JP

I'm sure it did JK, but, for clarification, it was only charged in the course of driving. I haven't had it on a charger.

Out for a short spin today ~30 mins. No idle problems at all. Here are some further voltage readings for comparison after this morning's drive: Everything off, FIA off: 12.84V Everything off, FIA on: 12.84V Lights on for 10s, then switch off: 12.72V Cranking: No initial momentary large drop visible on my multimeter. Initial cranking at 10.90V, which dropped smoothly while cranking to a steady 10.71V. And looking at the revs drop as per @revilla posting above, I think I see a momentary pause during the fall: Videopro 20240427 110103-1.mp4 So, I now have a new IACV sitting in a box. I guess I might as well fit it...

If anyone only wants 4 of these, I would be happy to take the 5th - I'm after a spare.

I'll recheck it after driving, but I don't think I should have to put a new battery on a charger...

Battery and IACV arrived today. Battery fitted, but not test driven yet. However, I thought I would test the voltages on a fresh battery straight out of the box from Tayna. Here are the numbers for comparison: Voltages: Everything off, FIA off: 12.54V Everything off, FIA on: 12.54V Lights on for 10s, then switch off: 12.40V Cranking: No initial momentary large drop visible on my multimeter. Cranked steadily at 10.35V. Engine started (on the button, no throttle needed), idling at 13.95V. No 3000rpm voltage tested this time. Current IACV could be felt "stepping" briefly after switch off. I'll drive the car over the weekend. If it fails at idle again, I'll change the IACV. If I get to Sunday and it hasn't failed, I might change the IACV anyway, because the new one is shiny and new...

Will do! Battery first and I'll keep the IACV in the boot just in case...

Right! I've lost patience and ordered a new Banner and a new IACV! One of those must fix the problem! Having thought about this more, I do recall the cutting out happening once before, before I took the car off the road in about 2008/2009. It ran fine again afterwards, but perhaps that is a sign of a failing IACV... I'll look at lighter batteries next time once everything else is sorted. Thanks for all the help and guidance!

@BigCol may I ask why? Was it only weight saving? The Banner seems to have greater capacity and cranking then the others. For me reliability is my primary concern as mine is mainly a road car with occasional track days.

Or £40.66 / kg if I should be looking at this one: https://www.tayna.co.uk/motorcycle-batteries/odyssey/pc680/

£27.18 / kg! (inc VAT) https://www.tayna.co.uk/car-batteries/banner/53034/ vs: https://www.tayna.co.uk/motorcycle-batteries/odyssey/pc535/ If I've selected the correct Odyssey....if I haven't, it could be a lot more!

Thanks again all. I've just caught up. Been through the Best Battery thread again and (other than the sealed / unsealed point) I'm struggling to find a reason not to stick with the regular Banner at ~£80.

I believe Chris is managing it by himself. Bear with him - he is incredibly helpful and knowledgable and I am sure he will help as soon as he is able to do so. In my own experience, sometimes he responds immediately, sometimes it takes a little longer - if it has been a few days, there's no harm in giving him a gentle nudge.

Wow, my primaries are from Powerspeed c.2002 and seem fine and that's after 14 years of no use being stored in a draughty barn...but with no wrap...

@revilla - thank you. I will replace - looks like a decision between a Banner and a Powervamp PC535. I understand that AGM batteries require a different charging profile from standard acid. Is that an issue on a 7 or is it only an issue for cars with an ECU that manages the charging pattern? I replaced my LA battery with an AGM one in my Boxster and was advised that I should have stuck to regular LA as the charging would not be properly suited. As for the cutting out and failing to start and stay started on the starter button without throttle, it does seem to have resolved after removing and firmly reseating the HT leads. Would it make sense for that to be an explanation? I'll listen again to the IACV and make a note of when I hear it...

@Jonathan Kay - Following charging the battery overnight, I now have these numbers: Voltages - tested on a cold engine as soon as charged battery re-installed. No driving between charging and testing: Everything off, FIA off: 13.24V Everything off, FIA on: 13.23V Lights on for 10s, then switch off: 12.68 Cranking: initial momentary drop again to around 7V, but too brief to be sure. Settled cranking at around 9.60V while cranking for a few seconds. (Cranking with king HT lead unplugged from distributor.) When stopping cranking I noticed, what I guess, is a stepper motor sound from the IACV, so I guess that is working - or at least doing something. I didn't recheck voltages at 3000rpm as it was a little early in the morning for my neighbours! From the figures above, I guess I need a new battery? I'll trawl the thread above again, but I suspect a std banner will be in order...

That might be a better idea. Any particular brand of tape to recommend? I've seen DEI tape available on DT website in 15' or 50' rolls. Roughly how much does one need to wrap 4 primaries?

