Hi guys,

I replaced he battery on my 380 ES today and when I first attempted to start the car, the instruments come on fine, but then when I attempt to start the car it instantly cut out.

I tried starting the car several times after and now I'm not getting any lights on the dash board.

Any advice would be appreciated.

I was thinking it might be the immobiliser but I don't know where to start.

Thanks

Smithy

Battery terminals dirty or not tightened down.
Your battery is dead.
If it is new, take it back. If it is old, check fluid level if you can, and charge it up.

Battery terminals dirty or not tightened down.
Your battery is dead.
If it is new, take it back. If it is old, check fluid level if you can, and charge it up.

The other battery was still working ok, so I'll try it in the morning, brought the new one from super cheap and they tested it before selling it so I don't have much faith in it being the battery but ill see how I go.

Give the clamps on the cables that connect to the battery a good clean and all will be fine.

Give the clamps on the cables that connect to the battery a good clean and all will be fine.

Right so I'm getting dashboard lights etc, when I turn the ignition key it goes buzzz for 5 seconds and doesn't start.

What's next? I've got the battery charging atm just invade.

Invade = incase thanks apple

Yea, you've got no power going through the car, at least not enough to turn the starter motor.

take the leads off of the battery, and give them a good cleaning. Oxidation and corrosion can kill the connection so you have very little power draw. (Use an abrasive brush, steel or copper bristles. This will give you a very good clean surface to work with. If you don't have anything, a green kitchen scrub will hopefully get you going so you can get a terminal brush)

Also, check the levels in the battery. You can indeed get a brand new battery that wasn't filled properly.

When Supercheap tested the battery, did they do a load test, or just read the surface voltage with a multimeter?

Also, is it a new battery, or a used one? (I don't know if they sell used batteries, so I have to ask).

If it's a used battery, you can have this lovely little problem where it shows good voltage, but as soon as a load is on it, it drops from 12v to 8v or 6v.

Right so I'm getting dashboard lights etc, when I turn the ignition key it goes buzzz for 5 seconds and doesn't start.

What's next? I've got the battery charging atm just invade.

Looks like the new battery is dodgy, I tried my old battery and it almost turned over I'll charge the old one up for an hour then I think it'll go.

Yea, you've got no power going through the car, at least not enough to turn the starter motor.

take the leads off of the battery, and give them a good cleaning. Oxidation and corrosion can kill the connection so you have very little power draw. (Use an abrasive brush, steel or copper bristles. This will give you a very good clean surface to work with. If you don't have anything, a green kitchen scrub will hopefully get you going so you can get a terminal brush)

Also, check the levels in the battery. You can indeed get a brand new battery that wasn't filled properly.

When Supercheap tested the battery, did they do a load test, or just read the surface voltage with a multimeter?

Also, is it a new battery, or a used one? (I don't know if they sell used batteries, so I have to ask).

If it's a used battery, you can have this lovely little problem where it shows good voltage, but as soon as a load is on it, it drops from 12v to 8v or 6v.


They just hooked it up to a multimeter, Its looking like the new battery is no good, I'll find out soon once I've charged the old one a bit, the old one almost started.

Yea, NEVER trust a multimeter reading on a battery. That only shows the 'surface charge' and not the actual viability of the battery. Load testing is the only way to go. I used to work at AutoZone in the US, and you have no idea how many people would argue with me that their battery is perfectly fine because the multimeter shows a surface charge of 12v or close to it, even though I can show them on the screen of my load tester that the voltage is dropping too low during the test phase.

One thing I have learned over the years is this: Never go cheap on a battery. Saving fifty bucks on it can strand you on the side of a road somewhere, or end up costing you more as you foul electronics. It's much smarter and safer to buy a good medium to high end battery, especially with how electronic intensive modern cars are. Plus the better batteries tend to have a longer lifespan. So if you get a battery for 80 bucks that lasts two to two and a half years, you're spending more over time, plus swapping batteries out, etc.

Most batteries bought new have a date stamp on them, look for numbers like 913 (ninth month of the year 2013) stamped on the alloy of the posts.

A battery may look brand new but it has been sitting on a shelf somewhere for a few years all bets are off.

Checking with a multimeter to check a battery, though, is about SuperCheap's level of battery knowledge.

Confirmed old battery works aka thanks super cheap auto. Thanks everyone for their responses

https://www.dropbox.com/s/003sxywzt81qb3w/20150301_130155.jpg?dl=0

I'm guessing this means the (brand new) battery is from 2010?

Ben

Century-Yuasa is a good brand.

If your local Supercheap has a shelf full of 5 year old batteries, they may be getting a few returns. lol

EDIT: Date code is usually stamped on the edge of the case itself, not the label.
First 2 digits are the year code.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/68738883/Batteries-Date-Stamp-Codes#scribd

I notice the CCA is 540, you really need a minimum CCA of 600 for a 380.

