MX5 batteries

[kula]

My car now lives in the garage and only comes out to play when I've been a good boy.
My original battery died a couple of years ago, and I replaced it with another original from Mazda. Yeah it works fine, but isn't cheap and is quite heavy.

Now that the focus for my car is more of a racecar, I went with pretty much the lightest battery I could find.

2.9kg DEKA.
http://batterymart.com.au/dispdet.php?i ... 2239038944

Starts my car fine, I disconnect it when I'm leaving the car alone for more than a day or two.

Oh,
http://batterymart.com.au/
is a great store, super quick delivery and excellent prices.

[deviant]

My car has got a Mazda battery in it which the last owner bought just before selling the car to me so the battery is less than a year old.

The car is pretty much only being used to go to track events now so I want to keep the battery in top condition so it will still start when I want it to.

I'm looking at picking up a trickle charger / conditioner thing. They run the battery through discharge and charge cycles and automatically turn on and off, the idea being you can just hook it up and switch it on and leave it for weeks and weeks on end and the battery will still be in top condition when you next go to the car.

Are there any recommendations on brands and places to buy one? The few I have looked at were around the $300 mark.

They also seem to come in different variations for different types and sepcifications of batteries...what should I be looking for?

[Hammer]

Three months ago I replaced the battery from my NA (w/c I believe is the original - Panasonic) with a Federal one, while the battery is a straight fit including the exhaust hoses, it doesn't seem to last as long between use as the OEM battery.

For example I've noticed with the Federal, it will hardly start the car if you leave it at least two weeks between use. The charge of the OEM battery lasted a little longer between use. Nothing has changed on the car (ie. I have not installed a new alarm etc.) I tend to only drive my NA for track days and on odd occassion on weekends - just to keep all mechanical parts & liquids in the car loose and flowing.

But if you plan to use your car more frequently than I do, then it shouldn't be a problem.

I also vote for trickle chargers. Unfortunately, my garage (shared basement) do not have any powerpoints. Otherwise I too will plug my trickle charge unit to it.

[toimr2]

Hi
I have many cars (mainly Toyota MR2's) as well as a 1989 MX5.
So that my batteries are never flat, I use a charging unit called Charge N Maintain made by Projecta. It is a great unit and can be left on. I have been using this equipment for about 6 years. Cost is about $50 to $60 for the units.

On the matter of venting the battery, the Toyota SW20 (MR2 built between 1990 and 1999) which has a mid mounted engine, has the battery located in the front trunk and no venting. Unlike the MX5 though a normal battery can be used.

I wonder why the Mazda MX5 requires a vented battery.

Any thoughts?

[Mr Morlock]

Reading the links to the Miata site the venting is about safety ie discharge of gases do not sit in the boot. Additionally having a wet cell battery represents some hazard in the boot in the event of spillage. Some guys on this forum are very fussy and always want to maintain a vehicle in line with its design intent and that includes the battery choice- thats no bad thing.

I sent the miata article to some mates with old British classics as many of these have boot mounted batteries- the MX5 unit looks to be very efficient and long lasting unlike most batteries which on average die at about the end of warranty plus a few months. Many would be surprised t hear that a battery is going after 10 yrs!

[xmx106]

Why do you need a vented battery ??, i'll tell you.
My 1990 eunos roadster came with a "Yuasa" sealed lead acid battery with the two vent pipes. it is a direct replacement for the car. Yuasa make motor cycle batteries so the venting arangements are similar to some bikes i guess.
Anyway back on topic, when this battery packed it in the plastic sealed top popped off and the little rubber caps came off the top of two of the cells, this allowed the battery to gas off inside the boot. I didnt notice this for a while and the end result was white acidic powder building up on the inside of the boot lid near the battery and then dropping onto the boot floor lining. The boot lid cleaned up ok no damage, I used baking soda and water to neutralise the acid. But the boot lining has a permanent stain now, even after a good vacuum and the carpet shampoo. I would say over a period of time you would start up some corrosive issues.
On the safety side if you happened to introduce a spark somehow to a boot full of hydrogen gas from the battery then it might get a bit exciting. Hyndenburg "oh the humanity".

[broady]

My car now lives in the garage and only comes out to play when I've been a good boy.
My original battery died a couple of years ago, and I replaced it with another original from Mazda. Yeah it works fine, but isn't cheap and is quite heavy.

Now that the focus for my car is more of a racecar, I went with pretty much the lightest battery I could find.

2.9kg DEKA.
http://batterymart.com.au/dispdet.php?i ... 2239038944

Starts my car fine, I disconnect it when I'm leaving the car alone for more than a day or two.

Oh,
http://batterymart.com.au/
is a great store, super quick delivery and excellent prices.

