Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) Jump starting a Plus 4

As I will have not used my ARP4 for nearly 3 weeks (battery will be flat) when I start it on Saturday morning (to go to Williams open day), I am planning to ask someone to push me along, and then release clutch while in second gear.

Am I right in thinking this is fine and won't cause any damage?

Thanks,
SEAN

If your battery volts are too low to get the fuel pump running it won't start by bump starting, this was ok before fuel injection arrived.

I changed my Gel battery for a wet one and you can leave it for a month when away with no charger connected it's mounted under the saddle board which is a better environment for any battery.
The high ambient temperatures sustained under the bonnet destroy the lifecycle of a Gel battery. As a general rule every 10C increase above 20C halves the useful life of the cell it's not rocket science.

The best solution is to parallel another battery across yours taking adequate precautions. A set of jump leads are cheap enough these days and lots of garages stock them.

Good luck.

I can leave my 07 plus 4 for uncharged for a month without any starting problems and the security light is on so its using power for the imobiliser , why does she still start ?

Do yourself a favour and buy yourself a LIon Jump-start pack like this

They are absolutely flippin' brilliant, you can leave it in the back of your car fully charged and it'll be there whenever you need it.

My camper van, which is hardly ever used, flattens its battery after about 3 monhs, and this thing will jump start it 5 4 or 5 times before it needs recharging - and that's a 2.2l diesel.

I agree with Madmax there must something off with your new car if it can't be left for 3 weeks. My Merc has the original 2006 battery & is happy left for 3 weeks.

My Roadster is too but I put it on a trickle charge

Apart from the fact that it really does not do the car (any car) good to allow a battery to go completely flat (the ECU will loose its short term adaptive memory, not a mega issue as it will relearn most of it in 20-25 miles but not good)there could be battery recovery issues? Is it not possible to use a battery conditioner/float charger? Do you have mains electricity where you keep the car? Is there access to the outside so you could use a solar panel type device used in camping and caravanning to keep the battery topped up?

Rather than fix a problem is there anything you can do to prevent the problem occurring in the first place?

thanks all.

When I looked last last night, the clock was still showing the correct time, and the red light of the immobiliser was still flashing as brightly as it usually is. Perhaps it will start on Saturday.

Main reason for asking is that it's apparently quite common for Morgan's to have a flat battery after more than 1 or 2 weeks of non use -- at least that is what I have read on here recently. This is surprising to me.

Jump start pack is a good idea though. Is there an easily accessible attachment point (as battery is 'hidden' in front of the rear axle)?

I have no idea what the arrangement is on the ARP4, I'm afraid. On my car the battery is in front of the rear axle, but to get to it you simply lift the rear parcel shelf and the battery connections are right there, so it's dead easy.

I am with Spanner Juggler on this.
In order to prevent the battery going completely flat, I invested in a CTek 0.8 charger last Autumn in case we had a stiff Winter (30 quid approx. from Halfords )
However, I understand you cannot use this version if the battery is dead/almost dead - it needs a higher spec.
I have mains in the garage, so putting the charger on overnight after more than a few days without use, and it is fully charged by the next morning.
Happiness is a fully charged battery!

I live in central London, the ARP4 is parked in an underground garage; there is no power outlet and no sun

I hope access to my battery is the same as a Plus 4.