Jonathan Kay

Thanks for adding the answer. Hope you're sorted soon. Jonathan

Weale has a nice exploded diagram and describes Coates' reversion of the location... but doesn't give the source! I think that it's somewhere in the archives but I haven't found it... yet. Jonathan

"... that isn't going to be a 7 really, is it?" This is so important, Whether we call it the next Seven or the future Seven or the electric Seven we need to *discuss what would make it a Seven at all. ... as similar as possible to an ICE Seven? ... as functional as an ICE Seven... road, touring, track? ... as well suited as an ICE Seven to home assembly and maintenance and adjustment? ... as close as possible to the sensation of driving an ICE Seven? ... the fastest thing at the price? ... what the Founder would design now? Jonathan * And of course, that is discuss... agree might be a step too far. : - )

"I think you could probably engineer 5kWh battery modules to 30kg, using 4 in the central tunnel underneath, 2 in the back and 4 in the front. At that weight they could probably be slid in and out under the car with a small wheeled trolley and a simple locking mechanism. Probably would require an independent rear suspension to make room for the motor and 2 rear battery packs. For track, you could play around with weight distribution depending on which battery packs you had in place." And as well as distribution with this approach you can match packs to the range needed, as in your #60 above. "Why can't an electric motor just run through a regular gearbox etc? You could even retain a clutch." That's often the easiest conversion. But it doesn't release as much space as a more direct drive, and doesn't help torque vectoring etc. Vintage Voltage illustrates the two different approaches. Jonathan PS: Tesla went into production still considering packs that could be easily swapped. And it looks as they now consider it unnecessary. Which makes structural battery systems possible.

I only meant better than what you have in there at the moment... and that could include a new Banner... ... but always happy to discuss the best battery! : - ) Jonathan

Thanks. That does narrow it down. : - ) Jonathan

There's a lot of light and some heat in the archives, but unfortunately it's in multiple threads. Some questions that might narrow down the options: 1 Are you interested in replacement "bulbs" or whole units or both? 2 Must they be legal? 3 Must they meet the new requirements at MoT inspection? 4 What price range? Jonathan PS: Using an Android 'phone? /forum/test-and-ideas/testing-1-2-3-2/comment/2386060#comment-2386060

"Hooked the battery up to Mrs V's Fiesta this morning, with revs at 2500. Voltage with the ignition on = 14v (presumably showing the Fiesta's charging rate?) With the inertia switch disconnected, cranking voltage = 11.6v. The engine was spinning fit to take off, but what does that say (if anything) about the state of my battery?" Mmmmmm... data! Thankyou very much. First thoughts: 1 A better battery is going to lift that minimum voltage during cranking. 2 It's cranking (and starting) at the moment and not noticeably slowly. But more oomph made it crank much faster. So cranking and starting is not a good test of the state of the battery. (But it's the one that most of us use most of the time.) (3 That jump starter pack doesn't deliver anything like as much oomph as the Fiesta.) Jonathan

"The real question is what are you going to do when you find the drain on a 7." Yes, great question. A few suggestions: 1 Gain a better understanding of what's happening and why there are such different reports. 2 Know more about who would be wise to fit a battery isolator (as above). 3 Adopt a smarter charging strategy. 4 Fit a more suitable battery. "All this means is the draw (assuming nothing if faulty) can't be changed without wiring loom redesigns. " 5 We might be able to try some quite simple improvements. As with the MFRU and cooling systems. And that might avoid some battery replacements. "The ECU and immobiliser are permanently powered by design... " I wouldn't assume that on the goulash that is a Seven. : - ) Jonathan

Thanks 2927070 and and 9AR2707G both give lots of hits. I'll do some searching. Jonathan

Have you got a part number for the alternator, please? Or does anyone know what vehicle(s) these were used on? Jonathan

Thankyou, John. Interesting comment from SBD on the starting! One of the issues with cheap digital multimeters is whether they can record and display transient voltages. For this sort of problem I think that they can. And the limited reports on those little meters that plug into cigar lighter sockets are also encouraging. But Andrew's analysis of the problem with Brise starters hinged on the recording of much briefer transients where an oscilloscope (including its modern incarnation) was essential. Jonathan PS: Have you decided which battery will be in there next?

Previous discussions. Jonathan PS: Does anyone fancy writing a quick summary as a Guide?

Can you work a piece of dental floss around the glass and saw through the adhesive? If that's possible I'd try it after some gentle warming. Jonathan

Yes. Anything that would give more current when asked nicely. Jonathan

"How about repeating that test while the Seven is connected with fat jump leads to another vehicle running at 3,000 rpm?" ... "I'm not sure what that would demonstrate. Can you elaborate, JK?" ... My guess is that the minimum voltage would be much higher. If it isn't I'd like to know what's going on. And the logic of changing the battery in the Seven would be much weaker. Jonathan

"During cranking (lasted just 2 secs or so) = 9.3v" How about repeating that test while the Seven is connected with fat jump leads to another vehicle running at 3,000 rpm? Jonathan

"During cranking (lasted just 2 secs or so) = 9.3v" Thankyou, John. From what I can tell there's a risk of electronic components dropping out below 10.5 V If there's no reason to think that that battery will ever improve then I'd replace it. Jonathan PS: For anyone new to this... that measurement of minimum voltage while cranking is a convenient DIY load test for the battery. And those dropouts can mean that satisfactory cranking is not a good test of why a Seven isn't starting.

Usual recommendation is a slot cut by a hacksaw or a disc on a Dremel. (Other brands are available.) Club Guide. Jonathan

John Vine has reported something similar. Jonathan

"In terms of taking them off the car - how difficult a procedure is it? Are there any guides how to do it?" Not especially difficult. Let me know if you would like an Assembly Guide... you can work *backwards from that. Jonathan * Of course the original Seven only had a disassembly guide...

There's a wide range of products labelled Sikaflex... and a table of uses and suitable materials somewhere on their site. Jonathan

Can I encourage you to track that minimum voltage during cranking? Better to know that it's failing while you're at home... Jonathan PS: "I almost wrote "current"" Resistance is futile.

And if you had the same pattern of use throughout that consistency would support my suspicions... : - ) Jonathan

Discussion and experience from 2016. Jonathan