[W126 Coupe] Update on Battery Drain

[Vance Rowley]

Hi Dick,

 As for the trickle charger, yes, I do actually use one now and then. I have no choice under the circumstances. I even got one of those solar cell chargers mounted on the dash, but that on it's own is not good enough to keep the battery up. At the moment, while not searching for the problem, I just need to take one terminal off the battery. This battery is actually my 3rd battery before I realized that this problem is an intermittent current draw. This was over several years period. It just so happened that when I thought each battery was at fault, it was a few days that I hadn't driven the car, but it didn't register at the time and I didn't put 2 and 2 together at the time. The car accessory shop I was in today that did my drop test did have the equivalent size battery for sale. It was not quite the same specs, but close enough. Physically it was the same size to fit in and the terminals on the correct way round. The only difference was my current one is 760CCA at 100A/H and the one in the shop was 860CCA at 95A/H. Certainly close enough.

Cheers,
Vance.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dick Spellman" <spell.yy at verizon.net>
To: "Vance Rowley" <vance.rowley at tiscali.co.uk>; "Mercedes Coupes Mailing Lists" <mbcoupes at mbcoupes.com>
Sent: Tuesday, February 21, 2006 1:37 AM
Subject: Re: [W126 Coupe] Update on Battery Drain


> Hi Vance:
> 
> Why not put a trickle charger on the battery when it's parked at your 
> home.  That'll at least keep the battery up for now.
> 
> One question, is the brand and same size of battery in your SEC 
> available from a local retail shop?  I ask because while it sounds like 
> you are doing a rapid current drain on the battery using a conventional 
> tester, there is also a new means of actually measuring the condition of 
> the lead plates.  In order to do the test accurately you need one NEW 
> battery to take a reading on and note it followed by taking the same 
> reading from your SEC battery.  There is a formula (I have it) that will 
> tell you if that battery has a problem that the current drain test will 
> not reflect.  Anyway, let me know how old the SEC battery is and if it's 
> still available on store shelves by the same brand and size.  I have a 
> MOS tester that I can send to you to run the prescribed test which will 
> conclusively rule out the SEC battery's condition.
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Dick