sam93 Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 Evening all,My triumph herald currently has an old 32 AH (Amp Hour) battery fitted. However recently after putting a new uprated 13/60 engine in, I've found that when the engine is hot ie. thermostatic fans kick in as soon as ignition goes live, the battery even when fully charged failes to turn over the engine fast enough.So i'm thinking on getting a new battery,however what would be a good amp hour rating ?Sam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 First check power cable connections are clean and tight including earth straps from battery to body and chassis to engine. A quick and dirty earth check is to put a jump lead between battery earth and engine lifting bracket or similar to see if it makes any difference.Could also be the starter on it's way out. Battery voltage measured across the terminals unloaded should be at least 12.6v fully charged. If less then it may indeed be on the way out though this more normally shows up at cold start.I use an 063 size battery on my Vitesse which seems to work just fine (typically 40 - 44Ah). Very common size and thus reasonably priced. Check the battery post positions suit your cables though - my car isn't necessarily standard in that respect!CheersNick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 063 should fit fine, I have used them on several cars. Excellent value too. Just fit it with the terminals at the rear. May need longer clamp "j " bolts, but would be the same with any bigger battery.http://www.racshop.co.uk/car-battery/product/bosch-s3-car-battery-063.html is about the cheapest for a branded battery (free delivery)Worth letting the engine run in a bit, they are extra tight if reconditioned. Likewise Nick has made good points above. Check the basics first. A tired starter will be a pain and not improve by itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elma fud Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 To check your earth to the engine conect a jump lead from the battery earth to the engine and if it starts fine then you have an earthing problem.But really you should be having problems when the engine is cold as that is when you draw a higher ampage.I'd check the timing is ok and the advance and retard is working ok because this can effect the engine when it is turning over because if the spark is before the piston has got over TDC then it will be trying to force the piston against the direction of travel ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junkuser Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 Compression could well be higher when hot. Depends on condition of the engine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sam93 Posted September 19, 2012 Author Share Posted September 19, 2012 The point about compression is a good one, as I've had the head machined when the engine was rebuilt. It now has a 9:5 - 1 ratio. I've done each of the above, apart from accuratlty setting the advance / retard setting on the dizzy, its only been roughly set from a guide in the haynes manual. Is this best way of setting it or not ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 The ignition advance suggestion is a good one. If you've got much more than 15º static advance then it may be too advanced for cranking. This will show up more when hot and be worse if the cranking speed is a bit low anyway.Easy way to check is to disconnect the coil feed wire when hot (when the problem would normally occur) and try cranking it. If it cranks normally you just found your problem.Nick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sam93 Posted September 22, 2012 Author Share Posted September 22, 2012 Hi all,I've found the problem, it's as above. I know this as when I took off the coil feed the engine cranked over well.Next question is, what's the easiest way to setup / do strobe timing bearing in mind that I only have one mark on the crank pulley wheel.Cheers all ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharliesStag Posted September 22, 2012 Share Posted September 22, 2012 What ignition system are you on?On the assumption that the car is starting it is probably best to alter the ignition timing with the car running. Most timing guns (or at least mine has this feature) allow you to advance the strobe light itself so that you can work with either one or a limited amount of timing marks.You are welcome to use mine if you wish depending on where you are in the country. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jezmond Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 When I replaced the timing chain tensioner (mistakenly in the belief it was rattling) a couple of years ago I took the opportunity to paint a few thin white lines onto the pulley - having done a bit of O' level geometry. This allowed me to better set the timing with a strobe. Jez Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casper Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 1mm per degree for a small crank pulley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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