Nice one Paks, putting in an order right now

[Old Dude]

My car has got a Mazda battery in it which the last owner bought just before selling the car to me so the battery is less than a year old.

The car is pretty much only being used to go to track events now so I want to keep the battery in top condition so it will still start when I want it to.

I'm looking at picking up a trickle charger / conditioner thing. They run the battery through discharge and charge cycles and automatically turn on and off, the idea being you can just hook it up and switch it on and leave it for weeks and weeks on end and the battery will still be in top condition when you next go to the car.

Are there any recommendations on brands and places to buy one? The few I have looked at were around the $300 mark.

They also seem to come in different variations for different types and sepcifications of batteries...what should I be looking for?

Jay car have exactly what you are looking for and it is for the AGM battery as well, its $69.95 and can be left connected to the car for extended periods, Im about to buy one for my NB today as its only a weekend car and sometimes if it doesn't get a regular run is a little tired when it starts up.
They actually advertise it for cars that dont get used a lot, its on their web catalogue, catalogue number MB3604

Cheers
Dale

[deviant]

My car has got a Mazda battery in it which the last owner bought just before selling the car to me so the battery is less than a year old.

The car is pretty much only being used to go to track events now so I want to keep the battery in top condition so it will still start when I want it to.

I'm looking at picking up a trickle charger / conditioner thing. They run the battery through discharge and charge cycles and automatically turn on and off, the idea being you can just hook it up and switch it on and leave it for weeks and weeks on end and the battery will still be in top condition when you next go to the car.

Are there any recommendations on brands and places to buy one? The few I have looked at were around the $300 mark.

They also seem to come in different variations for different types and sepcifications of batteries...what should I be looking for?

Jay car have exactly what you are looking for and it is for the AGM battery as well, its $69.95 and can be left connected to the car for extended periods, Im about to buy one for my NB today as its only a weekend car and sometimes if it doesn't get a regular run is a little tired when it starts up.
They actually advertise it for cars that dont get used a lot, its on their web catalogue, catalogue number MB3604

Cheers
Dale

Awesome post!! Thanks for that Old Dude

That unit looks the same as the one I saw in Repco for $300!!

[Old Dude]

Well bought the Jaycar charger, plugged it in and away It went, about an hour later the battery was on full charge and started beautifully, so I thought while the cars going tonight I'll go and get some petrol.
Accidently left my headlights on while I filled up and went to pay for the gas, jumped back in the car, Flat as a tack

Luckily these cars are so light, that I clutch started it and got back home and she's back on the charger, but I think its telling me its time for a new battery
Anyone else had this sort of thing happen?

Cheers
Dale

[deviant]

Never happened to me before but it might be worth checking that the alternator is charging it.

[toimr2]

Old Dude

If you were able to push start the car it's probably not your alternator.
From you comments it looks as if you only charged the battery for one hour. If the battery was completely flat you would need at least one day for it to be fully charged.
You can test the battery after fully charging it by turning on the lights and see if the car starts.
You do this a number of times to see if your battery dies.
If it does not it is usually OK.
Cheers

[Old Dude]

Yes guys I think its on its way out, It charges ok, as it wasn't flat when I put it on the new charger, it was just a maintenance charge. If I go for a run in the car it starts fine but the owner before me about 2 1/2 years ago only used the car on rare occasions, and its a weekender for me so doesn't see a lot of use, its only got 54000km on the clock, and the battery was tired when I bought the car and after I clutched it tonight I restarted it with no problem, I think it just suffers under load like leaving the lights on for 10 minutes
So i've done OK with it

Its been charging for 2 hours now and the charger says its full, so ill leave it on overnight, and maybe get it load checked tomorrow or later on in the week.
Cheers
Dale

[wiz043]

I have just bought a 1999 MX5 and after reading the comments about battery dramas I checked out my battery and discovered it is a Marshall heavy duty type and the previous owner paid $295 for it about 12 months ago (receipt sighted).
I don't know much about batteries but it has yellow criss cross cell tops on it so I don't know whether it is the sealed type.
I did not know what the rubber vent pipes were until I discovered this forum thread but there is nowhere to attach them on this battery.
Perhaps I should just keep an eye on it and check for leaks and corrosion from time to time ?

[Steampunk]

Its been charging for 2 hours now and the charger says its full, so ill leave it on overnight, and maybe get it load checked tomorrow or later on in the week.
Cheers
Dale

"Full" can mean anything from 50% to 100% charge. The charger or whatever indicator you use, will state that the batter itself is "fine", but it doesn't mean it has enough power to crank the car properly.
I've had this happen before, the indicator says it's on full charge, the car started and drove fine in the morning, but when I tried to start it in the afternoon, it didn't have enough power to start the starter motor.