Battery university

My van has a Blue Varta E11 74aH 680cca.

I just wanted to say it.

It has forced me to learn about electrics.
It's become a love/hate relationship.
I'm still the boss.
But... I had to shut up, be a good boy and learn so I don't become a 'part changer'.
Anyway these are two of the not so common bits I learned about car batteries.

12V batteries can have 'shorts' in themselves. Check out the video by mr-fix below.

"Check if your cars battery drain is caused by short circuit. Dirt, grease and moisture can create conductive layer that will slowly kill your cars battery, cause bad engine start or low voltage in the system.
Watch this tutorial and check your cars battery. It's quick and simple, you don't need to visit dealer or service. All you need for this test is a multimeter." written by mr-fix.

Full power accessories and short distance driving habits cause battery failures.
This article explains in detail what causes such battery failure that is not often talked of.
It is definitely a recommended reading to anyone who has been scratching their head for over 3 hours of poking around in the hope of reviving a no starter vehicle.

Battery University: "What causes car batteries to fail?"

Here is an excerpt:

"The battery remains a weak link and the breakdowns on 1.95 million vehicles six years or less are as follows:

• 52% battery
• 15% flat tire
• 8% engine
• 7% wheels
• 7% fuel injection
• 6% heating & cooling
• 6% fuel system

A breakdown due to the battery remains the number one cause.

* Source ADAC 2008 for the year 2007"

Assume nothing but TEST everything! Parasitic draw test, relays, glow plugs, earth connections, etc

Check your earth connections first!

and assume nothing but test everything!

Preheating - glow plugs control unit and relay

(9639912580-G CARTIER) - Pricey when new but can be found second hand and tested

for a LDV Pilot van (DW8; it fits many other vehicle, check for yourself)

Once more it was the earth, the same battery earth that was causing the engine not to start.
I had readjusted it a few days before the engine went and it looked fine.
For this reason I looked at everything else, read all the manuals, cleaned all possible connections (even bought a replacement Preheat control unit), performed a parasitic draw test for all fuses and relays; checked all fuses and relays (post with video on checking relays here).

Eric the car guy explains how to perform

a parasitic draw test

in the above video.

This is what you need to do if your brand new battery keeps going flat overnight.

If need be one has to check the various relays of the vehicle.

This video is probably the best and most complete one on the topic on the tube.

Thanks to Ratchets and wrenches.

and in the end as I was doing the test, seeing that I had no draw and being clueless.

I thought I've been cleaning up everything electric around so let's just undo this battery negative earth connection, clean it and grease it up.

Next thing the van start (with a tongue in cheek look).

Made me feel like an idiot but as long as it started I'm happy and delighted I learned so much about my van's and 12V systems in general!

[EDIT:] It never was the battery neg earth connection. Today (2 months later) after the van having sat under torrential rains for a couple of days, it refused to start and displayed the same symptoms: Glowplug get on but clicliclic noise and no start + funny warning lights going on by itself for a while.

I am 99.8% sure it is due to a faulty relay (probably the warning lights one).

I am gonna do a thorough check of all relays as in the video above and replace the bugger one.

For the time being I'll have to try to park on the other side of the vehicle because I believe when the road is bent and the van lean on the left, the rain water drips in and humidity accumulates, causing the relay to malfunction.

The van starts fine after a while (me doing long parasitic test, cleaning the relays and looking for the fault every possible where), hence that relay must be drying and when it's dry, everything is fine.

How does a car battery works?

I am trying to stop assuming that I understand how things work so I do a bit of research on everything I admit I don't know or understand! Crazy endless quest I reckon.
A friend recently had to replace the starter battery on his narrow boat (Listel engine SR2 from the 70's). I found out that he needed a 90Ah/900v starter battery only (not leisure or both use) and which should be the same as his leisure battery, meaning they must both be either sealed or flooded (this will help recharging correctly and ensure a longer life for the batteries).

"when it comes to starter batteries it the cold cranking capacity that the factor here. A cranking motor can draw 300 amps or so when cranking and in winter a cold engine can take some turning. Cold cranking capacity is not the same as the ampare hour rating. However the so common 110 AH batteries will do it. Generally speaking Deep cycles don't work so well a cranking batteries when weather is cold but nothing else can be found these will do. Most battery suppliers with give both AH capacity and cold cranking capacity in amps marked CCA."

(for the boaters and vanners)
"A lot of car batteries are now the sealed type , make sure you get the same as your leisures , either sealed or flooded .

Why would it matter if it was the same type as the domestic/leisure batteries?

answer:  When charging from the alternator a sealed will take 14.4 , flooded 14.8 , the alternator will either stop charging at less than 14.4 so your leisures are not getting a full charge or you run the risk of overcharging the starter if it goes up to 14.8"

I found an interesting article entitle Car battery explained with a few explanatory inages such as these:

and tips like "Temperature matters! Heat kills car batteries and cold reduces the available capacity."

