| Author | Message | ||
     Robert Noel Reddington Grand Master Username: bob_uk Post Number: 916 Registered: 5-2015 |
At 20c or 68f temperature a lead acid battery open circuit voltage percentage of charge. 100% 12.73 volts 90. 12.62 80 12.50 70. 12.37 60. 12.24 50. 12.10 40. 11.96 30. 11. 81 20 11.66 10. 11.51 When buying a battery test the open circuit voltage reject if less than 12.6. Or Insist that the battery is fully charged and then the volts must be 12.73 at least. If battery is showing more wait one day or apply electrical load to battery. If less than 12.65 then the battery is not as good as it should be. Before fitting the battery turn battery on its side for 1 sec. This will mix the electrolyte. A fully charged battery is 1.265 specific gravity. The acid is heavier than water and if left standing the acid stratifies leaving strong at bottom weak at top. In service the movement of the car and the action of the charging will keep the acid uniform. Some very big battery's have little air pumps that bubble air from the bottom. Batteries that have removable plugs for topping up are good because the best test for a battery is the good old hydrometer at 3 quid each. Plus this sort of battery is the cheapest. If all the cells are 1.265 then the battery is fully charge with perfect cell balance. | ||
| Robert Noel Reddington Grand Master Username: bob_uk Post Number: 928 Registered: 5-2015 |
Further information that has come up about lead acid batteries. A fully charged battery is 12.7v, and the SG is 1.265 If these figures don't tally such as 12.5v and 1.265 SG. Then the battery is failing. ALL methods of battery testing including modern electronic ones require the battery to be fully charged. Battery have resistance. If a new battery's resistance is measured and noted then it can be compared to future tests. Batteries of even the same type and size will have different resistance. So the resistance reading noted in OHMS is particular to that particular battery and no other. Write it on the battery. If the resistance changes a lot then it's again a sign of impending doom for the battery. Low resistance is usually a soft short. Very obvious when the battery after charging is at 10.5v High resistance is sulphated plates. Infinity is a broken connection inside. Sulphated batteries. Water doesn't dissolve hard sulphate crystals on the plates. But addition of Epsom Salts to the electrolyte makes water dissolve the crystals. By adding half a teaspoon to each cell, then chemistry of the battery is changed. This cheap fix lasts a while and then the battery just fails, Epsom salts doesn't work a second time. Never actually tried Epsom salts but I will see and report. | ||
| Patrick Lockyer. Grand Master Username: pat_lockyer Post Number: 980 Registered: 9-2004 |
"ALL methods of battery testing including modern electronic ones require the battery to be fully charged." Hi bob, how do you check the SG on the common now sealed for life battery with one breather tube for all cells. On the later rolls royce cars etc after a new battery is installed it has to be registerd. This is at times referred to as programing. On my C6 3.0HDI it has a form of brake energy regeneration as well, better refer to it as smart or active alternator due to it working when needed. Under acceleration it turned off but coasting or braking it turns on. This saves power ie fuel, as the system sences what the car is doing and loads the alternator to charge the battery at the most efficent time. This also has to be programed. I use a diagbox with my laptop. IMO the C6 rides like a magic carpet ride in skyhook but in sport mode switching from skyhook to roadhook, the hydropneumatic will then switch to a stiff setting and the dampening is the adjusted for each of the four wheels. The active suspention with the steering sensor and FWD etc does much more, one thing is taking the car at speed through hard right and left hand bends the car is stable [level] as the suspention works in milli seconds. Sticks to the road like glue I can see why it was banned in F1. | ||
| Robert Noel Reddington Grand Master Username: bob_uk Post Number: 930 Registered: 5-2015 |
Unfortunately sealed battery cannot be checked with a hydrometer. The older type with cell plugs is still available from several battery makers. Plus as I said these batteries are the cheapest. I use these batteries and they last 4 to 5 years. For Shadow 069 or 072 75 amp hour. CCA. 550 amps. £50. Numax. As you know their are different types of lead acid batteries. Car batteries are for Starter Lights Ingition and are called SLI batteries this type has further divisions such as Agm like optima. At the other end we have traction batteries which are deep cycle and real heavy duty jobbies. Such as golf cart or forklift truck batteries. Between these extremes lie the leasure batteries. Some SLI batteries have a better deep ability, such as 069 and 072 UK number system Older cars such as the Austin A60 had those big hard rubber batteries with external cell connector straps. ( handy for testing individual cells) These had good deep ability hence the weight and size. The reason is that in traffic the charging system couldn't keep up. The deep cycle ability allows the battery to go down a bit and then hopefully clear roads to put the charge back in. And this causes a problem with part discharged battery. So it was common for a motorist to have a tickle charger at home in the shed for a full charge once in while. When modern batteries are fitted the battery gives trouble unless long runs or frequent charging. Not enough deep cycle reserve. The owner blames the Dynamo and fits an alternator. Also the std Lucas charging voltage of a Low 13.8v didn't help. With the advent of better charging systems in the early 1970s smaller batteries with light weight plates were made. The lots of surface area of many light plates allows lots of amps fast. The older batteries to get the high amps had to be bigger because thick plates take up more room but the surface area has to be large. Never discharge a SLI battery below 80%. Else when recharged some of the capacity will be lost. Do it few times and the battery will fail quick. 