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MG MGA - Battery Charging
| After my recent battery problem I've decided to bring my charging equipment and charging procedure into the 21st century. My charger is old technologey - 1970s. So the first question is what type of charger should I go for? I was just looking at the 'smart' chargers in my local shop and they seem to vary a bit, as does the price, typically between £49 ($100) to £69 ($140). Please bear in mind that both my batteries are permanently installed in the car and the car is used daily, so generally it's overnight charging only. Once I know what you all recommend I will look for better prices! Secondly, I do not want to remove the battery cover more than I have to. I am considering charging the batteries by connecting the charger +ve terminal to the battery lead on the starter switch, with the other charger terminal to earth (car is -ve earth)- any problem with this? Or could I plug the charger into the cigarette lighter that I've installed for sat nav/mobile phone? All thoughts most welcome. Steve |
| Steve Gyles |
| Your first plan seems the more conventional, Steve, and perhaps the safer. Unless you've wired up your lighter socket with pretty substantial cable I would worry that the peak amperage on many modern chargers (12+ amps, say) might exceed its rating, not to mention that of the socket itself. (This excludes low amp trickle-chargers, of course.) Cheers! Ken |
| Ken Korey |
| I almost always connect the charger at the starter switch. It is much more convenient, and it is just the opposite end of the same heavy cable. Last time I was fiddling with wires on the starter switch, I put the main battery cable on the inboard terminal of the switch where it is easier to reach to connect a charger or tester. About 10 years ago I too upgraded my battery charger. I bought a high(er) current charger (15 amps) with automatic shut-off so it can be left connected indefinitely without overcharging. It also has a quick-start function that can put out 125 amps for 5 seconds. If the battery is discharged enough so the engine won't crank over (but is still in generally good condition), the quick start function will add its current to the battery output current, which will allow you to start the engine immediately without having to wait for the battery to charge up. That feature comes in handy more often than you might think. If it bails you out just once without a long wait, it's worth the cost. |
| Barney Gaylord |
| I forgot to add that a relatively inexpensive smart charger (about $50 in the discount stores here) I purchased last year--a Vector VEC1088 (2/6/12 Amp)--has rewarded me by its excellent performance. My neighbors seem equally enthusiastic about it, too. Ken |
| Ken Korey |
| Steve, if you get one of the chargers with the wired in 2-pin connector you can fit either end, wherever the connector is most convenient. I had one fitted on the wooden bulkhead behind the seat. I bought my trickle charger from Halfords for 19.99. Recently I bought a new six volt charger and moved the two pin plug to another car. There is a big difference in the current supplied between these chargers and the 6v has automatic switching mode. Absolutely essential is the facility to switch off when charging reaches the preset level. All but the very cheapest chargers have this, but check anyway. If you get a trickle charger I don't see any reason you can't charge through your cigar lighter if the wiring is ok. What did you use for the live feed? If you can take a fused live direct from the starter with same cable size as the charger, that should be ok. (Should it not?) One new toy I liked the look of was a solar powered charger. But with our present UK weather a mini hydroelectric charger would be more appropriate! http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=47902&source=2001&doy=search Neil |
| Neil McGurk |
| You can connect your charger to a brown wire on the bulkhead, this obviates the need to remove the battery cover (which is a pain!). However this means opening the bonnet (hood?) and keeping it ajar. I have moved on from there and have installed a small socket (available from the radio/electrical shops for fifty cents or so) on the bulkhead behind the driver's seat and wired to the battery (I use a single fair-sized 12 volt one-the earth side of the socket can just go to the body). I then use an automatic charger and attached to the wires a plug to match the little socket. Thus all of my cars have fully charged batteries and I do not have the problem of regular top-ups which are necessary with constant chargers (even "trickle" ones). It is a bit of mucking around but I consider that the convenience is well worth it! Automatic chargers with a 3 or 4 amp output are $50-odd here in Oz. |
| Barry Bahnisch |
