Talk Morgan Forums Thread Like Summary - Battery and Not Starting Troubles

Hello everyone,

My apologies if this isn't the correct place to post this, it is my first post on the forum.

I'm having a little bit of trouble and can't quite figure out what to do about it. I have a 2001 Plus 8 that is completely stock, but I keep having an issue with it not starting. I replaced the battery, same problem. Replaced it again same problem. I can get it to start with a jump box and once it's going it seems to run fine - minus not being able to run the signals. With that being said, I hooked up a larger more traditional 12v battery I had and it fired right up - now we enter the main problem - Traditional battery won't fit under the hood and I don't want to move the fuel filter.

Does anyone have any tips or tricks they would recommend? Anyone ever experienced this?

The battery on it right now is a gel Odyssey Extreme 12V ODS-28AGML with 330 CCA. Just doesn't seem to have the amperage I need for the car to operate.

Thanks in advance for any help!

This is the one I recently fitted to my 1999 Plus 8 - the last identical one managed 11 years without a charge so it did well. The car is used at least once a week year round which helps longevity as batteries need cycling properly it's what they thrive on, not continual float charging. £69 delivered.

All I know is the battery that was fitted to my Plus 8 in the UK was smaller than I would fit to a mini, so on arrival in NZ with it flat I changed to an Odyssey PC-950 AGM battery which is mounted lying on its side behind the drivers seat , of course that was the original spot on my model year and I only had to adjust the tray size , you may not have the space in the GEMs under bonnet models . It really flings the engine over and hasnt given a moments issue.

The trad Plus 8 had a bulkhead mounted battery, unlike others of the era. The space (height) available was limited so a compromise was sought in a smaller battery, the inevitable reduction in capacity being offset by using a premium one with high cold cranking amps (CCA). The most common replacement seems to be an Odessy PC925 which has a CCA of 325 amps to offset the minimal 28 amp hour capacity. The consequence is that perhaps they don't last as long as the rear mounted nominal 55 amp hour capacity batteries used in other trad Mogs. Some Plus 8 owners have re-engineered the main battery leads to accept a larger gel rear mounted battery lying on its side, I assume because of space limitations.

Regarding your starting problems, have you checked the charging system With a near fully charged battery and after a few minutes of running you should be seeing in the order of 14.4 volts at the battery terminals with engine at a fast idle.