Thanks again @Jonathan Kay - I suspect time for a new battery - let's see tomorrow... I'll also check my drive belt tension. I really don't fancy changing my alternator...

Thanks @Jonathan Kay. I just topped up and tested. I'll whip the battery out tonight and charge overnight. What should the cranking voltage be? Do the other voltages look OK? I have to say, I think I'm just putting off the inevitable with the battery - although not old, it was flat as a pancake when I got it out of the shed after sitting outside over a cold winter... I saw the thread on batteries, but I'll review again. I do want something that fits in the battery cradle so it needs to be the same dimensions as a Banner or smaller...

@Jonathan Kay Thank you. The battery is a std Banner. Checked the cells and all were slightly down on water so topped up (3-5mm at most in each) Voltages - tested on a cold engine: Everything off, FIA off: 12.65V Everything off, FIA on: 12.65V Lights on for 10s, then switch off: 12.44V Cranking: initial momentary drop to around 7.55V, but then settled cranking at around 9.10V while cranking for a few seconds. (Cranking with king HT lead unplugged from distributor.) Engine then started first time on the button only (no throttle required) and idled happily while cold at around 1300-1400rpm. Voltages: At cold idle: 13.85-13.90V At 3000rpm 13.95V. Does that shed any light on matters? I am wondering if this was just a loose HT lead issue, unless that doesn't make sense. Haven't test driven today. May try to do so tomorrow.

Found a picture from when the dash was out of the car. Is this the PScan plug?

@revilla Thank you again. I've had this car since 2001 having bought it with 900 miles on the clock. The starter is original and the TB came from Oily - fitted fresh out of the box, so there shouldn't have been any tinkering. I'll double check behind the dash to see if I have the "OBD" plug. I seem to recall noticing it when I pulled the dash for the rebuild... When I came to refit the battery, it was dead, having lived in the shed over winter and not on charge. I have "revived it" with numerous charges so that it holds enough charge to start the car without help now...but I doubt it's in very good condition. I'll fire the car up again today and see what happens...it had run OK again after reseating the HT leads yesterday - could misfires from loose HT leads cause this or is that unlikely?

@revilla - thank you. Food for thought. I've had to watch the video a few times, but I think I get it - there is a momentary pause as the revs drop at 1500? I should say that the mods to the engine were done many years ago and it had always run without any problem before. Until today, it has also been running well since its return to the road about 6 weeks ago after 14 years of hibernation . And it seems to be running well again now, but I'll take it for another spin when I get a chance in a few days... I'm going to look into a PScan - I think it would be helpful to see what's happening with the engine - am I right in thinking a PScan plugs into the black large plug that hangs free behind the dash? I'm not in the Midlands, I'm afraid. I'm SW London.

Sorry for the numpty question, but is this the idle control valve? If so, other than visually checking the wiring, is there a way to test it other than by buying a new one and fitting it?

Thanks, would that also explain it seemingly being intermittent? Battery is not that old. Bought in spring 2022, but only used briefly and then removed and kept in the shed (not on charge) from late summer 2022 to May 2023, while the engine was out of the car for my rebuild. The battery has recharged on a charger and will start the car without help, but it hasn't exactly been kept in ideal conditions!

One for the wisdom of BC please. For the first time my 1999 EU2 1.6KSS spluttered and almost died when idling as I coasted up to a junction today. Managed to save it by blipping the throttle and got home. On arriving home and lifting off the throttle, it simply died as the revs dropped. Engine has verniers, recently timed by oily, and a 52mm TB, but is an otherwise std 1.6KSS. Managed to restart by blipping the throttle on the starter - usually it just starts up on the button. Switched off again and checked inertia switch - all fine it seems. Restarted on throttle but died again. Then tried the "reset" by opening throttle 5 times with ignition on . This time it fired into life, but then cut out. Restarting required throttle again. Then thought I'd check the plugs. As I did so, I felt that the HT plug leads could have been better seated on the spark plugs. None seemed loose, but the tops of the plug leads seemed to sit proud of the plug hole whereas the previous HT lead plugs tops sat down flush with the top of the plug hole. Plugs all look fine and HT leads pushed further home on refitting. It then started on the starter and a test drive for about 20 minutes was faultless. Could loose HT leads cause the cutting out at idle or was it coincidence that it started working again and should I be looking elsewhere for a failing component? The Rover Haynes manual for the 216 suggests checking HT leads for such symptoms... Also, can anyone point me to a good general resource for understanding and trouble shooting engine management issues. Having spent the last decade + on old Series Land Rover engines, I need to get my head around the various sensors etc on the K-series engine, what they all do and the effect of failing components on engine behaviour. A loose plug lead on a Land Rover would have given a misfire / less power, but perhaps when there is an ECU involved, it just gives up instead? Many thanks for any guidance...