Technical Changing battery - any caveats?

[Pandablues]

1.2 Dynamic, non starter, with what looks and sounds like flat battery syndrome - flat dweller so no access to power points near the car or test meters and RAC won't come, because I don't have that level of cover, and the only two guys I know well enough to speak to here don't have jump leads and say they don't know anyone who might. Car park is on the flat and level and even if I managed to shove it out to the main road - not even trying with my heart condition - it's then a mile or so in both directions of....flat. Out of warranty too so I'm not about to call the nearest dealer either.

I've j,j,j,jiggled the lot and it's all tight so am off on the bus to drag home a new battery.

Now, are there any issues over losing radio or upsetting the computer settings? And if so, how do I avoid them or recover after? Or, as in days of yore, can I just swap one expensive box of battery acid for another?

 

[Eklipze3k]

Don't bother with a new battery yet, just get a battery charger. Nothing stopping you taking the battery up to your flat and trickle charging it overnight. Will also make it a lot harder to steal

In terms of why the battery is dead - have you installed a new stereo headunit or any other non-standard electrical equipment? What about the alternator, have you got a multimeter to check (once the car is running of course) that it is actually charging the battery?

 

[Pandablues]

Halfords, nearest after a hell of a walk, want around £90. Fiat will kindly fit a new for all in of £85. But I can't get the car there to do that. Yet.
Before I head off in the other direction in search of cheaper, what I want to know is will I lose the radio code thingie and/or will swapping the battery out, upset the ECU etc?
(I'm reluctant to buy a charger, without the answers to the above at least, or meter which merely adds to the cost anyway - yes, colour me cheap. Bog standard car, not so much as a wind deflector fitted).

 

[Eklipze3k]

With the battery dead, chances are your ECU will have reset to factory anyway so will go back to learning mode for a short time regardless of whether the battery is changed or not. Obviously the main issue is if you continue to disconnect it to charger it will go into learning mode each time. If you do lose the stereo code there is a member here (Davren) who will provide the code, as long as you've made a donation to the forum.

However, what we still need to answer is not whether the battery should be charged or replaced, but why it's died in the first instance. In any case, a charger and a multimeter will be a lot less than £85 - I'm a Scotsman living in Yorkshire, if anyone knows cheap it's me

 

[lamlash]

Pandablues, where abouts are you? There might be someone here who will help you out. I'd also suggest getting a cheap multimeter - maplin have one for £6.99 (and sometimes a lot cheaper), product code N20AX. Battery voltage should be about 12V dc with the engine off and about 14.5V dc with engine running (if you can get it running)

Does anything electrical work? Do any lights come on the dashboard with ignition on?

I used to have a 1.2 Dynamic and had the battery disconnected for a few days without losing the radio code etc. ECU relearns so there should be nothing to worry about.

Good luck

 

[Pandablues]

Thanks guys. As it happened I ended up in Barry town, no idea why I even thought I'd get a battery there - slight panic and mainly knackered mode. Battery's off and charging with my brand new charger, courtesy of £16 and the local Wilkinsons (eat your heart out Halfords). I'll stick it back on in the morning and see if it fires and, fingers crossed all will be well. If so, I'll try a multimeter next - discarded most of my kit when we moved here thinking I'd not be getting my hands dirty again. Silly me.
All dash lights were on, pump whirred and starter turned over.....barely, just, twice before giving up.
Note to anyone else going through similar, don't forget there's no central locking and you have to go 'round manually flipping switches and locking doors!

 

[Pandablues]

One thing more....."ECU learning mode"? Wazzat?

 

[inki]

Hi, this is where the engine has to learn it's settings i.e tick over r.p.m just take the car out for a drive about 5miles should sort it, you may find the rpm speed may be higher than norm & engine may rev but will be O.K when it's settings are sorted.

 

[Pandablues]

Coo, ta. Any need to vary speeds or just give it a run up and down the nearest dual carriageway?

 

[trackdayqueen]

Coo, ta. Any need to vary speeds or just give it a run up and down the nearest dual carriageway?

Just drive it as normal.

 

[Pandablues]

Just drive it as normal.

Well, I nearly did, but all the lights were green so I didn't get to rush through any of them
08.30 of a Sunday morning, perfect driving conditions, just me and one or two other lost souls out there.
All working fine though, even the radio, and after a 7 mile dash it's ticking over and running smooth, so again, thanks to everyone.
I'll try and find somewhere to get the charging side of things looked over this week and, fingers crossed, it may just be the short runs and excessive use of blower/lights/rear screen/radio/wipers and (gasp) the "City" setting for some odd reason - it's the wife's car - last week which did for the poor thing.
Wonder if I repack it carefully would Wilkies will take the charger back?

 

[Pandablues]

Don't bother with a new battery yet, just get a battery charger. Nothing stopping you taking the battery up to your flat and trickle charging it overnight......

Apart from the two flights of stairs and the weight of the thing - we're not all fully fit y'see. I got next door's 17 year old out of his pit to carry it up for me. Oddly he wasn't best pleased to take it back down this morning. I mean, what's "early" about 08.00??