Exactly this, if a battery is nearly at its expiry , then the cold can be the final nail in its casing. You may however get it into Lazuros mode with a nice overnight charge but be aware it is camels and straws. Ozziedog,,,,,,,, I’ll charge my daily once a month in this season
That's where it's at now, tucked up and on charge and as you say, more than likely on borrowed time. It's 3.5 years old and is a Powerline 096, 76A from Tayna Batteries. Last time I checked the alternator output was ok but will check again in the morning. It's always struggled with cold weather starting (especially with 20W50 in the sump) despite being regularly conditioned with a CTEK in the colder months. It has I believe, a hot start relay fitted (and starts readily when hot) and also have a hard start relay ready to fit but are they one and the same thing?
A decent ish air cooled motor should start on the second second of cranking if it’s been in use recently as in the same day, possibly two or three seconds if not started for a couple of days and a little more if it hasn’t run for several weeks plus. When starting though, don’t flog your starter until it fired, just two or three seconds then stop for a bit and let your starter cool a tad then have another go, but don’t just keep cranking over and over until it submits or your battery throws out a white flag and says I give up Ozziedog . ,,,,,,, a little dignity for these gallant old steeds
First start takes a while, it's very sluggish far more than you're suggesting but from then on it starts on the button. I did try 10W/40 but the oil consumption increased so I've reverted to 20W50. I've no knowledge of what it's like in terms of engine wear, so am presuming it's been well used shall we say. Unfortunately I think you're going to be right
I’m wondering if you have any choke on these carbs. I’ve got twin Webber’s and it starts well but is slightly hesitant and a tad more feeble but just for the first two or three minutes, slightly more if it’s very cold like today and that’s down to the f@ct I don’t got no choke on these babies. Ozziedog,,,,,,, chokes ? Working ?
It should still be under guarantee https://www.tayna.co.uk/car-batteries/powerline/096/ But it also shouldn’t have failed and if the oil consumption increased using 10W/40 it could be the engine is knackered. Was the difficult starting the reason for the high capacity battery?
No chokes. Like yours it had Webers but the PO had overtightened an adjusting screw and rendered one of the pair US. These were bought secondhand and work well. Peter Burgess set them up on his rolling road and whilst they're supposed to have electric chokes we couldn't find anyway they should operate so they weren't connected. When it starts it'll run a bit lumpily but without me having to tickle it on the accelerator. Second start is always much easier as the battery spins it over more quickly, it catches straightaway and ticks over nicely. Thanks for the link 77Westy. I'd assumed it was only a 3 not a 4 year guarantee so will contact them to see what the score is. Price has gone up a lot as I paid £33.48 in April 2016 and it's now £41.95, that's a 25% increase! Oil consumption increase possibly due to engine wear or leaks, (or a combination of both) either way it doesn't use as much with 20W50; we're not talking gallons but a noticeable difference. Yes the battery was bought for its CCA of 555A which I hoped would help it start more easily in the colder weather.
I would stick with 20W50 oil and make sure the oil level is kept at maximum on the dipstick. I bought a Bosch S4 battery from Tayna 4 years ago and its been very reliable. Batteries don't last as long if not regularly charged and discharged (driven), letting them stand unused and connected is bad for them. My son has T25 and when van not being used, the battery is out of the van in dry garage charged up often. Battery is 4 years old Exide and still good. Often the wiring connections at the starter and battery and battery earth to body, get corrosion which all add to the difficult starting. On my Bay, I keep the wiring and battery up to scratch and even in colder weather, engine starts up on the key and it loves the 20W50 oil which I change every 200 miles, its a 1600tp engine with no filter.
You will end up wishing you took the engine out ...it is a pig of a job scratting about leaning over and stretched out . Doesn't take long to get the engine out if you have the space and know how . Then you can sit inside the engine bay and sort everything with utmost ease .
A possible problem with running a thick 20w50 oil is that on cold start up the oil pressure is high (at the pump) but the flow is low and the cooler is by-passed to try to heat and thin the oil. No.3 big end bearing is at the end of the oil gallery and can be starved of oil before the oil is thin enough to flow easily. It’s the same starter motor drawing the same current, the bigger battery just means you can sit there longer churning it over before the battery dies.
It's used at least once a week throughout the year unless there's salt on the road. It lives in a heated (well the central heating boiler is in there) garage and the battery is CTEK'ed during the cooler months. There are no problems in Spring, Summer and the warmer bits of Autumn, it's just when it gets chilly. I'll check the earth connections as you suggest. Have noticed the battery clamps look original but seem in good shape, there's no corrosion around them. One thing comes to mind, just very occasionally when the ignition key is turned, there's just a click which I've assumed is the starter solenoid sticking, but the next on key turn the starter kicks in as usual. The starter was rebuilt about 18 months ago so have presumed it should still be in reasonably good order. Went out earlier to see if it'll start and the battery was showing 13.5 volts after 18 hours charging. That's ok I thought. One turn of the key, one turn of the engine and everything went dark again and the battery registered 3 volts! Oh dear, it's toast. I'll contact Tayna and see what they say on Monday. Maybe I should go with the 10/40 in the winter and the heavier oil in the summer? It won't start without a fair amount of cranking so I went for a battery with a big CCA.
so often its a combination of things. weak battery, corroded earth connections and starter solenoid wiring. I would spend some time cleaning the corrosion off and do the gearbox earth strap while you are at it, mine was furred up and now clean. the battery earth to the body is easy to remove and clean up, its well worth doing. with a new battery as well, I'm sure all will be well. Re the oil, I would sort out the starting first, but I have never had any issues with the 20w50 oil in van or mgb. when the weather cools off condensation can occur inside the dizzy cap and on leads and plugs.
Thanks, I'll do those, I did clean the battery to body earth when fitting a Discarnect but that was a while ago so worth checking all the connections as you suggest. It's just the initial start up which is the problem, subsequent starts are fine with the engine spinning over well.
Splash some cash on a new battery from Tayna. The old one you have in place has lasted well, if you get 3 years from a battery these days, that's about its money. £60 for a new battery is good at only £20 a year outlay. I like cleaning up wiring connectors, its quite satisfying really. Surprising how quickly they corrode. I have had similar experiences with end of life batteries, you can charge them up but they don't hold their charge but may have enough to start the engine, you run it for a while and the battery gets some charge, just enough to restart on a warm engine, then you switch it off, battery drains out quickly and next time won't start. Went out to my van this morning, cold and frosty, turned the key and started straightaway. Had a nice run out and van went well and noticeably quicker, but should be as I've stripped out the old interior for a diy refurb.
should be a lot quicker and sound faster too . As Westyy77 pointed out it has a 4 year guarantee so will contact Tayna in the morning and see what they have to say before taking the plunge with a new one.
I like Tayna, maybe they would do you a free replacement or discount off a new one. They do next day delivery so all will be sorted on Tuesday. Please let us know how you get on.