Does it get cold enough in Australia regularly to actually worry about the cold cranking amps?

I know in Florida it was a very rare event, so I usually ignored the CCA requirements to a certain degree.

Century-Yuasa is a good brand.[/url]

"Was" a good brand.

Oz factory now closed. Can't get anymore "Made in Australia for Australian Conditions" product anymore... so much for that ole marketi speil!! New batteries now coming from Thailand & Indonesia I think... and they're not any cheaper, so stuff 'em.

I went Century only after Exide shut shop. If I can't support Oz manufacturing I ain't paying any premium for that brandname, I'm free to go find a BETTER battery elsewhere... why not Cina? Bought 2 calcium blobs in past 12 mths, they work fine for a fraction of Century price.

Supercheap top-range Century in my KJ is on its last legs... hoping it dies before 3yr warranty till Aug 2015. :) Hate the stupid new case design that hides the caps under a flat panel... why - just so it looks "maintenance free"?? Charged it all week and its still not showing green on the 3rd cell hygrometer.

Does it get cold enough in Australia regularly to actually worry about the cold cranking amps?

CCA is a rating how much current it can pump out, not necessarily in any cold climate. It's based on how much surface area the plates have with electrolyte, or if the plates are waffled vs plain. Battery with more plates/surface area will have higher CCA than same size with less plates... but these holey plates can also be more fragile ;) to rough road usage. Sometimes for long slow drain equipment an oldskool design with lower CCA might be better.

RC reserve capacity is the other measurement. Bigger battery will have more volume = more RC, means there's more energy stored inside to cover your leaving lights on overnight. :)

In the old days different spec levels of same car had different batteries, come renewal time I'd always replace with the battery of the highest-spec model.

"Was" a good brand.

I went Century only after Exide shut shop. If I can't support Oz manufacturing I ain't paying any premium for that brandname, I'm free to go find a BETTER battery elsewhere... why not Cina? Bought 2 calcium blobs in past 12 mths, they work fine for a fraction of Century price.

Supercheap top-range Century in my KJ is on its last legs... hoping it dies before 3yr warranty till Aug 2015.


Thanks for the info, was going to go for Century-Yuasa next time I needed a battery.

What are these "calcium blobs" you speak of? Clarification requested!

I've always bought the cheapest battery from the local shop, 12 month warranty, generally lasted 3 years or more, but that shop has closed it's doors. I'd expect 6 or so from top of the range though, so a Century possibly failing within the 3 year warranty period is disappointing. A cheapie dressed up as quality, perhaps?

It's likely my local, now closed shop, got it's batteries from a local maker:

http://www.uniquecarsandparts.com.au/directory/listing.php?id=4660

Last time I walked into that place they were making their own batteries, they might just be importers now. Must go visit and ask which shops they supply to these days.

CCA is a rating how much current it can pump out, not necessarily in any cold climate.

Do you mean CA?

"CCA" stands for "Cold Cranking Amperes". This is a rating used by the battery industry to define the battery’s ability to start (crank) an engine under low- temperature conditions. Cranking an engine requires a large amount of current for a short time span. The Battery Council International defines CCA as "the discharge load in amperes which a new, fully-charged battery at 0ºF (-17ºC) can deliver for 30 seconds and maintain a voltage of 1.20 volts per cell or higher."

"CA" stands for "Cranking Amps". According to the BCI, this is "the discharge load in amperes which a new, fully-charged battery at 32ºF (0ºC) can continuously deliver for 30 seconds while maintaining a terminal voltage equal to or higher than 1.20 volts per cell." The CA rating of a battery may be misleading, since it can be up to 30% higher than its CCA rating. The Battery Council International requires that a battery carrying a statement of its CA performance must also carry a statement of CCA capacity.

---

While many vehicle manufacturers only state a cold minimum (at least in the US), doing so can be misleading. In cold climates, the water within the battery becomes less fluid as it condenses, creating a higher resistance to chemical change. This can be offset by an alteration of the sulphuric acid content, or including additives for batteries especially suited for sub-zero temperatures. Various militaries are big buyers of those particular batteries.

Going back to my query about CCA, however. Say you have these batteries:

Battery A has a CA of 650 and a CCA of 300
Battery B has a CA of 800 and a CCA of 450
Battery C has a CA of 700 and a CCA of 450
Battery D has a CA of 900 and a CCA of 400

The vehicle you are using has a CCA requirement of 450, but a CA of 800 for optimum starting. That would lead to battery B being the one you want if you are in an environment where more than 25% of your starts are going to be in cold conditions as listed above. If you are in an area that doesn't see temperature drops like that though, you can afford to get battery D, which has a lower CCA. Why? Because you aren't utilizing the battery at the more 'extreme' ranges that would require a higher cold state cranking power.