| Neil and Barry I like the idea of the 2-pin socket in the rear wooden bulkhead. That is also where I have the 2 isolators mounted (one for each battery). It will then be an easy job to plug in the charger and select the appropriate battery for charging in one easy operation. Neil, as you say, the solar battery charger is not for us. Did I spot a shadow in John Blackman's distributor photo in the other thread? Brought back memories. Not seen a shadow for weeks. Thanks also to Barney (as usual) and Ken for your comments. Off to my parts shop to investigate further. Also using this weekend to try and get my refurbished original distributor going. It's fitted with electronic ignition. Previous attempts (a year ago) failed because the refurbisher had fitted the wrong mechanical advance cam profile. He had fitted a 7 degree cam. I have been busy with a protractor and file to get it right. See here: http://www.jcna.com/library/tech/tech0015.html Steve |
| Steve Gyles |
| Steve I've been using a Draper Battery Master - http://www.drapertools-online.com/b2c/b2citmdsp.pgm?pp_skmno=63147 for the past 3 years. I replaced the crocodile clips with a two pin plug and mounted the socket on the wooden bulkhead in front of the bateries. This bypasses my isolator which is also on the bulkhead. I leave charger on all the time in the winter. The batteries are always ready to go. Starts first time. (I've got electronic ignition too) Hint: Always put a notice on your widscreen warning "Battery On Charge". It doesn't do the cable any good if you drive off still connected! David |
| David Marklew |
| Hi David This afternoon has been one of those total success occasions. The electronic ignition went in great and dynamically timed spot on first time. Seems I got the reprofiling right. Performance is great. I then fitted a 2 pin socket (sourced from local motorhome/caravan parts supplier) on the bulkhead and, like you replaced the crocodile clips on my new SmartCharge4 with the plug. It's out there now doing its thing. Thanks to every one. Steve |
| Steve Gyles |
| Guys; The picture of the DM2 distributor was taken last July during a rare break in the Seattle area cloud cover. So far this winter it has been record levels of rain and snow. I managed to get my A out for a spin around the lake last week. That was the first day without rain in well over a month. I am not sure if we will ever dry out this year! On a more positive note, we have not repeated the weather of last year, a wind storm that knocked out power for a week and subsequent snowstorm that paralyzed the region for several days. You all from the UK would be right at home here in Washington state. Right about now I wouldn't mind a quick trip downunder to dry out and take in the sights around Manly, or the beaches further down the coast. John |
| jjb Backman |
| Battery charger socket and plug. See image. Steve  |
| Steve Gyles |
| Steve, Excellent photo, identical location to my MGA's (logical I suppose, close to the battery/batteries, etc). My socket is smaller and a bit fiddly, yours looks good. An isolating switch is an excellent idea (I have them on a couple of my other cars but with MGA's by the time you got the battery cover off the car would have gone up in smoke! Also handy if you are going to work on the electrics). That will be one of my next projects (I have a 1600 roadster and a 1600 coupe). |
| Barry Bahnisch |
| John, "Right about now I wouldn't mind a quick trip downunder to dry out and take in the sights around Manly, or the beaches further down the coast." Stay out of Queensland though. After five years of declared drought, two thirds of the state is now declared a flood disaster area. A lot of rain in NSW as well, including the coastal belt. I havn't heard a single person complain though. At one stage there I think a lot of us were resigned to never seeing rain again. We know our continent has extremes of weather. Drought usually ends in flood. Longer droughts usually in more extreme flooding. You've gotta love it!! On theme, I have a Projecta 1600ma battery charger, automatic 12 volt 2.5A. Perfect for keeping my frequently used MGB battery (single 12v) in top charge. I've yet to wire it in properly for ease of use so have been interested in solutions described here. Must get to it. Regards Roger |
| Roger T |
| Barry I was most impressed with the quality of the plug and socket I bought. Mind you, it came at a price - £19 (US$38). Hoever, when playing around with the electrics on these cars I think that product quality is paramount and I don't mind paying a little extra for peace of mind. Steve |
| Steve Gyles |
| Steve, the charger socket you have installed, would you know the manufacturers name and product model# and name? I would like to locate one or a similar socket in the states. Thanks...norm |
| J Dick |
| I will check out the name, providing the wife has not already dumped the wrapping! As an aside, my 'suspect' battery was totally charged and in 'maintenance mode' this morning when I disconnected it to leave for work. Since then it has done 2 starts, 2 x 3.5 mile journies (one of them with headlights). When I got home the battery went on charge and is still charging 30 minutes later. i.e. the 2 short journies did not get the battery back up to full charge. This would seem to confirm what was said in the posts above and that I have experienced a gradual run down in the battery state over the past month or 2. Steve |
| Steve Gyles |
