grrrrrrrrrrrr lorry battery and cold weather???????????

pinktiger

pinktiger

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im getting fed up now of my lorry battery going flat, luckily im on a fantastic yard and the owner has a booster thingy i can charge it up with and get going, but i wondered if anyone had any advice on stopping the battery going flat in cold weather in the first place??????

many thanx

PT
 
Does your lorry have a tacho? There is something draining the battery otherwise it wouldn't loose charge so readily.
I have an Iveco that used to do this, we used to remove a fuse until we had an immobiliser switch put on.
 
What make of lorry and model is it. Some engines are notoriusly bad starters. How old is the battery?An isolator switch is a good idea,but with regular use ,it should not be necessary. Also,remember that if you drive with the heater on and lights on,the battery hardly recharges at all.What area are you?
 
We put an isolator switch on ours, and it was much better. However, if your battery is getting old, the cold weather will knacker it every time, same as it will on the car. Batteries don't like winter temperatures at the best of times. If its on its way out, it'll usually be much worse in the cold!!
 
thanx it either sounds like i need an isolator watsit??? how much are they to fit ect, the lorry itself is a leyland daf, and runs like a dream its just the starting thing n whilst i do agree its not been used alot in winter and with use it shouldnt go flat ect i think an isolator switch watsit might be worth a lookie?? what about cost of new batteries and fitting em, the ones i have there at the mo are 2 12 v side by side??!!!!!
 
fit an isolator and use it - use it every time you switch the engine off and your engine will start every time

I have a Leyland Daf and had the same problem. My immobiliser drains the batteries within 2 days in cold weather.

As has been said, if your batteries are dying, the cold will kill them stone cold dead - I was quoted about £120 for each battery :O

continually using easy-start is not good for the engine - it's a bit like living on pro-plus!

Isolater switches are not difficult to fit so shouldn't cost you a fortune - certainly less than new batteries - they're really simple - they separate the batteries from the rest of the truck so nothing can drain them and the lorry won't start - greaqt security measure too. the switch for mine is in the living behind the driver's seat - directly above the batteries.
 
I have been battling with the same problem for the last couple of years - my lorry would start every time in summer when it was warm but I always had to jump start it in winter. V.annoying!

I had a battery isolator switch fitted and it did help but after the recent spell of cold weather, the battery went flat again. So, I bit the bullet and had a new battery fitted yesterday and it seems to have done the trick.

I have been told that batteries have a shelf life and should be replaced if they constantly go flat for little reason. Maybe you should go for the double wammy of new battery and isolator switch? My new battery cost £70 fitted and the isolator switch cost another £70 - might be worth it to reduce frustration!
 
sounds like you need a new battery. you could get an isolator fitted (pointless if the battery itself is dodgy) or if your lorry has a cigarette lighter you could buy one of those solar trickle chargers. is one of the batteries for living? and one for engine? you can get the batteries tested to see if they have a dodgy cell?
 
Ahh ,you have a leyland daf, Cummins engine,notoriously bad in cold weather.Start with the throttle fully open to get excess fuel mode.In cold weather aim a jet of easystart from a realatively new can(gives a solid jet)at the air intake . Points out and down ,on the drivers side ,just behind the cab.Six seconds worth,then go for a start.
 
And onother thing, on 12 volt vehicles with two batterys in paralell,like some leyland dafs. Both batterys must be good or the poor one will drain the good one very quickly.In fact it is better to have only one ,rather than do this.
 
thanx so much for the replies very helpful think i might bite the bullet and as its gonna go into shop might aswell have new batteries and isolator, one other question, can you fit just one 24 v battery where 2 were side by side, im sorry if thats as blonde as it sounds??????
 
No ,they dont sell 24 volt batterys. Are you sure yours is 24 volt and not two twelve volts in PARALELL, which is still twelve volts.Some leyland daf 7.5 tonners were.
 
honest simplest answer is get your mechanic to pop out and they can normally start ,even if your batteries are poor. And then they will tell you straight away if you need new ones and then can give you a price for fitting cut switch aswell. But as PN says if you have leakage on your electrical system your batteries CAN still drain, as most switches are fitted so current still ago around but then not back into battery stops at switch.

I was told best way to think of electricity after 'mo bo jobo', is like a water pipe system, so under normal situations water will go around circuit and stay in but on way back to batteries will stop at cut off switch therefore not making a compete circuit so stuff will not work. BUT if you have a short on circuit you will lose water from system and then therefore your batteries will drain - clear as mud??? You do also need to check you haven't got a short happening on circuit to drain batteries. No point fitting new ones to get drained pdq.

and yes it is two 12v heavy duty batteries but they aren't cheap so best to do via your garage so you get right ones
 
ok so think i will get someone look at it and check!! thanks for all your help, i have someone on the yard whos husband is a lorry mech so hes gonna look at it for me, im just too blonde for this sort of thing!!!
 
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Ours kept doing this. Fitted an isolator and now if doesnt start still in cold weather we use this stuff that comes in cans called easy-start.

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You shouldn't use easy start on a regular basis. It knackers your engine. Better to get a new battery & and isolator and charge it before use if you have to.
 
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