mx5cartalk.com

Hi all,

Just wondering, whats the the exact deal with MX5 batteries?

We have a 89 NA 1.6 and I read somewhere that MX5s need GEL type battery? Is that correct?

I had a look at mine and its from Battery world (previous owner put it in) looks like itfits well.. and has a sulfric acid warning.

Do I need to replace with the facotry battery or is than an internet myth?

a calcium battery or gel battery is highly recommended for NA/NB MX5's, due to the fact it's mounted in the boot, i'd say you'd be better to change it over, sounds like it has a normal acid battery in it, which is probably venting nasty gases into the boot space & the potential to leak acid as well, giving you rust problems

I just checked my battery again..
While it still has an acid warning, it is FEDERAL branded...
like on:

http://www.mx5mania.com.au/product891.htm

Is there a chance the battery I have is a acceptbale since MX5 mania sells it?

Would Batteryworld.com.au know what sort of battery should go in it?

I also read that an acid battery with a air pipe will help get the gasses outside ? How do I tell or what does this look like?

you can use normal batteries but they must have proper venting, as in 2 tubes (the federal should have these)
your car should have come with a black rubber tube from the stock battery to an exterior vent, if not then mania should have one

but the calcium / sealed batteries are great and are supposed to hold better charge as well so get one if you can, just make sure it fits

SM wrote:you can use normal batteries but they must have proper venting, as in 2 tubes (the federal should have these)
your car should have come with a black rubber tube from the stock battery to an exterior vent, if not then mania should have one

but the calcium / sealed batteries are great and are supposed to hold better charge as well so get one if you can, just make sure it fits

Thanks for that..

Im not sure if what Im looking at is a correct venting tube?
Do you have any photos of what it should look like?

What is the risk something going wrong if running an acid based battery with correct venting ? since this battery isnt causing issues, is it still worth the $200 or to get a proper calcium/ dry cell based battery?

Who on these forums is running an acid based battery such as Federal in their mx5?

thanks!:)

Also, what are some recommended vented, dry cell/gel batteries that will fix MX5 without any mods ??

I'm running a federal with the stock battery vent tubes in my NB8A

I don't think much could go wrong with proper venting but without venting the gases emitted from the battery fill the boot, they are corrosive so can lead to rust problems and are also flammable so if there was a spark then it could turn out badly

there was a thread here about someone who had found a good calcium battery and were running it in an NB but you would have to find it, it was about a year ago just after I got my battery

Go to Autobarn and get the SuperCharge Gold for around $99, includes a 2 year warranty.
Long story short, don't bother spending $250+ for Odyssey, Optima, Pulse etc. Not worth the hype as I had an Odyssey and lasted a paltry 5 years until it completely died without any warning.

I wouldn't go by part#'s by the way. Just measure the battery and find one that matches it closely.

SM wrote:I'm running a federal with the stock battery vent tubes in my NB8A

I don't think much could go wrong with proper venting but without venting the gases emitted from the battery fill the boot, they are corrosive so can lead to rust problems and are also flammable so if there was a spark then it could turn out badly

there was a thread here about someone who had found a good calcium battery and were running it in an NB but you would have to find it, it was about a year ago just after I got my battery

SM - I'm just worried about whether my venting has been done property:)

1red5 - I might check this out too.. $99 us cheap for a calcium batteyr!

I just double-checked the receipt. The brand they had was actually Motoline Gold, $109.99 with a 3 year warranty

The specific model may be called M43

1red5 wrote:I just double-checked the receipt. The brand they had was actually Motoline Gold, $109.99 with a 3 year warranty

The specific model may be called M43

Thanks!
btw - is that a direct fit or does it need the clamp/drip tray modded?:)

1red5 wrote:. Not worth the hype as I had an Odyssey and lasted a paltry 5 years until it completely died without any warning.

just for the record.......5 years of life out of ANY battery in a daily driver isn't paltry, it's about par for the course.......you guys sometimes expect a bit much out of such things

consider this as an analogy...........just renewed the batteries in my Isuzu truck after 2.5 years, which is a FANTASTIC result...............bearing in mind that those batteries are just a doubled up version of the average battery in a mid size car, say, 2 batteries out of a Mazda6, which run in series to produce 24v, which doesn't increase or help the ampere situation, it's just 2 normal batteries hooked up to supply 24 volts.

why do i think 2.5 years out of these is fantastic??..............simple, on average, i deliver to 20+ places every day, & mostly the truck is shut down at each of those stops, which means it has to be restarted each time, add onto that the initial start each morning (let me tell ya, a 7.8 litre deisel takes some cranking when cold) & any other stop/starts i do in a day, safe to add another 5 restarts to be safe..................so.........average it out at 30 starts per day, 5 days a week, for 2.5 years:

30 x 5 x 130 = 23,400 times those 2 batteries have summoned on their depths to start that engine.

without taking into account all the other stuff that batteries run ALL the time during their life, including the stuff they are STILL running while you're tucked up in bed at night sleeping, just so things are just how you like them when you come out & hear that satisfying "TWEET TWEET" from the alarm that never sleeps & the clunk of your door locks & the clock is on the right time & your humungous power sucking stereo is still set where it was when you left it last night......& that's BEFORE you ask the battery to summon the strength to turn over a cold engine......& then "sh*t, i forgot my lunch" shut down & restart before you even get out the driveway..........

you pay for quality IMO, & i would have a top of the range battery every time, & bugger the cost.


my 10 bux worth, inc GST

If you can top up the water in your MX5 battery, it is the wrong type.

What you need is a sealed battery.

li21 wrote:

1red5 wrote:I just double-checked the receipt. The brand they had was actually Motoline Gold, $109.99 with a 3 year warranty

The specific model may be called M43

Thanks!
btw - is that a direct fit or does it need the clamp/drip tray modded?:)

It's almost the same dimensions as the stock Panasonic, and fits well in the tray and bracket as it's only a few mm bigger in all dimensions.

AJ, I agree that 5 years is good for an "ordinary" battery, but Odyssey is not an ordinary battery and claims they should last AT LEAST 6 years.
I fully agree with the "you get what you pay for" motto, and I thought exactly that when I was splurging on an Odyssey as I was hoping it would last >7 years.

I stand by my Odyssey/over-priced/hype snipe cause the battery in my Festiva is an everyday Exide one, replaced by RACQ when it died in a car park and it has lasted 10 years and still strong as. The engine starts in 2-3 revolutions! Can't beat that.
For this reason, I will always choose Exide over any high-priced Yankee crap.

well, yes...........if you're one of those who \"must have\" the supposedly superior american version, you'll pay more for the same thing............personally, i buy australian..........at least i think i do.........the truck now has 2 high grunt Battery World batteries in it