Second battery to help my half dead transit van

[tommyl18]

Hi I have a 1997 Transit van and now the cold weather is here its a pain to start i was wondering if i could add a second battery which is connected to my standard battery to help it start in the cold mornings ive heard of people doing this and having them in the back of the van and wired to the origional in series

 

[^neo^]

Yep, it can be done but further away it is, the less effective it will be.

If the alternator is ok, the battery is in good nick, and the starter ok, then it shouldn't really need it though

 

[tommyl18]

yea i know what ya mean i had the alternator changed 2 months ago and this morning it was dead again they checked the battery when i had the alternator done and it was fine one of them is broke. this happens to me every winter old vans just dont like the cold but being in the building trade cant afford for it to happen just want one for a precaution so i know its gonna start

 

[Burnerman]

The 2.5d Transit pickup had an extra battery for its electric tipper, so there was a battery in each wing. I guess yours could go there, and wired in parallel with nice thick wires! John

 

[noseall]

Older (deisel) Trannies have a propensity to refuse starting.

It is as though the starter requires tonnes of power from the battery or the engine gets tighter in cold weather. I resorted to changing everything, starter, battery, injectors, crank handle.... ....to no avail.

 

[Peter.N.]

Check that your battery is fully charging, connect a voltmeter across it with the engine running, it should read 14 volts plus or minus very little.

 

[wotan]

I would change the heater plugs first, these are usually what makes a diesel difficult to start, about £8 each.

Wotan

 

[Belle427]

the battery makes a difference too,if its tired and not the best of makes then it will struggle. Also the glow plugs as said will probably be adding to the problem

 

[davieboy]

transit of that age dont have glow plugs. its a direct injection engine so dont need them.

you used to get a cold climate kit for them from ford. flame plug that fitted to inlet manifold and twin batterys. no longer available i afraid.

what size battery in the van. mine has a varta 096 (biggest that will fit in space) in it and will start first time after sitting in the snow for two weeks. great old girl.

you can add a second battery but shouldnt really need it. if you are determined to do this i could find you a local stockist and the relevant part numbers for the mounting trays to put the battery under bonnet if you like. hadrian panels do them.

 

[tommyl18]

im thinking of 2 batteries because it takes quite a few turns for it to fire up and im just thinking 2 batteries will hold more charge and give me that bit longer before it dies just enough time for it to fire up if i can fit it in the engine bay that would be good its fully charged now so im gonna try it in the morning if its dead i know its the battery cus been on charge all day

 

[tommyl18]

well battery has been on charge all day yesterday tried it this morning as dead as a duck not even enough power to get the lights on the dash board on been bought a battery from a tatt yard today for it 18 quid its on charge now fingers crossed lol

 

[Burnerman]

If you take the battery to a motor factors they'll put a heavy discharge meter across it and tell you in seconds if its any good.....
They'll also be delighted to sell you a new one!
The 2.5 DI transit is usually a good starter in all weathers - if the battery is good. They don't have glowplugs but a cold start device was fitted for the Canadian market. If yours still isn't happy you need to check that fuel isn't returning to the tank, and maybe a compression test. Cheers John

 

[JohnD]

when I was young and hard up I used to try things like that.

I've worked out you save a lot of time and effort by buying a big new battery.

I think if you couple two in parallel the weak one drains the strong one (tried that too)

Check that all your connectors and the earth braid are tight and clean for low resistance. There may also be a separate braid to the engine as the mountings are rubber.

 

[dpsservices]

the battery makes a difference too,if its tired and not the best of makes then it will struggle. Also the glow plugs as said will probably be adding to the problem

a transit di doesnt have glow plugs when was it last serviced? what oil are you using? have you checked your batterys cables and earthing point. when was the timing belt done is it due around every 50000 miles

 

[tommyl18]

its started 1st key in the summer then would cut out after about 10 seconds and would keep doing so till u revved it up a bit now its gone cold its doing the same thing but taking about 8 to 10 turns before it fires up it does need a service to be fair