That's why I asked the question I did. Where I am from, CCA was routinely ignored in favor of CA, because the temperature almost never got to a point where you absolutely need the CCA to be at or above what the vehicle needs. Heck, I can't even remember the last time it got below 15 degrees Fahrenheit. Plus getting batteries that didn't have high CCA was usually cheaper. For my 2005 Ram 1500, I had a CCA requirement of 700a, which was only supplied by batteries that were $150USD or higher for typical medium-range batteries. But meeting the standard CA rating and ignoring the CCA saved me about $50USD when staying in the same 'class' of battery. Could I run the cheaper battery if I went to somewhere that it was snowing? Not a chance.

Last time I walked into that place they were making their own batteries, they might just be importers now. Must go visit and ask which shops they supply to these days.



Dunno about yours but both my 6G74s seem to idle rough when their battery gets weak, so I pop a new one in every 3rd year into the KJ (which I've designated as the spare-but-must-start-everytime jalopy). Older battery then usually gets donated down the foodchain in the garage... think I've gone thru about 3 Exides and on 3rd Century past 10yrs.

Given no more Oz made battery, last yr the KJ kept its Century & I bought new calcium blobs for the foodchain when both died (sudden winter freeze I'm blaming). Came from local shop who started distributing some China OEM brand... couldn't remember name what until I go check under bonnet haha. And only noticed that shop 'cos they have a wrapped 3rd gen wagon for their shop hack - hey they gots taste!! ;)

There's 2 niggling issues tho... calcium secondary battery chemistry has a slightly higher voltage threshold. Newest cars with factory-fit calcium batteries have their charge profiles modified to suit, but old leadacid cars may not be "fully charging" calciums, they might barely get beyond float volts.

Calciums are fully sealed, no idea what happens if they dry out inside. No way to check!

As for local battery manufacturers... did u find a small shop that melts down old lead plates and reforms them to refit into recycled rubber cases, then reseal with tar pitch?? :P haha I so need one of those oldskool batteries... one of the yumcha calciums went into a 60yo MG, being charged off a dynamo... doesn't feel quite right, although ironically that's got the best chance of being reprogrammed for calcium specs, just need to twiddle the Lucas solenoid voltage regulator. ;)

Do you mean CA?

nah, CCA and CA are directly related, far as I'm concerned its all marketing BS number-wise anyway. Don't rely on being able to directly compare batteries from different brands just based on CA or CCA... I'm sure some maker's Amps are bigger than others ;)

Law says you have to quote CCA so everyone prints that on their product, most also quote some form of RC.

Plus all numbers are only accurate (maybe!) when new, capacity drops with age. And the rate of degradation differs amongst brands/chemistry/manufacture.

There's a lot of other issues with cold weather issues to starting too, like oil getting thick and cold fuel doesn't vaporise as well. I ran a full tank of PULP, fresh 10W40 and retrofitted TH battery box lid to KJ before driving up to the snow.

Since when did Century stop making batteries in Australia?

Google shows nothing when searching for stories about closure of the Carole Park factory.

Their website in numerous places says their batteries are Australian designed AND MADE. It most certainly says their UltraHigh Performance range is made here.

I think you may be confusing them with Exide.

I think you may be confusing them with Exide.

who shutdown last Xmas?

thought Exide factory got taken over by some local mob, Repco or Marshall to make other stuff

I don't know about all these claims of local battery factories no longer in operation.
GNB is the Australian subsidary of Exide and have been making car batteries under all sorts of brand names.
I would be really surprised if they have closed their main stay of car battery manufacturing (using recycled lead!).

Century Yasa still makes their premium lead calcium product in Australia - IMHO it is a fine car battery.

Exide closed their South Australian manufacturing operation last year.

They claimed it wasn't related to the closure of Mitsubishi, Ford and Holden Australian production - but that must have been a factor.

It was not closed down, but rather changed from a manufacturing facility to a distribution centre. They now import batteries made in Asia and distribute them from the Adelaide warehouse.

Century are now the only Australian car battery manufacturer. And from all accounts, they make good quality, robust batteries for Australian conditions. They are guaranteed my business until a) they move production off shore or b) someone else starts making batteries in Oz.

Let's hope Australians will support them.

Always liked Century Yuasa batteries - bought heaps for standby duty.

Gould National Batteries (GNB - Exide subsidiary) - car batteries were/are made in their Sydney factory (have seen their production line many times!).
That was a few years ago though so the scene may well be changed now.
Masse, exide, bosch are some of the labels that came out of the GNB factory (probably other labels and factories too).

Key to a long life is to buy the traditional flooded car battery and maintain them properly (never use chlorinated water to top up!).