Bought new battery - will it deteriorate if not fitted ?

[mointainwalker]

Hi all

Recently suffered two no-starts in the cold weather with no movement at all on starter ( Vectra C 1.8 petrol ) . Tried all connections which were tight and then decided, based on age, it was the battery ( probably 6 years old , maybe 8 ) and bought a new Varta*. I didn't fit the battery straight away ( live on hill for bump start ) because of very bad weather and the old battery thereafter functioned fine again and has continued to do so for a few weeks.

Is the new battery suffering damage from simply being stored and , if not, how long can I leave it like this to maximise usage from old battery ?

* I was surprised and disappointed to see that Varta has been bought by Johnson Controls. American corporations really are taking over a lot of major companies in all types of industries.

 

[Mikefromlondon]

You could keep it indefinitely (within reason) as long as it remains fully charged, i.e. once you have fully charged it to at least 13.8V terminal voltage, you can then leave it for good 6 months or even longer, but i would give it a top up charge every 2 to 3 months, or if you have a trickle charger ( a charger that has a constant voltage set to 13.8V) it can be left connected all the time to a charger to maintain any top up required automatically)

 

[DaveHerns]

Bump starting isn't recommended these days if I recall. Catalysts fill with unburnt fuel and I think cam belts can jump. Fit the new battery, the old one owes you nothing and will probably fail at the worst time without warning.

 

[Burnerman]

Someone I know used to roll their motor down a bank every morning to start up.....and then they wondered why the dual mass flywheel went pop
John

 

[mointainwalker]

"

New
Bump starting isn't recommended these days if I recall. Catalysts fill with unburnt fuel

I understand the theoretical risk of that, but if the engine fires within 10 m, see it as infinitesimal.

"and I think cam belts can jump"

How likely is that ? Any data ?

 

[mointainwalker]

"Someone I know used to roll their motor down a bank every morning to start up.....and then they wondered why the dual mass flywheel went pop
John

Read more: https://www.diynot.com/diy/threads/...teriorate-if-not-fitted.479736/#ixzz4cTEfocue

That (dmf) is something I sort out at the buying stage, John.

 

[big-all]

i would just swap them over every month or so then you will never be without a good battery
i personally think batteries are happier being cycled rather than left static for months on end

 

[Mottie]

As has been already said, just fit it on now and forget it but if you don't and want to keep it for later, don't stand it on a concrete floor as that will kill it quickly - if you leave it on the floor, store it on some wood or cardboard to insulate it. I was taught that by my battery supplier.

 

[IWalkLikeHimaMartian]

As has been already said, just fit it on now and forget it but if you don't and want to keep it for later, don't stand it on a concrete floor as that will kill it quickly - if you leave it on the floor, store it on some wood or cardboard to insulate it. I was taught that by my battery supplier.

https://www.homepower.com/articles/...pment-products/ask-experts-batteries-concrete

 

[DaveHerns]

If the new battery cost £60 and the old one has another year left in it ( it will probably fail next winter) how much are you saving by keeping it in use? £10? I had a battery from my Citroen that I kept as a spare to start my Rover P6. Was fine for 10 years then I ran it totally flat and it was never any good again. Won't take a charge now.

 

[Agile]

Reading the thread is almost amusing!

The money has been paid for the new battery yet, for apparently only meanness reasons, he wants to squeeze a few extra weeks use out of the failed battery. Even at the possible expense of a deteriorating new one!