What Battery for my 166?

My 166 has a non standard small sized battery.

Can anyone advise me on what is the correct size to get?
You can see my current undersized one at:

http://esnips.com/web/RedalfsPhotos

Cheers

Redalf

Hi Redalf, use the physically largest one that will fit. You can simply measure the available size. Battery should be 12V obviously. It will not do any harm to use a battery with a larger capacity (Ah) than specified but it probably won´t do any good either. It´s like a bankaccount: there won´t be more money on the account than what you deposit. If you do want the exact size specified by the factory, I think the specification (Ah) can be looked up in the manual. Be sure to have the code for the ICU which you´ll need after installing a new battery. BtW if the current battery is doing the job OK I would not change it.

Thanks for that, my mechanic recommended changing it before the winter comes.

I'll check it out!

Cheers
Redman

Cold weather will reduce the effectiveness of a battery and if it´s already weak it could push it over the edge so that you can´t start the car. Normally the condition can be determiend by measuring on the battery for "dead" batterycells which is probably what your mechanic did. But it only takes about 5 mins to change a battery so if you are not abo****ely depending on the car every morning or for a trip, you can simply wait and see and if/when it fails then change it. In DK a mechanic will charge much more for a battery than the local gas-station (Shell etc) so I normally buy it there making sure to buy one which is fully charged and change it myself. A very simple DIY job.

Make sure you dispose of the old battery properly - there is a lot of lead that can be recycled!

Hi there I have found that a 70ah battery to be adequate for a 3litre so depending on engine and whether it haS A LOT OF ELECTRICS DRAINING IT, stick to that guidence.
Cheers

Thanks for the tips, I bought a 740A one yesterday that fits just nicely

Regards

Redalf

Originally Posted by ALFAPAT

Hi there I have found that a 70ah battery to be adequate for a 3litre so depending on engine and whether it haS A LOT OF ELECTRICS DRAINING IT, stick to that guidence.
Cheers

My 2.5 v6 has 110 Ah (or was it 120... must check in the boot) factory fit battery. I've always wondered, why does it have a near v8 or big diesel spec battery, but then again its still running well after 4 years and starts the car up momentarily even on the coldest days.

I wouldn't be afraid of a slightly bigger battery, as its definetely doing no harm to my bella.

Interestingly, this site http://www.italiancar.com.au/pilot/feature019.htm
quotes:

3.0 V6 24V Sportronic
ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT (12V)
Battery: capacity (Ah) 100
Generator (A) 120

Then this site italiaspeed.com
quotes

ALFA ROMEO 166 ( 2003 FACELIFT ) 2.0TS
Battery: capacity (Ah) 100
Alternator (A) 105

and the 3.2 V6 as
Battery: capacity (Ah) 100
Alternator (A) 120

However, this site (dealer?) rickdamelian.com.au
quotes

Alfa Romeo 166 3.0L V6 Sportronic
Battery Capacity (Ah) 70
Generator (A) 120

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This seems to suggest that it is pot luck what battery you get! I presume the suggested value is in the owners handbook somewhere?

As well as the "Ah" rating, the "CCA" rating is important too, especially on cold winter mornings.
I expect that 740A battery is actually 740CCA, which is a good size.

spot on david