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Post by trickydicky on Aug 31, 2021 22:19:58 GMT 1
I was driving home one night in my 68 Transit Custom And kept getting a lovely smell of takeaway food, eventually my backside started getting a bit 🔥 and I realised it was one of the 2 AGMs boiling itself to death Luckily I stopped and disconnected the duff one and drove it the last few miles home Non Stop/Start but has twin AGMs I have yet to see one of these Transit Customs with a single battery (stop/start or not). Most have pairs of EFB I have seen. It weird, the motability ones we see a lot just have a single AGM!!! |
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Post by rhyds on Aug 31, 2021 22:23:23 GMT 1
The downside I have is as a home mechanic/amateur I don't have a battery tester to check them individually. If it is a twin-battery setup I'll suggest my sister gets them tested properly, otherwise I'll just change it if its a single.
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Post by remmington on Aug 31, 2021 22:27:14 GMT 1
The downside I have is as a home mechanic/amateur I don't have a battery tester to check them individually. If it is a twin-battery setup I'll suggest my sister gets them tested properly, otherwise I'll just change it if its a single. As a pro - even with a battery tester - I stuggle to test these as a pair (without separating them. IE.. taking leads off them). |
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Post by rhyds on Aug 31, 2021 22:39:52 GMT 1
The downside I have is as a home mechanic/amateur I don't have a battery tester to check them individually. If it is a twin-battery setup I'll suggest my sister gets them tested properly, otherwise I'll just change it if its a single. As a pro - even with a battery tester - I stuggle to test these as a pair (without separating them. IE.. taking leads off them). Aye, that's the problem. My usual test would be to leave the headlamps and fan on for 5-10 minutes and see if she starts (I doubt this will, as leaving the doors open too long stopped it from starting), but of course you can't do that to batteries individually. |
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Post by trickydicky on Sept 1, 2021 1:11:25 GMT 1
The downside I have is as a home mechanic/amateur I don't have a battery tester to check them individually. If it is a twin-battery setup I'll suggest my sister gets them tested properly, otherwise I'll just change it if its a single. As a pro - even with a battery tester - I stuggle to test these as a pair (without separating them. IE.. taking leads off them). It's a nightmare doing fleet,first they insist on digital test results for every battery replacement or they won't pay Then you have the fleet limits, two new AGMs can easily take you over the £200-300 that they have agreed we can spend at roadside |
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Post by remmington on Sept 1, 2021 6:49:07 GMT 1
As a pro - even with a battery tester - I stuggle to test these as a pair (without separating them. IE.. taking leads off them). It's a nightmare doing fleet,first they insist on digital test results for every battery replacement or they won't pay Then you have the fleet limits, two new AGMs can easily take you over the £200-300 that they have agreed we can spend at roadside Two new Yuasa AGM battery's fitted to a transit at my workshop will cost you £360. And to be honest at £360 for what is involved (the risk of the stop/start not working and further investigation required) - profit/margin wise I don't care if I do it or not! - Sometimes with a Ford you can get into a fairly lengthy test drive to prove the stop/start is working or not - this can take longer than fitting the battery.--------------------- ON the same subject - other Ford cars - if you turn the foglight switch on (engine off ignition on) - press the hazzard warning switch three times - it will flash the alternator battery light three times to prove stop/start reset.  If you wanna real struggle to get the stop/start working after a battery change - try fiting a battery to a Nissan Qashqai. No fun at all! Fitting batteries - is not a cheap job now - nor is it a "fast fit" quick task. Sadly - I can't recall the last time I fitted a battery under a £100 quid. |
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oli
Apprentice
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Post by oli on Sept 3, 2021 19:06:58 GMT 1
Would fitting a split charge system be an option? (Single alternator but a little control box) They were great for Land rovers with winches or camping stuff like fridges, work lights etc. You don’t have to worry at all about flattening the starter battery then.
Oli
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Post by rhyds on Sept 4, 2021 7:20:57 GMT 1
Would fitting a split charge system be an option? (Single alternator but a little control box) They were great for Land rovers with winches or camping stuff like fridges, work lights etc. You don’t have to worry at all about flattening the starter battery then. Oli Transits do come with twin battery setups, so I'd imagine its not massively difficult to retrofit one in to this. I'll check once I have the old battery out how much space there is. |
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Post by trickydicky on Sept 4, 2021 11:51:03 GMT 1
Would fitting a split charge system be an option? (Single alternator but a little control box) They were great for Land rovers with winches or camping stuff like fridges, work lights etc. You don’t have to worry at all about flattening the starter battery then. Oli It's the Smart charge system that makes things awkward My RAC Transit has a modification to switch off/bypass the smart charge system so I can charge my jump pack or jump start big vans etc |
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oli
Apprentice
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Post by oli on Sept 4, 2021 20:27:05 GMT 1
Would fitting a split charge system be an option? (Single alternator but a little control box) They were great for Land rovers with winches or camping stuff like fridges, work lights etc. You don’t have to worry at all about flattening the starter battery then. Oli It's the Smart charge system that makes things awkward My RAC Transit has a modification to switch off/bypass the smart charge system so I can charge my jump pack or jump start big vans etc I did wonder if the smart charge system might have a hissy when asked to suddenly charge a hefty depleted battery a minute or two after the engine starting. It sounds like there’s a way of getting past it at least, though I suspect it might be a fiddle. What about via the the caravan type tow bar electrics (if fitted)? Could you use the feed that would usually go to the caravan battery (live when engine running only) via a diode to charge an additional battery? (Might not be useful to the OP but just curious) Oli |
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Post by rhyds on Sept 25, 2021 11:22:57 GMT 1
Bit of an update on this.
I got round to swapping in the big Yuasa 85Ah/800CCA unit last night, however despite the van definitely being a non stop-start unit (no disable button etc) someone had fitted an EFB Yuasa unit at some point, which was only 75Ah. Most online battery checkers come back as an EFB for this unit, however from what I can see this one should be happy with an old fashioned wet unit, and the extra 10Ah will really help with the flattening issue, and the 5 year warranty should help things.
I'm also going to pop LED bulbs in the cargo bay lights, as these are the ones that stay on when the tailgate is used as a rain shield (you need one in Wales!)
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