Is New Battery Faulty??

S.Dhuper · Post by **S.Dhuper** » 20 Mar 2005, 18:06

Hi, I'd bought a new Battery from Halfords about 7 months ago, it was one of those heavy duty with a 4 year Warrantry, I've just noticed about 2 weeks ago there's this white and light yellow powdery stuff on the bottom of the battery tray and on the battery clamp it's quite thick, someone told me the battery is leaking acid and it's due to that but I can't see any leakage unless it's at the bottom of the battery, could that be the reason?

PowerLee · Post by **PowerLee** » 20 Mar 2005, 18:33

Hi
I also made the mistake of having the same Halfords battery as you & my 405 didn't like it one bit.
For some reason it didn't like the Halfords battery, I ended up getting a Bosch silver battery for the 405 TD or 406 V6, Much bigger then the silly little thing recommended for the 2 litre 8 valve.
Peugeot battery terminals are best described as cheap rubbish, I replaced both of mine with proper ring terminals from my local motor factor.
Have you checked the alternator isn't over or under charging the battery?
Do you have a multimeter?
Set it to DC volts & make sure everything's switched off in the car
First test the battery voltage at the terminals? Should be around 12.7 volts ish at rest.
Now start the car up & allow it to idle.
Test the voltage at the battery terminals, The max you should see is around 14.4 volts, Now turn on the heater blower to max , heated rear screen, all the outside lights including fogs, Now the alternator is under load, Test the voltage at the battery again, Anything under 13 volts & I would be thinking recon alternator ( They are real fun to fit! Depending on if the car has ABS fitted )
The battery tray is only held in with 2 x 10mm nut & bolt, Easy to remove & clean if you wish.

fastandfurryous · Post by **fastandfurryous** » 21 Mar 2005, 02:58

Lucas direct outlets are one of the best places to get a decent (delphi) battery for a sensible price. The 405TD battery I have now cost me under £30. Came with a 4 year guarantee, which I know from prior experience they honour with no quibble at all.

S.Dhuper · Post by **S.Dhuper** » 21 Mar 2005, 03:36

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by PowerLee

Hi
I also made the mistake of having the same Halfords battery as you & my 405 didn't like it one bit.
For some reason it didn't like the Halfords battery, I ended up getting a Bosch silver battery for the 405 TD or 406 V6, Much bigger then the silly little thing recommended for the 2 litre 8 valve.
Peugeot battery terminals are best described as cheap rubbish, I replaced both of mine with proper ring terminals from my local motor factor.
Have you checked the alternator isn't over or under charging the battery?
Do you have a multimeter?
Set it to DC volts & make sure everything's switched off in the car
First test the battery voltage at the terminals? Should be around 12.7 volts ish at rest.
Now start the car up & allow it to idle.
Test the voltage at the battery terminals, The max you should see is around 14.4 volts, Now turn on the heater blower to max , heated rear screen, all the outside lights including fogs, Now the alternator is under load, Test the voltage at the battery again, Anything under 13 volts & I would be thinking recon alternator ( They are real fun to fit! Depending on if the car has ABS fitted )
The battery tray is only held in with 2 x 10mm nut & bolt, Easy to remove & clean if you wish.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Hi thanks for that, I haven't got this multimeter are they expensive to buy? it's funny you should mention about over or under charging I would reckon it's under charging because even with old battery and the new battery when I start the car in the morning it's not a confident start if you know what I mean, I mean it starts about 99% first time but the way it sounds doesn't look like it. I will rather buy a multimeter then go to a garage because they will of course say it needs a new alternator, do you think it's a good idea to remove the battery and clean everything?
(fastandfurryous wrote:Lucas direct outlets are one of the best places to get a decent (delphi) battery for a sensible price. The 405TD battery I have now cost me under £30. Came with a 4 year guarantee, which I know from prior experience they honour with no quibble at all.)[:0] [:0] Wow that's a great price for a 4 year, I paid £56.00 for my battery

PowerLee · Post by **PowerLee** » 21 Mar 2005, 12:31

You can pick a digital multimeter up for under £10, Have a look around the DIY outlets or places like Maplins.
They are very useful bits of kit around the car & home, A good investment.
You will be measuring around 12 DC volts on your car, Just make sure it has that scale on the meter.
Household voltage is 240 AC, Another coltage range to check for on a meter.
You could remove the battery & clean it & the tray up, Make sure you have the radio code & the alarm key to turn the siren off.
Remove NEAGTIVE terminal FIRST & replace LAST when disconnecting.
NOTE: The wonderful 405 alarm is ARMED the second you reconect the battery! Just plip it with the remote key to switch it back off.

solara · Post by **solara** » 21 Mar 2005, 16:22

To avoid the furry build up at the bottom of the tray, you should sit the battery on a plastic cutout. The plastic cutout sits sandwiched between the metal tray and bottom of battery. I use the clear plastic stuff used to protect tables etc, never had a battery tray fur on me since.

fastandfurryous · Post by **fastandfurryous** » 21 Mar 2005, 17:17

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"> Wow that's a great price for a 4 year, I paid £56.00 for my battery
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
The last battery I bought was a honking great big superstart battery for the perkins engine in my Landrover (see sig). It is clearly twice the size of a type 018 or type 069 for a car, and cost £37.50+Vat(£44). Lucas direct outlets are great places for things like this. As far as I know their alternators are a good price too.