=2636

;)

[Steveycaz]

Went to Kwikfit Basinsgtoke for a new battery (both sites); good news is a replacement is only £65. Bad news is they won't remove the wheel holder and battery bracket for fear of breaking them :dunno:! what's that all about?

What's worse is that my drivers door handle broke when I was getting out so now I have to remove the battery at the weekend and take the door panel apart to see what's broken! anyone any tips for taking the door panel apart / or knowledge on how the door handle works?

Not my best lunchtime cruise...

[TheSebringOne]

£65 not bad, but Steve if you don't use the car regulary, would be worth investing in a battery trickle charger that feeds enough to replace charge used up by alarm/immobiliser. My was by Draper (a little transformer really) £16.00 I think. ;) Good luck with the door handle ! :)

[Steveycaz]

Thanks for the advice James but my car is kept well away from any sources of power. I guess i need to run it more regularly - which is no real hardship is it!

[ctrlaltdelboy]

door handle failure? - common problem, here's the solution (http://daliracing.com/v666-5/catalog/index_browse_part.cfm?focus=1001)

[TheSebringOne]

No probs Steve, I drive her every 2 weeks at the mo since leaving her standing even with a new battery for 3 to 3.5 weeks, it will not start as I found! In Winter I put on the trickle charge since my P & J only goes out when its dry & crisp! :)

[stan321]

When my NSX battery goes flat and has to be recharged, the engine idling speed seems to take a long time to re-establish itself. Often the engine will stall for the first half hour or so after starting. Do others see this?

[Steveycaz]

i've not noticed any changes in engine performance due to battery condition Stan. I suppose the alternator may be working harder, but I'd be surprised if this would affect such a powerful engine! mind you, I know nothing!

[Mr_Spanners]

When my NSX battery goes flat and has to be recharged, the engine idling speed seems to take a long time to re-establish itself. Often the engine will stall for the first half hour or so after starting. Do others see this?


It's common with older cars as the EACV* valve becomes increasingly worn which means the ECUs learning cycle is more difficult. The best way for the ECU to relearn its values after the battery has been disconnected is to start the car with all the ancillaries switched off and DO NOT press the accelerator. Allow the car to idle until the fan has come on at least twice. Switch the car off and then restart - you should find the car runs fine and the revs don't drop too low now!


* The EACV valve is essentially a wax cylinder that melts as the engine coolant passes through it. As this happens an electronic signal is sent to the ECU to set the rev 'boost' during the warm-up cycle. The EACV is only used during cold starts on fuel injection cars and replaced the 'choke' we used to have on carburettor cars. If you have major problems with idle during warm up then replacing the EACV will solve it 99 times out of 100.

[stan321]

Makes a lot of sense (P-reg NSX-T 102K miles). I guess it's not worth replacing this EACV valve. After an initial warm up it's generally fine.

[Andy]

The Sebring One said:

"£65 not bad, but Steve if you don't use the car regulary, would be worth investing in a battery trickle charger that feeds enough to replace charge used up by alarm/immobiliser. My was by Draper (a little transformer really) £16.00 I think"

The Manual says do not connect a battery charger while the battery is connected to the car. This means that in winter if the battery goes flat I have to remove the spare wheel, disconnect the battery and charge it.

What I would like to do is connect a trickle charger to the car via the connections in the fuse box and leave it on all the time. I can then easily disconnect this when I want to drive the car. Can I do this without damaging the electrics? And if so what charger would be recommended?

Thanks Andy

[Mr_Spanners]

Trickle chargers are a cheap option and the Draper unit for under £15 is hard to beat, however a 'Battery Conditioner' is much more Battery-Friendly as it controls the voltage\current going to the battery and monitors it's status.

Arguably the best on the market is the CTEK XS3600 (which is ideal for the NSX) but at nearly £50 it's a tad-pricey. Highly recommended though!

EBay Link (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CTEK-MULTI-XS-3600-BATTERY-CHARGER-XS-3600_W0QQitemZ320150602022)

HTH

~Phil.

[Andy]

Thanks

Is it OK to connect up the battery conditioner via the fusebox and leave it on all the time?

Regards Andy

[TheSebringOne]

Andy, I know to fully charge a battery with a normal charger its a off the car job with cars +/- cables unconnected, but these trickle chargers only feed a small amount of charge since I've had no problems charging with the battery connected to car in the past over Winter or lack of use. Just make sure you turn off at mains before connecting & reconnecting, but not sure if this is needed. Just looked at said trickle charger, its input is 230V. -50HZ A.C. 5W and output 12V.D.C - 300mA. 3.6VA. Got my 3 years ago, paid 17.99, got it from Motorworld. HTH :)

http://www.draper.co.uk/Pages/Pagesource/p66.pdf

[Andy]

Thanks - I'll try it

Andy

[howellr]

Hello,
If you replace the battery does the radio not need the code to get started again.
Is there a way to keep the power to the car while the battery is out ?

(First post - i'm very excited)

Rod

[simonprelude]

Where do you connect the negative wire, just to a part of exposed body work ??
Not started my car in over 5 weeks now so might need to get the charger out.


Thanks

Is it OK to connect up the battery conditioner via the fusebox and leave it on all the time?

Regards Andy

[Kevin]

Hello,
If you replace the battery does the radio not need the code to get started again.
Is there a way to keep the power to the car while the battery is out ?

(First post - i'm very excited)

Rod

Code? Radio? It's not that advanced to have one.

You will lose your radio stations though, and the clock will be wrong.

[Senninha]

Where do you connect the negative wire, just to a part of exposed body work ??
Simon,

Open the fuse box in the engine compartment. Connect +ive lead where indicated. The -ive cable goes onto the boss on the intake manifold.

(info from p268 of handbook ;))



(First post - i'm very excited)

Rod
Hi Rod and welcome, look forward to a proper intro in the general discussion or photo gallery. Dont forget to add yourself to the NSX Garage collection.

Regards, Paul

[simonprelude]

Page 244 of mine ;)



Open the fuse box in the engine compartment. Connect +ive lead where indicated. The -ive cable goes onto the boss on the intake manifold.

(info from p268 of handbook ;))

[amo]

well i added a extention + cable and u can put the -anywhere rad bracket as long as its bare metal

thx amo

[TheSebringOne]

Welcome to NSXCB! Hope you sorted out your battery problem? So are you new to the NSX fold? Great colour you have there, is it Circuit Blue? I noted you are in the good ole North West, same as myself, where abouts you venture from if you don't mind me asking. :)

[TheQuietOne]

Hello,
If you replace the battery does the radio not need the code to get started again.
Is there a way to keep the power to the car while the battery is out ?

(First post - i'm very excited)

Rod

Oooh we have another new member, with an unusual one! Circuit Blue T? Come on we need a propper introduction sir! :D

[simonprelude]

Wow, looks good.

Think this is a car I have seen in the past at Norton Way.


Oooh we have another new member, with an unusual one! Circuit Blue T? Come on we need a propper introduction sir! :D