20 times will kill the battery. If the battery is like this the sooner it's recharged the better. Even left at 80% sulphate on the plates will go hard so a 100 amp hour battery is now a 80 amp hour battery. Add the self discharge and very soon battery is scrap. Never discharge a leasure battery below 50% for the same reason. My caravan has a built in smart charger which maintains the battery at float voltage of 13.7v. Thus keeping the battery in good nick. The battery also has cell plugs for topping up and testing. Never get trouble with this battery. £80. For every thing you need to know about batteries go to the web site . Battery Unversity. Goes on a bit though. The C6 is out of this world ride quality wise it also handles quite well. The C6 is a very nice car and I would like one in black with black leather please. Top gear did the Ascot horse racing camera with a C6 versus BMW 5 series. The video in the Beemer was unwatchable and the C6 was watchable without too much wobble. The DS Safari was used originally by the BBC. At lot of the modern stuff has to be set up when the battery is changed. Mercedes have a second small agm sealed battery. When the starter motor is engaged the second battery runs the computers so the voltage stays even. Also should the main engine starter battery fail the little agm takes over to maintain the computers. If either battery is changed then the it's a reset. If both battery are disconnected or fail then it gets really expensive because the whole car forgets it's a car and Mercedes have to tell it off for quite a few hours. Opitima batteries. Much talk about lastest technology and how good they are. The spiral plate battery was invented in the 19th century by a French bloke. So not quite new technology. As for performance I have read about some failures and disappointed customers. The lead acid battery has hardly changed in the last 100 years. The original spiral plate battery had paper instead a of advanced glass fibre mat , AGM. Although the paper didn't hold the electrolyte like AGM. Gel batteries are not suitable for SLI. The alternator on a Shadow is max 60 amps at 14.4 volts ( hopefully). Which is 864 watts or 1.158176944 BHP to be pendantic. And that is not all the time only when the alternator is fully loaded. No worries because we have a 200 BHP engine to drive it. Regen is a whole lot different and can supply very much more power than a mere 1.2 BHP. I am positively green with envy that you have a C6 and I don't. Also I have read the V6 diesel does 40 mpg plus. A mate hasVW lupo blue motion thingy and he doesn't go far and fills up the once every 4 months!!!. At 40 mpg and a 15 gallon tank 600 miles. I do about 50 miles or less a week. That's 3 months without a go go juice visit. Better than an electric car. | ||
| Patrick Lockyer. Grand Master Username: pat_lockyer Post Number: 982 Registered: 9-2004 |
Ah electric car, my Tekna all electric cost nothing to charge most of the time, Ie a roof max PV system installed in the begining with full high FIT that pays ourselves for all electric we used on sunny days. Car is used on all short trips, saves on fuel and wear and tear when short trips with an internal combustion vehicles are inefficent. Range 85- 100 miles and can be charged in twenty mins, free at dealer outlets as well. Bob a UK c6 3.0HDI one of 30 in the UK is up for sale to-day, if interested I can email you details. Only seen two for sale so far of this model type. | ||
| Robert Noel Reddington Grand Master Username: bob_uk Post Number: 934 Registered: 5-2015 |
Sorry but my wife would kill me if I brought another car. I can see her point the Shadow and the Jeep run and drive fine and are reliable and because we do less than 3000 miles a more economical vehicle would take forever to justify money wise. I have had the Shadow for 27 years and the Jeep for 10 years so both are well proven. Apart from a broken injector electrical wire the Jeep has been reliable. Both cars have 117k miles at the moment by coincidence. The Jeep is fully loaded with full leather, so the Jeep is quite luxurious in its own right. Shame the bits don't appear to fit properly. The Jeep has more kit than the Shadow. The comparison ends there though because the ride in the Jeep is terrible in comparison to the Shadow. A Range Rover is much better. If I drive the Jeep slowly then the ride is much better. Except when some idiot left a manhole cover off and I drove down it and bounced out. My head hit the roof. Also I need an estate car with a tow bar. Rather than a Saloon. Some people are strange in that they will happily pay say £5k on a car but wouldn't pay say £300 for a set of tyres. It as