# Replacing starter battery in Transit - how easy is it?



## whitevanwoman (Jun 25, 2013)

My starter battery is definitely dying, if not already dead. In 24 hours, the charge has dropped from 12.7 to 12.v whilst just standing. 

I have a spare battery that I can swop it with, at least on a temporary basis, but knowing how tricky it is to get to the battery which is under the driver's seat, I'm wondering how easy / difficult it is to get the old battery out, and whether it's going to be one of those jobs which should only take about 15 mins but could end up taking several hours.

I've removed the bulkhead so I can, if absolutely necessary, get access to the battery from the back of the van, but the dog's cage will be in the way and will need to be removed, which means that things will have to be moved out the way, straps / bungees etc undone, and in short, a fair bit of messing around which will take a bit of time and then needs to all be put back afterwards. 

The dog's cage is up against the back of the driver's seat, where the bulkhead would be, so there's not much space behind the driver's seat even when pushed forward, and as I'm on my own without an extra pair of hands to pass the battery to etc, I'm wondering whether I should wait until I can recruit an extra pair of hands. 

Any advice from fellow Tranny owners?  Mark 6 (I think) - 2002 LWB


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## Firefox (Jun 25, 2013)

I found that unbolting my seat from the runners was quite easy when I fitted in my swivels. It's only 4 bolts. I think this is pretty easy on all vans. 

Knowing how tight the access is to the battery, this may be the best policy as then you could lift the battery straight in and out. Since it's a heavy item, creating space is important.


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## torwood (Jun 25, 2013)

Silly question, but.....
Are you sure that there is nothing drawing on the battery to account for the drain?   Consider charging it and going to a garage and asking for a discharge test, takes a minute and I find my local tyre garage doesn't charge for it.


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## Amethyst (Jun 25, 2013)

whitevanwoman said:


> My starter battery is definitely dying, if not already dead. In 24 hours, the charge has dropped from 12.7 to 12.v whilst just standing.
> 
> I have a spare battery that I can swop it with, at least on a temporary basis, but knowing how tricky it is to get to the battery which is under the driver's seat, I'm wondering how easy / difficult it is to get the old battery out, and whether it's going to be one of those jobs which should only take about 15 mins but could end up taking several hours.
> 
> ...



We had ours changed  recently by the  AA and it took him best part of an hour mainly  because of the ford "cage" that holds it in place.

He managed it ok with the seat moved forward.

Ours is twinned with the leisure battery under the front half of the front seat. To change that the seat has to come out.

B O L 

Rob


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## whitevanwoman (Jun 25, 2013)

Hmmm, I'm thinking I might perhaps leave it till the weekend when I'll be with some mates who can help out. In the meantime, I'll connect my solar trickle charger to it whilst it's standing and try to run it each day. 

I might even investigate a couple of local battery specialists and see what the cost of supplying and fitting a new one would be - I know some of you will say that it'll be a lot cheaper to buy a new battery online and fit it myself, but looking at the time involved + hassle factors, I'm inclined to pay a bit more for a much less stressy week - seeing as how I've still got to sort out (probably replace) the Smartcom and until I got a decent starter battery I can't really sort out my elecs.


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## Deleted member 13859 (Jun 25, 2013)

*battery*

hi wvw
you may find it easier to remove the seat, either by taking it off the runners, four bolts or possibly removing the complete seat, for this you will need a special torque spanner thing, try going to a tyre fitting place and ask them or a garage to do it for you it may be easier because of the weight of the seat and the battery.

the battery is also fitted in a cage to hold it secure, 10mm nuts and bolts i think so it a bit more involved than just undoing the battery clamps and lifting it out, sorry, good luck.

tranivanman


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## Bakedbeans (Jun 25, 2013)

do you have 1 battery or 2 batteries under the seat? If its 2, the rear battery is the starter battery.

take the seat out.  5x 50 torx bolts.  the LH rear corner has 2 bolts because the seatbelt stalk is there.  The seat belt is bolted to RH rear corner, leave it, the belt is long enough to lay the seat on the ground still attached.

once out you will need a 10mm socket for rear cage bolt and 8mm socket for side bolts. battery terminals ar also 10mm.

The seat is HEAVY!!

Try halfords, its free fitting is it not? Also find someone with a halfords trade card it almost halves the price of a battery


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## whitevanwoman (Jun 25, 2013)

tranivanman said:


> hi wvw
> you may find it easier to remove the seat, either by taking it off the runners, four bolts or possibly removing the complete seat, for this you will need a special torque spanner thing, try going to a tyre fitting place and ask them or a garage to do it for you it may be easier because of the weight of the seat and the battery.
> 
> the battery is also fitted in a cage to hold it secure, 10mm nuts and bolts i think so it a bit more involved than just undoing the battery clamps and lifting it out, sorry, good luck.
> ...



