Bottrill Posted June 3, 2017 Share Posted June 3, 2017 Morning, AllI will hang my head in shame and firstly admit the caterham has been sat on its trickle/maintenance charger for around 7 weeks due to other commitments recently. On first attempt at starting the battery seem to lose cranking power pretty quickly. On connecting a multimeter I had a static 12.7v. On cranking it instantly dropped to 7 down to 5. Are these serviceable if the acid levels have dropped (difficult to tell with the black casing) or is it new battery time? Haven't a clue how old it is to be fair.Lee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Jonathan Kay Posted June 3, 2017 Member Share Posted June 3, 2017 Hard to judge until you've topped it up. I don't think there's any other service that's worth doing, but some recommend clever pills.Is that a smart conditioning charger eg a CTEK?How old is the battery?...7 V on cranking is far too low once you know it's topped up and correctly charged.Jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bottrill Posted June 3, 2017 Author Share Posted June 3, 2017 It is a CTEK 5.0 Jonathan, yes. Age wise, I'm not sure. I will have a dig through the history, I think I remember seeing a receipt when I purchased the car early last year. Thanks,Lee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Jonathan Kay Posted June 3, 2017 Member Share Posted June 3, 2017 If that charger gets through its sequence correctly it's the best method I know.Jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadsport06 Posted June 3, 2017 Share Posted June 3, 2017 Just check the fluids cover the plates, if they don't then top up with distilled water. If that's fine then it's likely a new battery is needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom_Arundel Posted June 3, 2017 Share Posted June 3, 2017 Classic Banner going down symptoms. If you need a new one try Tayna Batteries, brilliant service, next day delivery and excellent price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Jonathan Kay Posted June 3, 2017 Member Share Posted June 3, 2017 Lots of good reports of Tayna, including mine. But putting the Great Lithium Question to one side I'd choose a lightweight sealed AGM type.Jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamQ Posted June 3, 2017 Share Posted June 3, 2017 I agree about Tayna - recently bought one for another car - great service, good value and they seem good.That aside, the most practical modification I've ever made to my Seven (to several in fact) is to fit a battery master switch to isolate the battery completely - got fed up with buying a new Banner or equivalent every year just because of the immobiliser light and other drains on the battery. I've always just gone for the cheap and nasty master switches (~£5.00) rather than the FIA ones - my understanding is that as long as you turn the engine off in the normal way via the ignition an FIA version is not necessary.Powervamps were going for about £45 a few years ago but seem to have doubled in price since then - I would still highly recommend them though.FWIW ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Jonathan Kay Posted June 3, 2017 Member Share Posted June 3, 2017 Powervamps were going for about £45 a few years ago but seem to have doubled in price since then - I would still highly recommend them though.Their current suggestion for 7s is the Clubsport NP at £50. NB might need some fettling on the strap and connections.Jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamQ Posted June 3, 2017 Share Posted June 3, 2017 That's good to see - I'd missed that when searching recently ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Jonathan Kay Posted June 3, 2017 Member Share Posted June 3, 2017 The difference between the ranges aren't obvious. They keep changing the designation and possibly the specification. And the eBay site isn't very good. But apart from that...;-)Jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamQ Posted June 3, 2017 Share Posted June 3, 2017 But apart from that, how did you enjoy the play Mrs <strike>Washington</strike> <b>Lincoln</b>...?!D'oh - mortified with shame and embarrassment - plead mitigation and off to buy smaller wine glasses ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Jonathan Kay Posted June 3, 2017 Member Share Posted June 3, 2017 Same thought... but wrong President!Jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john milner Posted June 4, 2017 Share Posted June 4, 2017 Another thumbs up for Tayna. Used them twice and the more recent was even a little cheaper than the first.Although the Banner casing is black you should be able to unscrew the caps with a large flat blade screwdriver and see if the plates are covered. Unlikely that fluid level is low unless cooked or spilled. If it is low through cooking you might be lucky with a distilled water top-up and charge but I doubt it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadsport06 Posted June 4, 2017 Share Posted June 4, 2017 Reading the post about having to get a new battery each year, so switched to a battery switch... I have my car on the Optimate all of time. I have replaced the Banner once in 11 years. So for me they last for over 5 years each. I'm happy with that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bottrill Posted June 4, 2017 Author Share Posted June 4, 2017 A bit of garage time today so taken the banner battery off. It is scribed with 11/03 on the top. The cells look completely dry inside. There is a receipt for a new battery in 2007 but that isn't to say that it could obviously be newer. I have given all the connectors a good clean as they looked like they hadn't been off for a while and seemed corroded.Is there a club discount for Tayna by any chance? I will get one ordered tomorrow.ThanksLee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Jonathan Kay Posted June 4, 2017 Member Share Posted June 4, 2017 Is there a club discount for Tayna by any chance?I don't think I've seen it mentioned.JonathanPS: But there is for Powervamp (and several others) ... sure you want another that needs topping up? ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bottrill Posted June 12, 2017 Author Share Posted June 12, 2017 New banner battery fitted and took the opportunity to clean the earths and cables onto the terminals. A much happier k series R300 when cranked over. Another thumbs up for Tayna batteries. They also gave 10% discount when I signed up to their newsletter. Happy days.Lee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Area Representative Piers300 Posted June 12, 2017 Area Representative Share Posted June 12, 2017 Good news Lee.Please check the ECU earth, as that was my problem and you have the same model.regardsPiers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bottrill Posted June 13, 2017 Author Share Posted June 13, 2017 Hi Piers,would love to but with the fear of sounding stupid, I struggled to find it?Lee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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