Which Battery

**b-rock-05** · 13-10-2012, 10:35 AM

Hi all
This my sound strange but my battery has finally died, my question is what is the correct battery for my sandman 308 4 speed with power steering, no other extras, i just dont want to get the wrong one.

**buck** · 13-10-2012, 02:02 PM

go an ac delco or delkor battery around the 500to 550 cca should be heaps, i have never had one that lasted less than 7 years.

**b-rock-05** · 13-10-2012, 04:04 PM

Thanks i will head out and get one now.

**b-rock-05** · 30-01-2014, 06:45 PM

Hi all, i have a problem with my battery, unfortunately i don't get my sandman out very much, on the weekend i pulled it out of the garage to wash it and found that all around the battery tray was white build up of corrosion from the acid from the battery but the terminals themselves don't have any corrosion, the battery had acid moisture on it, i have removed the battery and tray and now have to clean it all and treat the surrounding tray and tray area and repaint, i spoke to an auto electrician and he thinks the battery may be heating up during the cranking of the motor which can cause acid to escape, the battery is a century ultra hi performance unit and is 7 months old, is anyone else having this problem ??? Any suggestions.

**Taily** · 30-01-2014, 07:20 PM

If you can get the car started (jumpstart etc) and have access to a voltmeter pop it on the battery and check the charging voltage with the engine idling. Should be no more than around 14.2 volts. With what you are describing (wet on top of te battery) it sounds a lot like the voltage regulator is not working correctly causing an overcharge condition and the electrolyte is boiling and venting into the tray.

Failing that have a good look at the battery case and see if there is a small crack that might be leaking battery acid (electrolyte) into the tray. If all that is OK, it may be as simple as someone may have just simply overfilled the battery and it is leaking out causing the mess. DON'T get any of the build up on your skin or clothes.... Just wash it away with plenty of water and give it a clean-up with a mild soap and water solution and an old brush that you can throw away afterwards, dry the bits and then a quick hit of etch and matt black - back in business!

**agr071** · 30-01-2014, 09:13 PM

Rule of thumb used to be between 13.6 & 14.4 @ 2000rpm.
It of course all depends on the batteries state of charge.
If the battery is reasonably flat it may only read low 13 volts but the current going into the battery may be 30A - 40A.
My Supercharge battery is about 5 to 6 years old.

**agr071** · 30-01-2014, 09:15 PM

Originally Posted by b-rock-05

the battery is a century ultra hi performance unit and is 7 months old.

Ahh to old blue battery of death. Them & NRMA batteries are not of real great quality.

**Valencia** · 30-01-2014, 09:22 PM

I only use delkor marine grade batterys i get at least 5 years out of them
have dual battery set up in my 4x4 both delkor no probs or leaks at all

**b-rock-05** · 30-01-2014, 09:30 PM

Thanks Taily i will give ita go.

Originally Posted by Taily

If you can get the car started (jumpstart etc) and have access to a voltmeter pop it on the battery and check the charging voltage with the engine idling. Should be no more than around 14.2 volts. With what you are describing (wet on top of te battery) it sounds a lot like the voltage regulator is not working correctly causing an overcharge condition and the electrolyte is boiling and venting into the tray.

Failing that have a good look at the battery case and see if there is a small crack that might be leaking battery acid (electrolyte) into the tray. If all that is OK, it may be as simple as someone may have just simply overfilled the battery and it is leaking out causing the mess. DON'T get any of the build up on your skin or clothes.... Just wash it away with plenty of water and give it a clean-up with a mild soap and water solution and an old brush that you can throw away afterwards, dry the bits and then a quick hit of etch and matt black - back in business!

**damienengland** · 30-01-2014, 10:10 PM

Batteries have two conditions that affect their performance and lifespan. State of charge (SOC) and State of health (SOH). State of charge is the electrical pressure stored in each cell from charging (Volts) but more importantly is the state of health, which is the batteries ability to deliver current under load (internal resistance).

SOH deteriorates when sulphation of the cells occurs and this starts to happen when a 12VDC battery voltage drops below 12.4VDC A lead acid battery is fully charged at 12.72VDC, at risk of sulphation at 12.4VDC and chemically empty at 11.7VDC

High sulphation results in a high internal resistance across the cells and can lead to boiling off of the acid when charging. This boiling off can show itself as an explosion, warped or cracked battery or acid leakage from battery vents or cell caps.

This might be what you are experiencing if the battery has been left standing for a long period without charging.

Batteries that have fallen below 5VDC may not be recoverable and if they do recover under charge, will most definitely have cell sulphation which limits their CCA ability

Hope this is of some help