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

Tim,

Nice job, and great piccie. Thanks

I am all for keeping things simple and if necessary, would connect directly to the battery positive and an earth. How often do you need to jump start? I haven''t on the Mog, or any of my cars in living memory.

I agree with above regarding need for jump starting. May have offered to others once or twice in my lifetime, but the last time I benefitted was with an old van I ran on my Dad's market garden at the age of 15 or so.

Replacing battery every six to seven years irrespective with a branded one then using regularly with long enough runs to fully re-charge is a far better policy. If laid up for more than a few weeks, then a charger/conditioner on float will prolong life and ensure adequate starting when needed. No need for fancy brands costing the earth either, offering slightly greater longevity but prolonging the marginal capacity condition. I learnt this with laptops, better to upgrade regularly with cheaper model and up to date CPU than being stuck with an expensive one that refuses to die but becomes increasingly out-classed after a few years.

The Varta on our old Polo is Alive at 14 years for some reason.

My Roadster battery went 13 years before failing in the garage!

That is good Dave, but the batteries at that sort of age will have a much reduced capacity, masked by an easy starting engine until crunch time when its left outside on a cold winters night. Morgan owners seem more than happy to have premature oil and tyre changes, why skimp on the battery

Note as a Yorkshireman I feel almost over qualified to offer this advice

As a Yorkshireman Richard I am obliged to push my value for money envelope to the absolute limit.

For some reason my Roadster has always spun on the starter like a turbine. Maybe I should have changed it at twelve years.

The twin sixes on my MGB never went more than three or four years.........................

I, too, get long life from my batteries, replaced at the first sign of decline, and these days carry a jump pack in case I get it wrong especially with my forays into the “wilderness”.

But I have had my moments in my years of motoring and had flat batteries on two occasions in nearly new cars in “wilderness” situations.
Firstly a Volvo whilst on the banks of the river Spey. New battery fitted by RAC and had a repeat fail a month later. Then again. Never got to the bottom of it but car soon went.
Secondly, a BMW 5 series in a field in the middle of Bedfordshire. RAC got me going, fault found by BMW service people.

I raised the thread because should i err and become juiceless I don’t want to faff around. You would be brave indeed to try putting jump leads on the battery (unless 4 terminal) via the saddle board, having firstly removed the board, removed tool tray (after removing tools from tray cos one if bound to fall out onto the wing), and navigating around the suspension hoop and metal fixing strap with croc clips to terminals you cannot see. This would be why my service book instructs jumping the starter.

It’s tight in there (actually you are hooking up full load to to the solenoid), so again the instruction, rightly, gives a warning.

Incidentally, well done the RAC for finding me in the past!