Thanks tranivanman, that confirms my suspicions that more than just enthusiasm would be needed to do the job.

I've got a couple of online quotes for new battery including fitting - Halfords £102, Kwik Fit £101 - I'd probably need to ring first and check that they'll do it for a Transit, but if so, I'll happily pay £6.99 to Halfords for fitting if it saves me loads of hassle. I know I could probably get a cheaper battery online but I need the van by Friday so I think it's either going to be Halfords or Kwik Fit depending on who can do it soonest. 

Then just the Smartcom to sort out :sad:

And get the clutch sorted - I'm hoping it'll last over the weekend and I can get that done next week.... luckily I've known it would need doing for a good few months and have saved up and got the money to cover it put aside, but I'm still going to have to find an unexpected £102 this week :mad2:


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## whitevanwoman (Jun 25, 2013)

Thanks Bakedbeans 

Anyone near Kendal who has a Halfords Trade card I could "borrow"?   :anyone:   :bow:


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## mark61 (Jun 25, 2013)

Not much help with info regarding changing the battery, but if it's starting alright, and your using it daily, leave the battery for a bit.


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## whitevanwoman (Jun 25, 2013)

It has been starting alright but only because (unbeknownst to me) my split charge relay (Smartcom) isn't working properly and so although both batteries are charging fine when the engine is running, when standing, the rapidly discharging starter battery is draining the leisure battery. This only came to light when I wired in a digital volt meter and noticed how quickly the leisure battery was discharging - on investigation (and as discussed in my thread about split charge relay)  it seems that the Smartcom isn't doing what it should - effectively I've been running on 2 batteries connected for some time. At the moment it's not a huge problem but it means undue strain on my leisure battery and ultimately 2 batteries to replace sooner rather than later.

And now that I know for sure that my starter battery needs replacing, it'll just be on my mind till I get it done and so I'd rather get it done and then it's one less thing to worry about. I can pay for it this week, but would just really prefer not to have to but if needs must....


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## Bakedbeans (Jun 25, 2013)

mark61 said:


> Not much help with info regarding changing the battery, but if it's starting alright, and your using it daily, leave the battery for a bit.



I would agree with that  If you didnt look at voltages you'd be none the wiser.  It would seem theres a lot on here spend too much time watching volt meters, if it winds round and starts who cares what voltage its at  
 My volt gauge is - If the lights come on then theres enough volts, its free and works just fine.

Get a set of jump leads.


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## n8rbos (Jun 25, 2013)

When getting anew battery get the biggest cca one you can afford that fits, this is more important for a diesel and winter than ah's.


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## Boots (Jun 25, 2013)

Hi WVW,

I have just checked with the on line supplier The Battery Guys, next day delivery, for a Transit Diesel 2002, £62.

I have used them many times and they may not be either the cheapest or most expensive but I've always been happy with the result.

So if it's the correct one, please check them n others, it's a saving of over £30, worth getting and sorting a bit of help perhaps? or ask the clutch repairers if they would be so kind as to fit your replacement battery that's in the back O the van.



Cheers


Boots


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## drewdt3 (Jun 25, 2013)

As was said above are you sure you don't have something draining your starter battery or have I missed something?  Remove the earth lead, get 2 pieces of wire one to the earth lead and one  on the earth post and join them to a bulb, if the bulb shines brightly then you have a drain. Make sure all the lights are off and the cab doors are shut and remove fuses one by one until the  light dims this should point you to the culprit. Hope this helps. 

Drew


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## whitevanwoman (Jun 26, 2013)

I've just had a brainwave :idea:  

Within the past 12 months I've had a new battery in my other van, a Peugeot Partner, which is currently SORNed because there's something wrong with the gears and I can't afford both the clutch on one van, plus the gears on another. So am undecided what to do about the Peugeot .... but anyway, here's the thing...

Can I use the battery from the Peugeot Partner van 2001 1.9 in the Transit? I'm going to have to take the battery out of the Peugeot anyway whilst it's off the road and it's easy to take out from under the bonnet. Hopefully I can get my mates to help me swop the batteries over in the Transit at the weekend (male friend who has built and wired his own self build MH in the past so he knows his way round 12v elecs and he has his own Transit for work). 

