Morris Minor Owners Club

Hi there!

Has anyone got any recommendations for a fairy heavy duty battery for my Pick-up? It is fitted with a Mini Cooper head so needs a bit of punch. I'd rather not just pop down to Halfords and get one that lasts just over the year's guarantee!

Thanks

Chris

You don't need a big battery - just buy one same size as you have - in fact - I suggest you buy the smallest they sell! COSTCO used to be good for batteries - be sure to get one that has the terminals oriented such that they are at the back - away from the clamp bar.

Halfords sell some large batteries with 4 year warranty but they cost.
Take the oportunity to convert to neg earth and buy the battery accordingly.

Our Minor was refurbished nearly 13 years ago - the first battery from Halfords lasted 8 years and the current one from our local motor factors is going very well after about 5 years. Both were towards the largest that will fit the battery box for negative earth. My view is buy large, get some spare capacity for cold weather and expect at least 4 years with no problems. I seem to remember the second battery was less than £40. You will be surprised how differently the engine spins over on the starter with a good size battery - particularly if you are still using a dynamo that takes a bit longer to restore the charge after starting.

Saving a few quid suddenly loses its appeal if the car won't start easily on a winter morning!

Oh, and make sure that it is well charged during the winter months. One frost on a less than well charged battery can easily finish it off.

Well - my TR7 (2 litre engine) cranks up nicely on a tiny battery (smaller even than the small one in my Minor!) - and it was far from new when I got the car 3 years ago!And it has to crank the engine over quite a bit to get fuel up - due to the mechanical pump - before it fires up.

038 is the battery number you want .

Or HCB075 for neg earth

If you have plenty of spare cash Optima batteries get very good reviews as they are very robust and don't tend to lose charge even if left for long periods.
A lot of motorcyclists use them as the bike will still start having been stored for the winter, rather than having to buy a new battery every spring.

Thanks for all your thoughts and recommendations. The pick-up had been standing for some months before I bought it and that has obviously finished the battery off. The system is negative earth so I'll follow up your recommendations and search for some prices. Thanks again.

Chris

I bought a cheapy £40 Halfords battery back in 2005 and its been going fine touch wood. The other day the enormous sized Battery failed on my Mazda 6 2.0Td (literally looks like it could start the QE2) so the pickup temporarily had its battery robbed so that I could get to work with the minimal fuss. The mogs battery was tiny in the battery box of the mazda but started up the diesel engine fine and I drove to work. Cant fault the battery. The mazda battery cost me £98 to replace BTW.

Not sure if I actually damaged the battery on the mog but it seems fine since. If anything I think it did the battery good to be used.

Steve

I use the 065 (correct terminal layout for -ve earth), which is 55/60 Ah in comparison to 35/40 Ah for the 038. More usefully the maximum current that it can deliver is 550A against the 300A for the 038 - Lucas MG35 starters will need >250A on a cold morning, so plenty in reserve. I don't even think about needing to charge the battery if I have'nt used the car for a few weeks, or occasionally months - it always just starts! Have never had to use a battery charger on either battery.

Current prices are just over £40 for the 065.