How long does yours last... (battery)

This is probably more aimed at those of you that don't use your Landy frequently or take it off the road for long periods, how long does your battery last? I realise that a Defender battery with potentially nothing or only a clock draining the battery in theory should last longer than a more modern vehicle with an alarm, immobiliser and all the other electronics acting as a parasitic load.

So dead simple, assuming decent battery and charging system all OK - how long does your battery last before you cannot start the vehicle without a charge or jump.

Please state your Landy (or indeed any make of car) model and if a Series/Defender any additional loads that may help drain the battery and the battery details if known.

I have a 1990 Defender with a 300tdi, clock, alarm and tracker with a Yuasa 019 battery 800CCA 100Ah - 2 months would probably be about the max.

I've never been very keen on this battery, not sure if since I fitted it I have just used the vehicle so infrequently that the battery seems to have had more charges in the last 3 years than any other batteries but given it was a decent capacity super duty battery I am not overly impressed.

It was end of August I last used the 90 and she would not start this morning, the starter gave it good few turns (I was certainly hopeful) but just not fast enough to get it going.

Any battery with a slow/low draw will die regardless of car.
Both my two old ones (s2 and 90 both tdis) have battery cut off switches, and the cars can go months between uses, both have 069 batteries one posh (2/3 yrs old) other cheap (6/7 yrs old) when the cut off switch is used there is no electircal connection at all, ie it is totally cut off so no parasatic draw.

Maybe fit a seperate smaller house alarm type battery ( ebay 20 quid) just for the alarm/tracker, and disconnect the clock?
Have you a radio as well that keeps its memory?

I have a Yuasa 019 silver on my D3, best battery its had so far.

1986 RRC.
Can often be unused for several weeks.
Items fitted include clock, aftermarket alarm & CD player.
Had issues with 'Lion brand' batteries & wouldn't have another as a gift.
Currently have a 'red key' type isolator in the battery earth cable
I will be fitting a remotely switched isolator when I get round to it - got the bits just need to work up the enthusiasm & a half decent day weather wise. Found a suitable device (from an ambulance being broken) which is rated up to 2500 amps so I don't think it will be overly stressed!

If you do need to jump start then you MUST fully charge the battery with a battery charger.
If you have the older type of battery where you can check the electrolyte levels then do as an uncovered plate top will seriously affect ability to hold charge.

A couple of weeks on my Series with a good battery, in my case its the tracker that does for it. I now have a solar panel on the roof (its a camper). I use a battery float charger every few weeks if its not in use.

Often don't use my '87 RRC for up to four weeks, parked in the open & even then it only does about 2k per annum.
There's only the clock & aftermarket imobiliser to cause a drain I guess.
Standard auto-shop battery is usually good for five years before it starts to show signs of slowing down when cranking.

I have a 1990 ninety, and minimal electrics to cause a drain, prior to fitting a battery isolator for security I could leave it for 6months or more and it would start just fine. However I did notice that it got a bit lazy in the winter and would need 1.5 turns to fire rather than the usual 1.
I now use a battery isolator and a cetek charger that I plug in if not using it for a week or more (which happens quite often) or taking it only on short journeys (less often occurrence)

99 TD5 110, infrequent use. When I got it if left for more than 2 weeks batteries were always flat, in the end shoved a panel on the roof and bought new battery, been good as gold ever since (6 years) always fully charged

My series 3 has a 100ah Varta battery, the biggest I could fit in. It will go too flat to start in about 2 to 3 weeks depending on the weather. It's the third battery I've had on it since buying the landy about 6 years ago. I assumed the first battery it came with was knackered when it would not start after a couple of weeks so I changed that for a nearly new one off a car I was scrapping, that was no better so assumed the starter was sluggish. Changed the starter for a new one and put the new Varta on it but not really any better. I have nothing taking power whilst parked up but there is a drain somewhere cos I get a little spark when I disconnect. I now disconnect the battery if I'm not going to use it for a few days. It's not much trouble but I keep thinking about fitting an isolator.

Col

Right, what you have all said basically is the same as I am seeing here, I am not therefore alone! Good. I was beginning to question this newish Yuasa Super Cargo - I got the Agilent lab power supply out which lets you monitor everything down to 0.01mA and voltage control down to 0.01V I can set a constant voltage or current and overcurrent and overvoltage protection and control the battery charge right down to the manufacturers charge curve. So started giving it 2A for about 24 hours, then backed it off and gave it 1.3A to bring it up till the voltage was 14.2V then sneaked in about 500mA until it was 14.3. I didn't give it the full 14.4 as the battery will sit for a bit and fully charged batteries actually stresses them so keeping them literally JUST under is good.

most sealed batteries now are of the calcium type which gas less than the standard variety. the ideal charging voltage is 14.8v
I've not heard about stressing a lead acid battery, other than sustained high discharge or sustained low charge.

kermit_rr said:

most sealed batteries now are of the calcium type which gas less than the standard variety. the ideal charging voltage is 14.8v
I've not heard about stressing a lead acid battery, other than sustained high discharge or sustained low charge.

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Any battery sitting at full charge is stressed. I spent 2 years of my life doing a huge international research project on batteries as part of a huge project in the Middle East, during that time I managed to meet and speak with battery manufacturers who gave me "Confidential" documents etc. (had to sign an NDA etc.) on their batteries and across many many chemistries. Generally the good thing is for a battery to be nearly full for charging purposes.

Calcium batteries are a menace because a properly functioning alternator may never generate the higher than the 14.4V on general charge and they sulphate up as they never get a full charge. Had one of these in my Disco, years ago, thing was always a pest, pulled out the battery from my 90 and used that for a month or two, all worked as it should and the start had much more pep - in that time I charged the calium battery with a variable power supply (not the Agilent one I have now) and gave it the beans then let it sit for about 3 weeks. Installed it back into the Disco and it was great for about a week then the starter lost it's pep again. I put it down to the fact it was never bloody fully charged!

They do last well and some cars have better charge systems which seem to run them OK. Also a regpack putting out a bit more will help.

FL1 and FL2... 6 to 7 years of use before it can't hold its charge over night in winter to start the engine in the morning.