| J Dick The switch and socket are made by a company over here in Northern Ireland. The company is called Munster Simms Engineering Ltd. They trade under the name 'Whale', probably because most of their products are water pumps etc. Their website address is: http://www.whalepumps.com The page you need that refers to the plug and socket is: http://www.whalepumps.com/caravan_RV/spares/81/ As I said above, I am pleasantly surprised at the product quality, although I would be truly amazed if you could not find something similar your side of the water. Hope this helps Steve |
| Steve Gyles |
| Further to above, it seems their products are available Stateside: Whale Water Systems 100 Corporate Place Suite 402 Peabody, MA 01960 Tel: +1 978-531-0021 Fax: +1 978-531-1017 Email: usasales@whalepumps.com Steve |
| Steve Gyles |
| Some advice please about wiring up a plug and socket for a battery charger. I have got 2 x 6v batteries and car is positive earth. If I fit a plug and socket as Steve has done how is it wired up? Many thanks for assistance Phil Parmenter |
| P Parmenter |
| Phil You need to connect the positive red wire from the charger to the battery positive terminal that has its cable going to earth. The black wire from the charger goes to the battery negative terminal That has its cable running up the side of the car to the starter switch. I hope the home-made diagram attached explains what I mean. Steve  |
| Steve Gyles |
| Thank you very much Steve, that's a very professional looking diagram! I take it that the plug can only go in the socket one way? Cheers Phil |
| P Parmenter |
| Bit technical Steve bet that must have taken a week or 2 to design and engineer. :-)) |
| Bob (robert) Midget Turbo |
| Bob 10 minutes using powerPoint and saving as a JPEG image. I have to do lots of briefings at work so am quite comfortable with the package. Steve |
| Steve Gyles |
| Phil Sorry, missed your post. Yes, on the switch and socket I bought the plug positive pin is a larger diameter. But it is a point well made. Because we are talking DC supplies to the battery it is essential that the plug always goes into the socket the same way. Steve |
| Steve Gyles |
| I meant the design of the wiring.. :-) |
| Bob (robert) Midget Turbo |
| Oh, sorry Bob. No I picked it up from what others had said in the thread. It's working a treat on my car. Never had the starter spinning so fast for quite some time. It's no more than a 10 second job to put the batteries on charge when I get out of the car in the evenings. Steve |
| Steve Gyles |
| Just one more thing on this. I always thought that when charging a battery you should loosen the caps so that any gas can escape. This would obviously defeat the object of having the 2 pin plug. Is there any danger here from fires or blown up batteries? Phil Parmenter |
| P Parmenter |
| Phil I can't speak for your 6 volt batteries but my 12 volts batteries are sealed. The tops cannot be removed. Steve |
| Steve Gyles |
| Phil This top up or trickle charging is less than you are adding from your cars own generator. You don't have to drive with the caps off! It only with fast charging that significant amounts of gas are generated which need to be released by loosening the caps David |
| David Marklew |
| Steve, I have just copied your magnificent drawing (BBS) of the charging socket. I will adapt something for my car so the battery is not depleted while I am away on our next little jaunt into the bush. I only use one battery, 12 volt, negative earth, so expect I will reverse the connections and that should be safe. Rather than leave the charger connected for 2 months, I thought of using a timer, set for 2 hours in 24. Am I safe? While on our 2 month sojourn to UK last year the battery was completly drained. Barry |
| BM Gannon |
| If you have an "automatic" charger it doesn't matter how long you leave it on charge, they will switch themselves off when the recommended voltage (13.5 or 13.2 or whatever) are reached. That's why they are not cheap! A friend has a trickle charger on a timer but they will still "boil off" the electrolyte over time! Replenishing electrolyte in an MGA is a pain. Just one other thing I have just thought of! I have inserted an "in line" fuse (on the "car" side) in my charger socket system just in case something untoward happens. A ten amp fuse is ample given that the automatic chargers only deliver 3 or 4 amps. One final comment, for those who have prewar or T-type MG's, I connect my automatic chargers to "home-made" plugs and charge them via the little sockets on the dashboard. I still insert the "in-line" fuses but it saves installing the bulkhead sockets, etc. |
| Barry Bahnisch |
| There seems to be quite a bit of interest in this thread, so I have attached a picture showing more detail of my plug and socket (no comments Gordon!). Probably a wise move for anyone buying a set to ensure that the pins are a different size as shown in photo. The socket also has a dust cover but I have held it out of view. I have also attached a photo of my battery charger/ maintainer. I am not a concours fanatic, so apologies for the screw heads not being in line! Will sort sometime. Steve  |
| Steve Gyles |
This thread was discussed between 18/01/2008 and 27/01/2008
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