Battery Dead -- Options?

[Johnny&Ruby]

I know this is likely answered somewhere but frankly the search engine here is kinda not-good... anyway. Side door on our L300 got left open a crack and the overhead light was on all day. Batteries dead now. Crappy Tire charger didn't do the job and a jump from a neighbour was similarly unsuccessful. Help!

[FalcoColumbarius]

View topic - dead battery every 3-4 days | Delica Canada ...
Sounds more like a draw on the battery rather than an alternator. Any aftermarket accessories installed ?? An alternator would normally result ...
http://www.delica.ca/forum/dead-battery ... -7282.html
1991 L300 ran flawlessly till today - Delica Canada
Do not use this as your answer to possibly dead battery. The battery may be drawing too much from the pack, leaving not enough juice to start ...
http://www.delica.ca/.../1991-l300-ran- ... -9795.html
View topic - 2 batteries? Electrical problem I think........ | Delica ...
It sounds like one battery is dead, acting as a resistance in your system. I would suggest replacing the suspect battery. Actually, do you know ...
http://www.delica.ca/.../2-batteries-el ... -2809.html
View topic - Keeping Batteries From A Cold Death | Delica Canada ...
Go to start the deli, nothing, no clicks no nothing symptoms of a mondo dead battery. Then I would take the stick shifter and put it all the ...
http://www.delica.ca/.../keeping-batter ... 07-15.html


First four on page one of nine. Did you try the Google search engine at the top of the page or the old house one (we should get rid of that one).

Are you just trying to start the engine? In which case you just need a good connexion that will deliver 300+ amperes. I know this might sound odd but have you checked the terminals for corrosion? It is that time of year when condensation builds up a thin barrier on the terminals/wire ends and a good cleaning never hurts. Another thing you can do is purchase an "Eliminator" battery pack (600 CCA) at Canadian Tire, jump the engine then go for a drive up the Malahat for half an hour. How old are the batteries? Maybe you need new ones? How many hours is "all day"?

Falco.

[jessef]

Are the batteries (now dead) the originals from Japan? If so, tell them 'good riddance' and pick up a fresh pair.

Amp draw on the interior lights is not high but if your batteries are on the fritz, it doesn't take much to drain them.

another possibility is that one of the two batteries could have been low and when that happens, the bad battery will drain the good battery.

An alternative (what many owners end up doing) is replacing the two original batteries with a single good quality heavy duty battery. This does a few goods things: the above (bad battery drains good battery) scenario won't happen, you have some extra space in the battery box (some put an auxiliary battery for emergency starts in case the starter battery dies), you won't have to worry about the positive terminals arcing/making contact with the body metal, the cost is less than two good batteries.

[Johnny&Ruby]

Probably they are the originals. They certainly look old.

The two guys who have looked at the situation so far have mentioned the "bad battery drains good" as a possibility. Had a friend over for a couple hours and he found that the battery near the outside wall had a loose bolt on the hard-to-get-at positive terminal. It looked as if there was some melting that had happened, too, and briefly there was a smell of ozone as we tried to boost it, once with the Eliminator, once with his car, and once with both Eliminator and car. So I went out and bought a new connector and he did some effed-up new configuration that just... it just looks like a complete mess in there. Anyways, even with the new connector and everything tightened, we still couldn't get it to start.

Then I told him that I'd read on the forum that Delicas require 600 cold cranking amps and he laughed and told me to call in a tow truck. So I did, a couple hours later. Even with 1200 amps from the tow truck, all we got were the glow plugs clicking. Plus the tow truck driver took one look at the rat's nest my friend had made (looked worse than when we started) and pointed to a spot where the positive lead had no doubt touched the metal battery brace at some point. So there's that.

As it stands, I think I will be going with the larger single heavy duty battery. Jfarsang, what do you recommend for size and how much will it cost me, roughly? I'm in pretty tight-ish times financially these days and could use a break. Hell, I could use a pair of Delica owner eyes, really. I'm in Victoria, near Cook Street Village.

Are the batteries (now dead) the originals from Japan? If so, tell them 'good riddance' and pick up a fresh pair.

Amp draw on the interior lights is not high but if your batteries are on the fritz, it doesn't take much to drain them.

another possibility is that one of the two batteries could have been low and when that happens, the bad battery will drain the good battery.

An alternative (what many owners end up doing) is replacing the two original batteries with a single good quality heavy duty battery. This does a few goods things: the above (bad battery drains good battery) scenario won't happen, you have some extra space in the battery box (some put an auxiliary battery for emergency starts in case the starter battery dies), you won't have to worry about the positive terminals arcing/making contact with the body metal, the cost is less than two good batteries.

[jessef]

The cost of the battery depends on brand/size and where you buy it from.

I would highly recommend giving Jay a call. pm Tardisdeli here on the forum. He's the deli-ctrician magician :)

[Johnny&Ruby]

Thanks, I will!

The cost of the battery depends on brand/size and where you buy it from.

I would highly recommend giving Jay a call. pm Tardisdeli here on the forum. He's the deli-ctrician magician :)

[Johnny&Ruby]

... but I still wouldn't say no to a pair of local eyeballs to take a look at the mess under there! My number is 250.886.6679 and I'm off work for the next two days and available-with-notice the rest of the week, so if you're driving in downtown Victoria and feeling like helping a Deli owner out, feel free to call! Thanks everyone.

Scott

[FalcoColumbarius]

I got mine from Edmonds Batteries. They have a house brand battery that, unlike the fancy Optima and Odyssey, are not made in Mexico, they are made in the States. They are guaranteed outright for three years and prorated for a further five years. Between the two batteries I have 1400+ Cold Cranking Amps @ -30C. I don't know what their policy is for Vancouver Island but I would highly recommend them.

As far as having someone looking at your system on the Island... I would recommend Glen up in Coombs. If you can't get there perhaps give him a call, maybe he can help you on the phone?

Falco.