battery

[a d price]

Can anybody recommend a good quality battery for my S4 elan. My battery goes flat every other couple of days and the car wont start so it looks like a faulty battery. Bought my battery from Partco who seem to have disappeared
Thanks PierMaster

[lotusS2guy]

I use an Odyssey PC925 in my Elan S2. It can be mounted in any position and on its side, it fits perfectly in the original battery box.

http://www.odysseybattery.com/extreme_b ... specs.aspx

[Grizzly]

I have had a Optima RTS 3.7 Red Top on my +2 for a few years now, i used it every day for 2 years or so and then it spent months at a time unstarted. Never had a problem with it.

I also have the Odyssey PC680 on my race car and its also surprisingly good, may be a little small for a Twin Cam and you have to connect it to a battery conditioner if left over a week or so but i recently put it on my Every day car (its battery died in the cold weather) and it happily started a 3.0 Audi with no issues. I imagine the bigger sizes must be very good.

BUT!! As said and done these battery's are Top end and Expensive so if your just after some thing to do the job might be best trying your local Motor Factors for some thing that fits, i'm sure it will save you money.

[StressCraxx]

Can anybody recommend a good quality battery for my S4 elan. My battery goes flat every other couple of days and the car wont start so it looks like a faulty battery. Bought my battery from Partco who seem to have disappeared
Thanks PierMaster

Before you go through the expense of battery replacement, make sure there is no parasitic drain in the electrical system. Something as simple as a lamp in the glovebox can give you grief. Make sure all circuits are off, use a volt/ohm meter set to measure current (at 10 Amp setting) will help you isolate if its the battery or a load somewhere. It could be something as simple as a stuck relay.

Regards,
Dan

[saildrive2001]

I have an Odyssey 925 in my S4 mounted on it's end with the terminal facing to the inside of the car & at the forward end. I also use a Battery ProgBrain, http://shop.batteryprogbrain.com/main.sc
The units have changed slightly from when I bought mine but in essence they are a remote battery disconnect & they also monitor the battery voltage. If you leave the car with e.g. the lights on then at a pre-set minimum voltage the unit will disconnect the battery. IF the engine is running & it therefore detects RF then it will not disconnect the battery. The only problem with an Elan is that the battery in the trunk is too far away from the engine. I had to buy a separate vibration sensor which I mounted on the trunk floor right next to the exhaust mounting. If you still have like I do the generator & VR then it is important to disconnect the battery when leaving the car. If the contacts in the VR stick closed as happened to me many years ago then you will burn the wiring & the generator & maybe the whole car.
The usual disclaimer, no connection with the company just a great product.

[Quart Meg Miles]

One year ago I obtained a KATANA 037 locally and although the cover of my S2 is a bit tight over the leads I believe the S4 doesn't have one. It is almost the correct size and the connection is a bolt on, not tapered cylinder. It cost me ?57 and the previous type 37 had lasted 6 years / 20,000 miles.

So, Alun, you bought it! Perhaps I missed a post.

[bob_rich]

Hi Piermaster

Definitely agree with Dan A battery should not run down in 2 days-- even modern cars with standing drain of imobilisers should not run down that quick . Make sure the battery is fully charged a short run of a < 1hour may not get a really flat battery back to full charge especially with older cars that used dynamos or early alternators. To check the battery firstly check the terminal voltage with a volt meter before trying to start. It should be around 12.4V anything less than 12V and you may have a faulty cell. Switch on the head lights the 12.4V should only drop around 0.4V but check at the battery terminals. Also check that you are charging OK when engine running. Sometimes the ignition light can go out but the generator may not be fully charging especially in winter when lights and say heater are on. With the engine running switch on the head lights the terminal voltage at the battery should stay up at >13.4V.

Hope this helps best of luck

Bob

[a d price]

thanks everybody for your replies
My new years resolution is to use the car more. It only seems to play up when it is pampered !
PierMaster