20 replies to this topic

[JonnyAlpha]

Hi;

 

Looking for a new battery for my 1982 HLE 1000.

 

Found this old thread but would like to know if it's still valid?

 

Halfords do this 063 one which is mentioned as a good replacement, still £49.

 

Just found this newer thread in which OP limby2000 mentions a Bosch s4 (075) from Eurocarparts. I just found a promo code and got the price down to £48.99. Dimensions are L/W/H 242/175/175mm I guess this will fit and still allow for a spare wheel?

 

Any thoughts?

 

 

 

 

[Cooperman]

Measure the size of the battery you have and compare it. Then decide if it will fit.

[alex-95]

yep the s4 fits

 

 

 

And fitted my new battery as the other one was pretty old and slowly dying. 

 

 

 

[59 Speed]

I have the Bosch S4 075 one from Euro Car Parts. Fits fine in the standard battery box with enough clearance for the spare wheel.

The only issue you'll have is the terminals will be on the right hand side instead of near the spare wheel. Not a big deal just make sure that your terminals are shielded away from the bodywork.

Edited by Smackfiend, 11 October 2016 - 09:39 PM.

[1984mini25]

I've been using a 063 excel battery from euro car parts (around £60 at the mo, but mine was half that) for the last few years, witch is more than enough for a standard mini. With the only other mod being an inch think piece of polystyrene in the bottom of the battery box to help insulate it. I have tried a 075 (cheap new/second-hand off eBay for £30) witch had around 650cca, but it was a bit ott for a standard mini to be honest, as you only needed to flick the key for it to start.

 

[JBW]

I use an 075 battery, plenty of reserve power, paid about £30 delivered with a 3 year warranty.

Found an 063 OK if car used regularly, but my homemade digital clock was draining the battery too much after a few weeks during the winter.

[JonnyAlpha]

Just ordered a Bosch s4 075 from Euro Car Parts (search for a use a promo code) cost £48.99 (cheaper than a Halfords 063) and 20 more AH rating at 60AH.

 

There service is awsome, placed the order click an collect and litterally 2 mins later they called me to say it was ready!!

 

 

I use an 075 battery, plenty of reserve power, paid about £30 delivered with a 3 year warranty.

Found an 063 OK if car used regularly, but my homemade digital clock was draining the battery too much after a few weeks during the winter.

 

When and where did you get it for £30?

[Baldspeed Racing]

Helfrauds batteries aren't the best, if you buy from there spend the extra on a Yuasa version far better imo

[JBW]

Just ordered a Bosch s4 075 from Euro Car Parts (search for a use a promo code) cost £48.99 (cheaper than a Halfords 063) and 20 more AH rating at 60AH.

 

There service is awsome, placed the order click an collect and litterally 2 mins later they called me to say it was ready!!

 

 

I use an 075 battery, plenty of reserve power, paid about £30 delivered with a 3 year warranty.

Found an 063 OK if car used regularly, but my homemade digital clock was draining the battery too much after a few weeks during the winter.

 

When and where did you get it for £30?

 

Got mine through Ebay from Tayna Batteries,thought it would be more than enough for a standard Mini,  worked well last winter,so far so good.

I use a Bosch 075 on another car which doesn't get used much in the winter (3 months off the road last winter), but that's the original battery type, so the better CCA is a bonus, that's been on there about 4 years & still OK, hope it lasts a bit longer .

[tiger99]

For goodness sake get some insulating covers on the terminals of these batteries before your Minis go up in smoke! One even has a spanner lying beside it!

 

The cardboard cover that fits over the battery is by itself not sufficient.

[JonnyAlpha]

Yer it is fitted, turns the car over lovely 

[1984mini25]

For goodness sake get some insulating covers on the terminals of these batteries before your Minis go up in smoke! One even has a spanner lying beside it!

 

The cardboard cover that fits over the battery is by itself not sufficient.

 

Happier now? (I guess not)

 

One battery covered by the standard cardboard cover copped to fit and painted.