though they ignore the cost of the car but get tight fisted when bits need doing. The Jeep needs a good clean and detailing. Which will take ages DIY and cost £30 to £50. So for sake of very little money the Jeep will look nice and inviting to drive. However should I need to replace my Shadow the C6 could be a good choice. I am not married to an RR. Any chance of photos of the C6 and its features like the interior, under bonnet etc and mpg. Also a price because you never know some one else on this forum might what such a fine car. My Pearl electric scooter is now ten years old and still on the same battery. Today I did about 8 miles and the gauge was still in the green. It has no lights so I fitted push bike lights. I have a little trailer made from pram wheels and a bakers plastic tray. It's surprising how much shopping I can bung on the scooter and trailer. I get range anxiety and running out electrons worries me. I think I would be worse in an electric car. But I am "paranoid" about the batteries on my cars as well always been like that since I was a kid when I discovered that batteries go flat. I used to warm up U2 dry cells to get a bit more. My youngest son used to label his batteries with his name, if his brother asked to play with a toy the youngest would take the batteries out first and hide them. Actuall an electric car would suit me because Dorset is small, the longest journey I often go on is 37 miles return. The rest is 5 to 6 miles return. However in 2014 I drove to Scotland and enjoyed the long drive. About 800 miles return. So I think I still need the range that liquid fuel gives. I checked out fitting an electric motor to my Shadow and investigation pointed towards a 40 mile range at best and £5k. 5k buys at lot of petrol. Here lies the problem. If a person is doing say 5k miles a year then an electric car would work. But because of low miles a small petrol hatchback wouldn't cost a lot to run. And there are lots of good used petrol hatchbacks between £500 and say £5k. A 5k car would be mint as new with very low miles. A new Leaf is about £25k. Used Leafs are available. I guess this is why sales of EVs is so slow. Only seen one Leaf on the road. 14 miles a day 7 days a week is 5110 miles a year. At 40 mpg 580 litres of petrol. Or call it £600. £600 is a year is very affordable for.nearly anyone. Of course I am totally ignoring the environmental bit, because when it comes down to paying money, the environment tends to get ignored but most people. However some are so smug that they will shell out the dosh for an EV. But not me. On South Park cartoon they had a weather report show smug clouds over San Fransisco. | ||
| Patrick Lockyer. Grand Master Username: pat_lockyer Post Number: 983 Registered: 9-2004 |
"Any chance of photos of the C6 and its features" Hi Bob hope this link works if ok car details are under cars for sale. I have no interest with the vendor. UK C6 3.0 HDI car are a snip compared to new even IMO with high mileage. IMO dealerships do not fully under stand them so what with the IMO 2.7 HDI old type engine with EGR failings and water probs that wreck the engines [thermostat plastic housing leak big time and more] that give the car a bad name. The 2.2 HDI is a very reliable car. http://c6owners.org/plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?26291 | ||
| Robert Noel Reddington Grand Master Username: bob_uk Post Number: 938 Registered: 5-2015 |
I like very much. The interior looks good and the build quality looks good. The car shown is £12k. Maybe £10k would buy it. Not sure. I am not taken with the colour, it's a non event like beige or magnolia is. Think dark blue with blue interior. Because I keep cars a long time (in ten years I will be 74 ) I buy on condition condition condition and mileage. I have no interest in the actual year unless there is up dates or whatever, I am happy to pay top money for a car that is very good with no faults. I brought the Jeep and the Shadow like this and the theory about saving a quid on purchase costs two quid a few miles down the road is proven is my case. Yes I know I slag the Jeep off something chronic but it's very very reliable and if the wife says lets go to Scotland I get the keys and off we go. None of this fingers crossed and worry. Shame about the shut lines. Here I go again slagging the jeep off. Another point about buying cars is the vendor. If say a vendor is selling a Rolls-Royce, the question I ask myself is does this bloke who lives in a very nice house within its own grounds afford to run a Rolls-Royce, yes of course he can. It doesn't mean the car is ok but it's a good start. I tend to buy from dealers because yes I pay a bit extra but I have consumer rights and a basic "legal guarantee" that the car is as described and should after one day I find something really bad it's money back. The dealer will squirm a bit but they will obey the law ebventually. Buying from a private vendor is in law buyer be aware and one is out on one own without a parachute. I would think the 2.2 HDI would be more than enough performance wise for me. As I have said many times there's a 70 mph limit and fast acceleration from lights is dangerous. So providing the car will cruise at say 80 with out any stress and be able to overtake safely then good enough. I know a 2.2 will easily do the above with some to spare. Also I think mpg is about 50 mpg. Which is 750 miles if tank is 15 gallons. Sorted. |
