Quote:
Originally Posted by mans
these batteries are quite expensive.
i thought of a pair of 6v golf cart batteries wired for 12v would cut the $200 that a decent one costs
|
Yes they are pricey. Right now I'm considering an Odyssey PC1500 and a 25 amp Odyssey charger; about $275-ish for battery and $150 for charger.
I have some $$ from junking my old Volvo 240 so it will cover a good chunk of the cost.
However I'm not completely decided on this yet. I want to test whether the computer will allow lean burn with the alternator out of the circuit, running somewhere around 12V. If not, I might go with a smaller deep cycle battery that will fit in the standard under-hood location, just to handle EOC without losing as much voltage as my current (sorry for pun) starting battery. The PC1500 is 10.85 x 6.99 x 7.82 inches and 53 lb.; will have to go in the trunk. However, I'm pretty sure it would power the whole car's electrical system for several hours with no help at all from the alternator. I'd keep the alt installed, just switched off unless I need it to support a longer drive. Generally I expect to keep the battery charged from A/C, overnight.
Why get this? First off, it's AGM, so I can have it in the cabin/trunk without concern about hydrogen venting. The trunk is same as cabin as far as that safety issue is concerned.
Second, it gives a bit more voltage than a simple flooded battery due to the high purity lead and strong acid concentration - so in EOC the headlights will be brighter. Not same as when running at 14V with alternator, but better than with a regular 12V battery of any automotive size.
Third, overall quality is unusually high. High purity lead plates and strong, highly concentrated acid. Not made the least expensive way possible. It's a deep cycle battery. There are inexpensive flooded deep cycles but they're not AGM and won't give approx 400 cycles of deep discharge like this one is rated.