Topic

It's a strange title I know. Here's why...

My battery seemed to be a big old type. No idea exactly how old it was but it was leaking a bit of acid and the car was taking longer and longer to start in the morning. New battery ordered from fleabay for less than £50 quid, with a two year warranty.

The Old Battery. That's my good lady doing the battery swap. She loosened up the bolts slightly but didn't remove them from the terminals. I'm much better at photography and first aid than she is so I let her do the easy bit.



The New Battery with a few drops of rain on it. Don't forget to remove those plastic caps.



The problem I worried about was that I don't know my Kenwood radio code and disconnecting the battery would lock me out. A few people at Jans' BBQ said there was no way around this problem. Anyway, I figured that if I connected some 'jump leads' to the wifes' car, during the battery changeover, there would be constant power and the radio, sound system, whatever you prefer to call it, would not lock me out and require the code to get back in. A code I didn't have!

So we she set about the task and connected the jump leads between the two cars. + Positive red lead to + positive red lead on each battery first. Then - Negative black lead to - negative black lead next.

Tipper wrote: wrote:

Just a safety point if I may about changing batteries.. You should always disconnect the earth lead (-ve) first and reconnect it last. This avoids the possibility of a slipping spanner on the +ve terminal shorting out on any adjacent earthed metal parts/body. Shorted batteries can explode and cause serious burns!

Then with the jump leads still connected throughout the process my good lady removed the MGTF battery leads from their terminals but kept the jump leads, coming from her car battery, connected to them. The clamps were quite strong and they didn't pop off. You do have to take it slow though. Just in case they come lose and disconnect the current flow.


As she held the leads out of the way, I then lifted out the old battery and put in the new battery. With the jump leads still on, carefully connect the cars battery leads and tighten the nuts onto the bolts. When both are connected you can remove the jump leads. Secure any locking plates in place, start the car and see if it worked.









'The job's a good un!'