Then I've solved the immediate problem and I can get the old Transit battery tested at my leisure. If I have the same problem of the Transit starter battery discharging quickly then I will know straight away that there is an electrical fault and to be honest, I'd much rather have an auto electrician have a look and sort it as my knowledge and understanding of elecs is too limited.


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## Smaug (Jun 26, 2013)

whitevanwoman said:


> I've just had a brainwave :idea:
> 
> Within the past 12 months I've had a new battery in my other van, a Peugeot Partner, which is currently SORNed because there's something wrong with the gears and I can't afford both the clutch on one van, plus the gears on another. So am undecided what to do about the Peugeot .... but anyway, here's the thing...
> 
> ...



 . . . and the answer is - MAYBE! 

It all depends on the size & terminals of the two batteries, if the terminals are the same (say round posts & same polarity - eg +ve on same side) and the replacement fits in the available space, then you are sorted. If the terminals are not the same polarity, you may be able to bodge by putting it in the wrong way round & stretching the cables over the top. It is also possible to buy terminations to convert from post to lug & vice versa, and they are not as dear as a battery, but if it don't fit you are stuffed. Take a good look at them both before getting too involved.


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## Tow Itch (Jun 26, 2013)

WVW

 Sory for not getting back to you on your other electrical issue yesterday. I will make a couple of hours for you tonight. I sense that both of these issues are related. I think the Smartwhatever has welded itself shut as a relay and also you have a permanent drain on your van starter battery. Be it a light another fitment or the alternator not (sorry can't think of a better term without looking it up) going open circuit on switching off the ignition.
 If your battery is showing 12.7 volts a few hours after you have charged it I don't think that there is much wrong with it. Once floating charge has dissipated 12.7 is a fully charged battery.

 Just came on site for a quick look didn't want to post.


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## whitevanwoman (Jun 26, 2013)

Smaug said:


> . . . and the answer is - MAYBE!
> 
> It all depends on the size & terminals of the two batteries, if the terminals are the same (say round posts & same polarity - eg +ve on same side) and the replacement fits in the available space, then you are sorted. If the terminals are not the same polarity, you may be able to bodge by putting it in the wrong way round & stretching the cables over the top. It is also possible to buy terminations to convert from post to lug & vice versa, and they are not as dear as a battery, but if it don't fit you are stuffed. Take a good look at them both before getting too involved.



Lol, why is nothing ever straightforward? :mad2:


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## whitevanwoman (Jun 26, 2013)

Tow Itch said:


> WVW
> 
> Sory for not getting back to you on your other electrical issue yesterday. I will make a couple of hours for you tonight. I sense that both of these issues are related. I think the Smartwhatever has welded itself shut as a relay and also you have a permanent drain on your van starter battery. Be it a light another fitment or the alternator not (sorry can't think of a better term without looking it up) going open circuit on switching off the ignition.
> If your battery is showing 12.7 volts a few hours after you have charged it I don't think that there is much wrong with it. Once floating charge has dissipated 12.7 is a fully charged battery.
> ...



Thanks, much appreciated. I think your quick summary is spot on, I have wondered about it all being part of the same problem, and I think the Smartcom is b*ggered, to put it bluntly. 

Voltage readings below taken at 6.30 pm on Monday evening about an hour after a 20 mile drive :

With system connected, starter battery 12.58v, leisure battery 12.60 v

With leisure battery disconnected from the system, starter battery 12.53v, leisure battery 12.61v


At teatime last night, the starter battery was 12v. 

Since then the leisure battery has remained disconnected from the system and is now 12.5v and starter battery is now down to 11.98v.

I'm now going to attempt to start it, if it won't start I'll put it the starter battery on fast charge.


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## whitevanwoman (Jun 26, 2013)

Van started first attempt  and voltmeter (wired into system) is showing 14.3-14.4 (flickering between the 2) therefore I think the alternator is functioning properly (phew! at least something works!). 

Van is running now, will leave it running for 15 mins then test starter battey immediately on stopping engine and then an hour later and will send sitrep 

And my 4w solar trickle charger is working nicely too, I reckon on a reasonably sunny day with scattered cloud it is putting in 0.3v or 0.4v into a 12v battery so I can connect that to the starter battery whenever it is standing to slow down the discharge rate until I get to the bottom of all these electrickery problems.


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## Bakedbeans (Jun 26, 2013)

If you just have the one battery (not counting the leisure battery) then there will always be a slight drain on it. 

It has to power clock /radio memory / imobileiser/ alarm.  This shouldnt amount to much, maybe 0.2 - 0,3 amps  but it constant 24hrs a day.


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