Dead battery

Relapse · Postby **Relapse** » Tue Oct 24, 2017 7:20 pm

Hey guys,

Went to start my car today - and it wouldn't start up. (was clicking but couldnt get there) No lights were left on or anything

Jumped it and drove around for an hour and a bit. Now it wont start up again - so i assume the battery is flocked.

For the past couple of weeks iv been having issues with my lights and radio randomly turning on and off or flickering when driving - but when the car is stationary, they work fine. This is likely the battery right?

Also what battery should i buy as a replacement? i see some that fit the car (99 nb) for as low as $130 and some as high as $400. is there a differnce between these?

Cheers

jko · Postby **jko** » Tue Oct 24, 2017 7:31 pm

i was going to ask this question too.

i had a look at mania website and they have a cheap one for about $130 and was thinking of going ahead with that one but couldnt really find any reviews on it.

Wombit · Postby **Wombit** » Tue Oct 24, 2017 7:33 pm

I came across a similar issue in my SE the other day. After a week away, I'd turn the key and hear the relays click, but no crank. The issue for me was a broken battery terminal connector. The factory connectors are thin metal which will fatigue with age. I went down to SuperCheap and got new solid brass connectors and was set.

Out of interest, my battery is a Super Charge MF43. If you do need a new battery, get something that is Maintenance Free lead acid, or preferably Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM). The AGM battery won't leak and corrode your floor out, but the Maintenance Free lead acids are usually fine unless overcharging occurs or you put the battery on its side for an extended period.

Another note, if you buy a battery from SuperCheap Auto, their battery options are a touch larger and may be a challenge to fit. Their Century "NS60LSX MF" is probably the best option, but my local store doesn't carry it and would need to order it in.

TrackAttack · Postby **TrackAttack** » Tue Oct 24, 2017 9:50 pm

A lead acid battery does not meet ADR for use inside the vehicle. The correct battery as far as ADR or roadworthy requirements would be AGM. The factory MX5 Panasonic Battery is an AGM, and even though its up there in price, it has been known to last 10+ years under the right conditions

Wombit · Postby **Wombit** » Tue Oct 24, 2017 10:29 pm

TrackAttack wrote:A lead acid battery does not meet ADR for use inside the vehicle

Whilst I agree with that statement in the most part, the National Code of Practice for Light Vehicle Construction and Modification (VSB 14) states "Unless a special kind of battery (e.g, a sealed gel cell) is used in these locations,
the battery must be fully enclosed and the enclosure vented to outside the vehicle. Electrically
insulated enclosures such as sealed marine battery boxes should be used. The battery must be
securely fastened to the vehicle."

That means that if the battery is AGM, VRLA, SLA or similar, it is correct to use without an enclosure (i.e. as originally installed). This includes batteries marked as "MF" which is "Maintenance Free", and is a synonym for Sealed Lead Acid.

As long as the battery doesn't have the six removeable caps to allow addition of water, it should comply with the VSB.
https://infrastructure.gov.au/roads/vehicle_regulation/bulletin/pdf/NCOP3_Section_LA_Engine_01jan2011_v3.pdf

Relapse · Postby **Relapse** » Wed Oct 25, 2017 12:48 am

Wombit wrote:
TrackAttack wrote:A lead acid battery does not meet ADR for use inside the vehicle

Whilst I agree with that statement in the most part, the National Code of Practice for Light Vehicle Construction and Modification (VSB 14) states "Unless a special kind of battery (e.g, a sealed gel cell) is used in these locations,
the battery must be fully enclosed and the enclosure vented to outside the vehicle. Electrically
insulated enclosures such as sealed marine battery boxes should be used. The battery must be
securely fastened to the vehicle."

That means that if the battery is AGM, VRLA, SLA or similar, it is correct to use without an enclosure (i.e. as originally installed). This includes batteries marked as "MF" which is "Maintenance Free", and is a synonym for Sealed Lead Acid.

As long as the battery doesn't have the six removeable caps to allow addition of water, it should comply with the VSB.
https://infrastructure.gov.au/roads/vehicle_regulation/bulletin/pdf/NCOP3_Section_LA_Engine_01jan2011_v3.pdf

Not going to lie, im pretty un - car -savy. and this is all going over my head.
My current (dead) battery does have 6cap things and has a sticker saying something about water. It shouldn't have this?

Wombit · Postby **Wombit** » Wed Oct 25, 2017 10:41 am

Relapse wrote:My current (dead) battery does have 6cap things and has a sticker saying something about water. It shouldn't have this?

No, that would be a wet cell lead acid battery.
You can still use that type of battery, but it needs to be fully enclosed and vented to the outside of the vehicle. Those batteries aren't good inside a car though, as they create flammable gasses when charged. They also have a tendency to leak battery acid if over charged, or tipped over. This wouldn't be good for your car as you could imagine.

The best option, although most expensive, is an Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM) battery as the battery acid is suspended inside the battery to stop spillage. These batteries pretty much never release flammable gasses, and still work on their side. These are commonly used in motorcycles which lean over.

Most MX-5's today will be fitted with a Sealed Lead Acid (SLA) or Maintenance Free (MF) battery. These are cheaper than AGM, don't have the caps to top up the battery acid, are spill proof, and only vent gasses if over charged.

If you can get an AGM that would be fantastic, but the MF type batteries are more than adequate.

93_Clubman · Postby **93_Clubman** » Wed Oct 25, 2017 10:45 am

Relapse wrote:My current (dead) battery does have 6 cap things and has a sticker saying something about water. It shouldn't have this?

Correct.

Relapse wrote:Also what battery should i buy as a replacement? i see some that fit the car (99 nb) for as low as $130 and some as high as $400. is there a differnce between these?

jko wrote:i had a look at mania website and they have a cheap one for about $130 and was thinking of going ahead with that one but couldnt really find any reviews on it.

The $130 battery from MX5 Mania or equivalent have been used by many. The top end price-wise batteries like the original Mazda factory black Panasonic (if still available) can be great if you're going to keep the car for 10 plus years - this recent battery thread also has some suggestions to try before replacement: viewtopic.php?f=29&t=75424

RS2000 · Postby **RS2000** » Wed Oct 25, 2017 2:09 pm

On venting batteries....even the original black Panasonic AGM was vented to outside the boot on my NB. Surprisingly, a lot of battery manufacturer's catalogues list wet lead-acid batteries without vents for NB's !

Also, there is a lot of confusion with the designation name of car batteries. They are all lead-acid batteries - even the AGM is lead-acid.
Here are the different lead-acid constructions : www.driverstechnology.co.uk/car-batteries.htm