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The mkiv Supra Owners Club

The definitive battery thread


Ian C

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  • 2 weeks later...
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My battery has just died so I need to get one for my 96 facelift NA.

 

Thinking of getting a halfords hcb005 but over the next month i am only going to be using it at weekends so is it worth me getting the battery now or holding out until i am going to be using the car a little more as I am worried about the battery draining again?

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My battery has just died so I need to get one for my 96 facelift NA.

 

Thinking of getting a halfords hcb005 but over the next month i am only going to be using it at weekends so is it worth me getting the battery now or holding out until i am going to be using the car a little more as I am worried about the battery draining again?

 

 

As you may know I've got one of those Halfrauds HCB005s, and I was getting a drain, which could either be a bad earth, or time of year (wet/cold), but I recently bought a solar powered charger that sits on the dashboard and plugs into the cigarette lighter when I'm not using it. I haven't had any starting issues since. Which is nice :)

 

This one: http://www.nigelsecostore.com/acatalog/Solar_car_battery_charger_2W.html

 

I assumed that as its 2w, it should be a reasonable performer, and its been perfect. I personally recommend it, but I haven't got a battery tester to see how much it does charge (or not) though.

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Hi all

 

I changed my battery yesterday in my 96 NA supra (import) after reading this thread to a halfords hcb005 following many people saying they were a good battery and that I wouldn't need any new connectors etc to fit the battery.

 

What a nightmare, read what happened here:

http://www.mkivsupra.net/vbb/showthread.php?p=1808408&posted=1#post1808408

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My car is outside most ot the time so a solar powered one would be ideal for me.

 

It'd have to be a big one. I have a 5w one in the boot of the supe (like the one in the link below) that gets good sunlight in summer. It doesn't keep the battery charged as the alarm etc takes more current over 24 hours than it can provide during the day. It does slow down how long it takes for the battery to get flat though.

 

And when the car cover is on it doesn't work at all.... Doh!!

 

http://www.amazon.com/Northern-Industrial-Solar-Powered-Trickle-Charger/dp/B00139YZLM/ref=pd_ts_hi_28?ie=UTF8&s=hi

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It'd have to be a big one. I have a 5w one in the boot of the supe (like the one in the link below) that gets good sunlight in summer. It doesn't keep the battery charged as the alarm etc takes more current over 24 hours than it can provide during the day.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Northern-Industrial-Solar-Powered-Trickle-Charger/dp/B00139YZLM/ref=pd_ts_hi_28?ie=UTF8&s=hi

 

 

Maybe its just me, but I've really noticed a difference when I start the car, as it seems so much more positive on starting than it was before. Maybe its just me though :)

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Maybe its just me, but I've really noticed a difference when I start the car, as it seems so much more positive on starting than it was before. Maybe its just me though :)

 

I might have a high quiescent current drain...... takes 2 weeks for the battery to go flat without the solar panel.

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For £25 i think i will get the 2w trickle charge, dont use my supra that often so i should tell if it soon works or not.

 

 

Almost an official test :) At least we can give a fair opinion then?

 

Obviously it has been very sunny recently, so that may make a real difference, but solar powered products do tend to work even on dim cloudy days too, so it will be good to know how you get on :)

 

Unless you leave the cover on the car that is ;)

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I changed my battery recently also. As usual I went obsessive and spent ages googling for the largest capacity battery that I could fit in there. In the end I just bought a Halfords HB005, non-calcium, since I think they may be a con/not worth the extra/still be dead within 2 yrs/have crashed the car by then anyway/etc.

 

Car sounded lovely and sprightly when I started it. Then I took it straight into the bodyshop where it's now been sitting for a month :( Battery will probably be fooked when I get it back :(

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  • 3 weeks later...
My cigarette doesnt work unless the ignition is turned on, does anyone know if this can be wired up differently so i can plug in a solar powered charger ?

 

 

Have you tried just plugging it in, as I'm sure my lighter only works with the ignition on too?

 

On the solar battery charger I bought, there is no 'in operation' light on it, unless you press a button to light a LED briefly to show its strong enough to charge.

 

I really must say, that its now over a month since I got the charger, and not once has it had trouble starting. :)

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...
HCB005 is now £82.99 in Halfords. All the more reason to just buy a HB005. I'll post the same in the Battery FAQ thread too, as it says they're £55 in there.

 

They tried that with me but they hadn't updated the price on shelf so i got it for £79.99 :D

 

There must be a better lighter weight (5kg) solution than this battery from somewhere else :(

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