MX5 battery not charging

Honest John Back Room » Technical matters
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Thu 9 Feb 2006 18:33
MX5 battery not charging - fray bentos
Hi,a few weeks ago the battery in my mx5 was flat,(my fault as I don't use it enough!).I charged it up and was fine.Because I still didn't use it enough its flat again but although I've had it on charge, its still won't start. The windows work so there's some power but not enough. When is it time to buy a new battery ,or am I doing something wrong? Thanks.
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Thu 9 Feb 2006 18:55
MX5 battery not charging - mjm
The battery, as you know, is in the boot. This means that the leads are considerably longer than normal. As a first off I would check that all the connections to the battery, the starter, and the earths are clean and tight. Because of the lengh of the leads, any dirty connection will cause a voltage drop between the battery and the starter. The windows only take a couple of amps compared to the starter, so are probably not affected.
If all the connections are ok, it is worth taking the car to a battery specialist for a proper test.
My son's MX5 starter sounds a bit lethargic even with a new battery. They all seem to. If you do need a new one, be aware that the battery is "special" in that it has a built in venting system to dischare any gases out of the boot. mx5parts stock the correct one.
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Thu 9 Feb 2006 21:35
MX5 battery not charging - martint123
I replaced mine at this time last year. The cold spell really finds the faults with batteries - reduces capacity, engine a lot stiffer, more self-discharge. Batteries nowdays seem to fail 'just like that' not a gradual decline.
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