 

And further covered by a boot carpet and boot board.

[tiger99]

The boot board makes a substantial improvement but there still is not much clearance between the positive terminal and the side of the battery box. A small metal object could get in there.  And that big battery contains far more energy than the standard one. It really is unwise to have anything like that unprotected. It would not be nice if all that hard work, which looks good, went up in smoke. And what would the insurance company say? They always want to wriggle out of paying out. If you declared the unshrouded battery terminal as a modification they would most likely cancel your policy.

 

For the same reason there should be a rubber cover over the permanently live terminal on the starter solenoid. It is often omitted. The brown wires in the underbonnet and dash area also require extreme care in routing and securing.

 

But the worst risk of all is the main battery cable where it passes from the floor to the front subframe. If you go back through this forum you will find a few instances where it shorted, always because one or both of its two vital fixings, a clip to the inside of the subframe side rail, and another clip mounted on a long white plastic spacer with a through bolt, were missing. That happened to me once, the cable moved sideways and met the exhaust, and the engine stopped immediately. At night the lights would also have failed immediately so it could have been catastrophic. Fortunately that was Mini number 2, and I knew it so well that I knew exactly what had happened even before the car stopped, and soon had the battery disconnected. The leads were hot and smoking, and if left much longer the battery might have been boiling and spraying acid everywhere. Fortunately it was quite an old battery, a new one might have started a fire before I could deal with it.

[59 Speed]

Appologies, a bit of a rubbish picture. I've got the same Bosch 075 battery and I've used the covers that come with it and trimmed them to allow the cable to come through the gap.

Under them I've made sure the terminals are as far away from the body work as possible and I've double up on the heat shrink in an effort to insulate the wiring.

I was contemplating getting a battery with the standard positive and negative positions where they sit on the left hand side of the battery, but I was even more concerned with the battery clamp getting near the terminals and shorting the battery out.

 image.jpeg   35.36K   10 downloads

Years ago I fitted a modified exhaust and I didn't think about the positive wire making contact - coming back from Southport I lost all power and lights (apart from the ones made from the sparks under my car). Lucky not to watch my car go up in smoke at the side of the road. It will be quite scary watching a battery with that kind of power short out in front of you!

[1984mini25]

The boot board makes a substantial improvement but there still is not much clearance between the positive terminal and the side of the battery box. A small metal object could get in there.  And that big battery contains far more energy than the standard one. It really is unwise to have anything like that unprotected. It would not be nice if all that hard work, which looks good, went up in smoke. And what would the insurance company say? They always want to wriggle out of paying out. If you declared the unshrouded battery terminal as a modification they would most likely cancel your policy.

 

For the same reason there should be a rubber cover over the permanently live terminal on the starter solenoid. It is often omitted. The brown wires in the underbonnet and dash area also require extreme care in routing and securing.

 

But the worst risk of all is the main battery cable where it passes from the floor to the front subframe. If you go back through this forum you will find a few instances where it shorted, always because one or both of its two vital fixings, a clip to the inside of the subframe side rail, and another clip mounted on a long white plastic spacer with a through bolt, were missing. That happened to me once, the cable moved sideways and met the exhaust, and the engine stopped immediately. At night the lights would also have failed immediately so it could have been catastrophic. Fortunately that was Mini number 2, and I knew it so well that I knew exactly what had happened even before the car stopped, and soon had the battery disconnected. The leads were hot and smoking, and if left much longer the battery might have been boiling and spraying acid everywhere. Fortunately it was quite an old battery, a new one might have started a fire before I could deal with it.

 

I've personally never had any problems with the battery terminals sorting, but then I never leave lose tools  in the boot.

 

One issue I have seen over the years though, is the battery cable boot floor grommet wearing through and the battery cable shorting out and the car/back seat going up in flames. Hence why I've always now enlarged the hole in the boot floor to use larger open grommet and some heater hose over the cable through the grommet.