Morris Minor Owners Club

Hi,

I recently took the dead battery out of my Traveller to charge it basically. The engine doesn't start so I thought I'd start at the basics and see if there was charge in the battery as the engine turns but doesn't catch. (I recently replaced a dead fuel pump too). Anyway, I have a charger thing that you plug into the mains and last night I charged it for four hours and measured it with a voltmeter thing and it said it was fully charged, but an hour later it was down to zero.

So, bearing in mind this battery has been doing nothing for a year, should I keep charging it over the week and see how it goes, if it holds the charge, or just buy a new one.

Ian.

any battery left discharged for a period of time is likely to fail.

when a battery is left discharged there are lots of things to go wrong....

- it's liquid contents is water and can freeze and damage the plates
- sulphates can build up on the plates and insulate them reducing capacity and increasing the internal resistance (making it useless for a start)
- plates can shed material and short out, killing the cell where this happens.

this is why they are always stored dry or charged.

sorry but it sounds like you need a new battery.

You can try again - but it doesn't sound good. What charge rate are you putting in it ? And if you are getting a new one - Costco is by far the best value for excellent batteries.

If it read 'Fully charged' ( it would take a lot more than four hours) and then dropped to zero then the battery has had it. If you have a Makro
store near you you could buy a Minor battery for under £25.

It was charging for about four hours, then read about half way fully charged, then zeroed out. Sounds likes its for the bin all right.

In my experience the Costco battery is the same cost as makro - but a better battery - brought over from US of A. Mine is now 7 years old - and cranks away furiously! But I appreciate there is an annual fee for Costco - and not for Makro.

Have you now got the car started? I have the same problems, turn but no start... I replaced the battery and still have the same thing.

still have the same thing

Not a good omen. No, I haven't gotton a new battery yet, but it needs one anyway. I did try and jump start it with a battery pack thing I have, and althouh it improved the charge, it didn't start. When I got the car first a year ago it did start eventually, but only after a few minutes of trying, so I'am hoping all the electrical bits are ok.

The fuel pump was dead, which I replaced hoping that that was the problem, but no go. So I'll try the battery as the obvious starting point and work my way to the dist or carb if its needed. God help me.

It's likely to be the battery. Your car probably hasn't been cobbled together with bits like mine seems to have been... I'm the poor *** on "Rewiring Hell" and "Great Starter Problems", and I've had every Minor Maniac in Western Europe helping me...

Doesn't sound nice ! My one has a varied history. Bought in England somewhere by a Cork man, then went to a Waterford man who stored it outside in Tramore (salty air) for year without driving it or anything and then I got it. Hence the dead battery / no charge problems.

Hmm. I see... Yes, the salt could have caused a few problems... What's the rest of the car's condition?

Its not too bad overall. The worst part of the car is the underneath which is a bit rusted and needs a good bit of work. She does drive and drove up to me from Waterford, so shes not a bucket. Because she was sitting outdoors for a while, water collected in the areas above the doors, which has resulted in some rust holes in the area directly above the door frame, below the rain grove in the roof.

The wood is good, I'am just removing the old varnish in preparation for Dutch oil, I have to replace the window runners which were gone and get two new back doors. She is down at the front, which I'am told just needs the suspension raised as some one who had her before me didn't put it back right after fitting front disc brakes etc. Other than the rust underneath shes not a bad car overall.

See - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnDuQIOtYcc

Say, she's not too bad...The wood's nice, you're right. Always the most important part of the traveller, I've been told...
Well, good luck with that... Looks like you've got some fun ahead of you

Dutch oil... I didn't know we did oil as well

Onne wrote:Dutch oil... I didn't know we did oil as well

It comes in a wooden bottomed bottle

Well I guess we have to moisturize our clogs...

Dutch oil... I didn't know we did oil as well

I never was very good at Geography