Battery

[pdpprojects]

the battery on my Minor 1000 Traveller has died,the one fitted on the car is 12v 45 amp, however the car has an alternator fitted .could anybody advise me on the correct size. regards PDP.

[Trickydicky]

This battery will be more than adequate, http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Type-063-Car- ... Sw5VFWOLW-

[dalebrignall]

or 038

[IslipMinor]

Assuming that the alternator is negative earth?

Lots of different opinions, but an 063 is the smallest capacity that I would fit at 45Ah, the next one is an 065 with 54Ah, then 075 with 60Ah etc. I would always fit a battery with plenty of spare capacity, especially if it is either outside or in an unheated garage.

We have an 075 (60Ah) and after 4 months of strip down, respray, reassembly, electrical additions and testing, it just started on the battery that had last seen a charge at the beginning of January this year - peace of mind!

Make sure that you choose a battery with terminal layout '0', so with the terminals at the back of the battery carrier (away from the clamp strip), the negative is on the right as you look into the engine bay. The original fitment of an 038 has the terminal layout type '1', and is suited for positive earth.

[oliver90owner]

Cranking capacity amps is the important factor, not necessarily the battery Ah capacity. Just make sure you get a suitable battery for starting and not a leisure type.

Do check the alternator output voltage is within spec. Too high and it will destroy the battery by gassing (most car batteries are 'sealed' for life, so no opportunity to top up with distilled water, these days). Too low and the battery may not reach full charge, leading to sulphation of the plates and an early demise. Max voltages can be different for flooded cells and gel batterries, and some gel batteries may have a maximum permissible charging rate. It was so much simpler back when these cars were new!

A 45Ah with adequate CCA should be sufficient unless you have any large drains on the battery while the engine is not running.

RAB

[bmcecosse]

There's no way to change the output volts of an alternator - i've never come across one that doesn't run to 13.8/14 volts on no load on a battery. The smallest battery will start an A series - no need for anything fancy. But yes - do make sure the terminals are at the bulkhead, and not bouncing off the holding strap....... oh - and ALWAYS disconnect the alternator if doing any electric welding on the vehicle ! A cheap solar charger is a great way to keep the battery up during the winter season when it's not being used - just make sure it's pointed at the mid-day sun - not in shadow.

[oliver90owner]

i've never come across one that doesn't run to 13.8/14 volts 

I have and yes there is, but it is not a typical fix these days. It cream crackered the battery before I found the fault (back in '83/'84). Usual to get another alternator these days. Typical regulated voltage output is 14.4V, tops for most valve-regulated fla's.

For the minimum effort required in checking, particularly if never done and fitting a gel type battery or if the battery has failed prematurely, it is well worth it. Batteries are more expensive than digi-multimeters (but beware of digi accuracy if its the battery is low).

RAB

[IslipMinor]

Cranking capacity amps is the important factor

Yes, the two are closely connected, some typical CCA values -

063 - 45Ah = 380 CCA

065 - 54Ah = 470 CCA

075 - 60Ah = 550 CCA

[bmcecosse]

Looking forward to hearing how I can adjust the output of the alternator....... Oh and I do have good professional digital meters... I ran my Rally S engined Elf on a tiny aircraft Varley battery. Worked just fine. More recently my TR7 had a very small 'Lucas' battery - only a tiny tray provided - and that cranked the 2 litre engine just fine too, and since it is a mech pump it had to crank for several seconds to bring fuel up to the float bowls. No useful 'hand lever' as we got in the old days with a mech pump !

[oliver90owner]

Looking forward to hearing how I can adjust the output of the alternator....... 

Wait no longer! The regulator has to sense a voltage. In the case of my MkIV Cortina, it was serious under voltage that killed the battery, so what I did was to add a suitable resistance to the sensor lead and problem was solved. Simple and effective. Reducing the voltage might be more difficult but limiting the rotor current would be the obvious way to go.

in the event of not having the expertise to carry out such adjustments, there are plenty of service/aftermarket regulators available for much less cost than a replacement alternator. Just like new bearings, rectifiers, and brush gear. I have never yet bought a sevice replacement alternator in 45 years - they have always been repaired. We started fitting alternators to our Anglias and Mk1 Cortinas in the late '60s/early '70s (along with diapragm clutches, as well). We initially used the derated (for agricultural use?) 14ACR and 18ACR generators, as even the derated one was still much superior to the old dynamos.

RAB

[bmcecosse]

My alternator works fine with no sensing wire attached.....

[oliver90owner]

Be sure it has one. They are machine sensed now, as opposed to battery sensed back in the distant past. Still plenty of regulators, etc. available - if you have the expertise to dismantle a duff alternator.

RAB

[bmcecosse]

It worked just fine for weeks after I noticed the red light had stopped working - the wire had come away at the alternator, and I could see from the ammeter that it was working exactly as it should - matching lights/heater/wipers when needed - and settling just above zero when running with nothing on. Changing the regulator is hardly 'adjusting' the output volts.... I do have an overhaul kit - and it's not difficult to do - just not an 'adjustment'.......

[oliver90owner]

Argumentative or pedantic aren't we. Read my posts again

''so what I did was to add a suitable resistance to the sensor lead and problem was solved. Simple and effective. 

Read my earlier post, too where I said it was not normal practice.

FACTS I did 'adjust' the charging voltage. It was a permanent fix for a dodgy regulator. It can be done.

Please get used to you not being the only one on the forum who has a lifetime of experience to draw on. Good day to you, on this thread. You are going nowhere with it.

RAB

[bmcecosse]

But if the alternator doesn't NEED the sensing wire -you can change the resistance till the cows come home and it won't change the voltage. Geeeeez

[pdpprojects]

Ok,problem solved bought new battery.