"
Cranking power:
As the temperature drops, the cranking power required by the car increases. However, as more cranking power is used, the amount of battery power available decreases. Cold Cranking Amps (CCA) is critical for good cranking ability. It refers to the number of amps a battery can support for 30 seconds at 0°F until the battery voltage drops to unusable levels. For example, a 12 volt battery with 600 CCAs means the battery will provide 600 amps for 30 seconds at 0°F before the voltage falls to 7.20 volts (three cells). The higher the CCA, the more powerful the cranking ability.
If you live in a cold climate, you should consider the CCA rating when choosing a battery. If you live in a very hot climate, you don't need as much CCA."

"An Amp (or Ampere's) is the stand unit that current is measured at. If there is a 1 volt drop across a 1 ohm resister, then 1 Amp is drawn. This formula is know as 'Ohms Law'. However an Amp is a BIG unit, for smaller electronic devices (i.e. computers) its usually measured as milliamps (mA) which is 100 th of an Amp."


The FAQ at the bottom of the article sums it up well.
"
What should I consider when buying a battery?
SIZE: What are the dimensions of your original battery? Will it fit into my battery tray?
POWER: What are the Cold Cranking Amps (CCA) required to power your vehicle?
WARRANTY: Automotive batteries are backed by a warranty package. Chose what is right for your vehicle's needs.
When I am replacing my battery or cleaning the terminals, why is it important to remove the ground wire first?
Before you start, always check the type of grounding system the vehicle has. If you remove the positive connector first in a negative ground system, you risk the chance of creating a spark. That could happen if the metal tool you're using to remove the positive terminal connector comes in contact with any piece of metal on the car. If you are working near the battery when this occurs, it might create an ignition source that could cause the battery to explode. It's extremely important to remove the ground source first.
What does CCA mean?
Cold Cranking Amps is a rating used in battery industry to define a battery's ability to start an engine in cold temperatures. The rating is the number of amps a new, fully charged battery can deliver at 0° Fahrenheit for 30 seconds, while maintaining a voltage of at least 7.2 volts, for a 12 volt battery. The higher the CCA rating, the greater the starting power of the battery.
How do I safely jump start my battery?
There is a particular sequence which should be followed. This reduces the risk of short circuiting the battery and damaging your alternator etc. The sequence is as follows.

• Switch off the dead car and ensure all other electric devices (i.e. head unit) are switched off. Position the dead car and the good car close to each other, but NOT touching each other (could course a short circuit when jump starting).
• Connect one end of the red jump lead to the positive (+) terminal on the dead battery.
• Connect the other end of the red jump lead to the positive (+) terminal on the good battery.
• Connect one end of the black jump lead to the negative (-) terminal on the good battery.
• Connect the other end of the black jump lead to the chassis or large bolt/nut/bracket on the engine. Anywhere away from the negative terminal of the dead battery. Do NOT connect it to the negative terminal (-) of the dead battery (explained why latter).
• Ensure that none of the jump leads will come in contact with any rotating or moving parts in the engine bay. Switch on the good car and let it idle for a few minutes. This will allow the two batteries voltages to 'settle' and the alternator to do its job.
• Start the dead car, hopefully as the batteries are now connected in parallel, there is twice the amount of current available to turn the engine over. Once running disconnect the jump leads in the opposite order of connection.

Why can't the jump lead be connected to the negative (-) terminal of the dead battery?
When a battery is charging a chemical reaction is present. This produces a waste product, which is flammable gas. When you connected the last jump lead up to the dead car, there should be a spark (generated from the good battery). You want this spark as far away as possible from the battery. Otherwise there is a possibility that the gas will ignite and the battery could burst! Which means your hands could be covered in sulphuric acid!
See the news snippet on the left . Unfortunately any spark or naked flame can ignite the flammable gas. Which in this persons case has now lead him to hospital with burns to his face and hands.

What difference is there between a petrol car battery and a diesel one?
Not much, only the storage capacity of diesel batteries are much bigger, hence they are physically a bit larger. Plus they have a higher CCM so they seem to last longer."
source: topbuzz.co.uk

Deep Cycle Batteries

The difference between deep cycle batteries and more traditional lead acid car batteries is that deep cycle batteries use much thicker lead and lead dioxide plates. This diminishes the surface area on which the chemical reaction can occur. It gives the battery the ability to discharge over and over, but diminishes its ability to produce a lot of power over a short time.

Here are a few more links if you want to learn further. I usually need to read 10 times the same thing to get it in(!!)

One to understand how Volts, watts & amps work for batteries.
One about the different types of batteries, starting batteries, deep cycle batteries.
And a quick video from engineering explained (youtube channel) for the lazy reader or those for whom images and sound work better - but i warn you it's a bit far fetched... hopefullyi find something more straight forward soon...
If you find one post it in a comment please!
And a good article from my friend on leisure batteries for caravaning, boating, marine purpose more specially (approved and recommended by ilve-on boaters I'm in touch with!).
Lastly an article to correlate the previous one on leisure batteries structures and batteries systems in general.

How to Make Battery Cables the Right Way and the Easy Way

That can be handy...