Ahem. The standard battery supplied with my GT JTDm is marked '50Ah, 380CCA', and it is the original Exide manufactured Alfa branded item! Car is the same age as yours.

Oh, and mine is knackered too.

(PS. I ordered a replacement that was rated at 600CC EA and was delivered a 400CC EA one. Still better than the one in the car, but not what I paid for. PayPal are currently investigating......)

 

Checkout: Car Batteries Online - Free UK Delivery

 

Getting the right battery - or not...



Not so impressed with these people now. Ordered the top battery as recommended by David_C (Bosch S5) last Monday evening (and paid for it of course). Today, Monday, the delivery arrived but they have sent the wrong battery - the lower spec one, the S4 - even though the delivery note says S5.

So if you need the right battery quickly, perhaps not the best place to go. I'll be asking them to collect it and deliver the one I ordered.

 

David C - wow, that's a good site, thanks. Using my car reg, it is suggesting a 60 Ah/540 amp battery for £60 delivered (guess they do think that's the minimum) or a 63 Ah/600 amp one for £65. Both good prices IMHO, less than I expected. Thankyou - hadn't seen it before.

r11co - I'm surprised to hear what's in your car. If my experience is anything to go by, your battery is knackered because it's been overloaded. I guess we'd both like to know what the actual specification is.

 

r11co - I'm surprised to hear what's in your car. If my experience is anything to go by, your battery is knackered because it's been overloaded. I guess we'd both like to know what the actual specification is.

I don't doubt it. That's what was in the car though and I've no reason not to believe it was factory fitted.

 

Get the highest CCA possible (so the £65 one).
CCA = Cold Cranking Amps. Diesels need all they can get!

 

Agreed, and have done exactly that, ordered the £65 one just now!

 

Huh, Alfa component quality again, who'd touch them? Oh... !

Actually, my car - same age as yours - was on its second battery and I'm wondering if a secondhand battery was put into it when it was sold to me at 4 yrs old. I'd have a sneaking suspicion that yours might have been given a battery meant for a different Alfa (perhaps not a diesel) at some stage in its life. Still, the cars' histories aren't really the issue for either of us now.

 

I actually think the original Exide battery is good. I only had to replace the battery in my 03 156 2.4 Jtd recently. Also the battery in my wifes 05 (04 built) 147 jtd is still going.

 

I have no problems with my experience of Exide batteries. My 147 had an original equipment Alfa branded Exide that was five years old before it started to show a slightly slower cold cranking speed. It lasted a further two years before I decided not to attempt another winter.

However along with one other brand which is not generally available the Varta and Bosch would be my choice for a replacement.

Huh, Alfa component quality again, who'd touch them? Oh... !

Actually, my car - same age as yours - was on its second battery and I'm wondering if a secondhand battery was put into it when it was sold to me at 4 yrs old. I'd have a sneaking suspicion that yours might have been given a battery meant for a different Alfa (perhaps not a diesel) at some stage in its life. Still, the cars' histories aren't really the issue for either of us now.

You could compare the date codes on the battery (which should be easy to understand) with the car's age. Of course dealers could have changed a battery at some time. Occasionally car companies will substitute components of a different standard where there are supply problems. Athough a significantly lower capacity or cold cranking performance is unlikely.

Batteries and tyres are viewed as 'consumables' by car manufacturers and the supplier generally provides them at a very low price to the manufacturer in the hope of repeat purchases. They are also OE quality which can be better (for some suppliers) than replacement quality.

 

Battery Details

Just thought i'd add to this thread as the recent cold weather has also finished off my original Alfa battery in my 1.9 diesil GT, 05 plate.

The original Alfa battery part that i took out this afternoon was rated at 60 Ah and only 380 amps!!

Replaced with an Alphaline lead calcium battery with a rating of 62 Ah and a much greater 580 of cold cranking amps!!

Battery ordered yesterday (before 4.30pm) and was delivered this afternoon, all for just under £50, cant say fairer than that. Here's the link if anyone needs it:

Car Batteries, Cheap Car Batteries, Replacement Car Batteries, Next Day Delivery from Perfomancebatteries.co.uk

Fitting was an absolute doddle, with the only issue being a tricky nut to unscrew which secures the holding strap in place, however with a long reach socket arm it wasnt too much of an issue and the size and dimensions of the new replacement battery were close to perfect.

Having spent the last 4 days with a car that would not start each morning i'm looking forward to an extra half hour in bed tonight and no charging of batteries first thing tommorrow!!

If your having the same battery issues I would thoroughly recommend just replacing your old warn out battery with a new one, if you can spare the £50 of course.

On one last note, when i originally had my issue i had to call out the AA, who got me started and then ran a tester on my battery (with the engine running) and told me that all ways perfectly ok. Beware that the only way to really check the battery condition is with the engine switched off. This is when you will know whether the battery is any good.

Hope this helps!!

 

I've just bought my GT and the battery is so small the strap doesn't 'hold' it in place - I know it's clamped in but I suspect and undersized/under capacity battery.

 

The last two post are interestingly connected! If the battery strap is loose then it is because a 065 battery (175mm high) has been fitted to a car that originally had a 027 (191mm high). Performance Batteries (the link above) specifies only a 065 battery for the 2006 GT 1.9 whereas my 2006 model definitely requires the 027. Follow their application list and you will end up with the wrong battery for that particular car.

 

we supply batterys and a 065 is no way powerful enough for a 1.9jtd you need a 096 battery ours are rated at 570cca or 610cca from memory, you could go down to a 067 which is the same physical size but down on a/hr and cca. the 027 is an only just and i wouldnt expect it to last very long especailly if its a cheap one, and if we get some really cold weather no way!

 

I agree with r11co (again) - my GT JTD which is barely 5 years old has just killed off its second battery, but it is an 065 (loose strap). The AA man who came to me showed me the Unipart battery catalogue which makes this clear. I'm still waiting for my Bosch S5 (027-sized) from this lot Car Batteries Online - Free UK Delivery and on a daily charger routine until then. I doubt Alfa fit the wrong-sized batteries so any 065 that owners find in their cars is either a cheap replacement or a dealer swap (which is what I think I got). Note that the 065 is OK for 4-cylinder petrol models so 065-sized batteries are sometimes fitted quite innocently, but they are undersized for the diesel or V6.

 

Note that the 065 is OK for 4-cylinder petrol models so 065-sized batteries are sometimes fitted quite innocently, but they are undersized for the diesel or V6.

It is undersized for a 4-cyl Petrol engine too.
The 147/GT has the same size for all engines because of reduced space.
The 156 however has more space and has the 027 for the 4-cyl Petrol but a larger 278mm long battery for the V6 & Diesel.


Quite a few websites list undersized batteries to give the appearance of having lower prices, but you are actually getting an undersized lower spec for that lower price.

 

I decided to replace my cheapskate 'planet' battery 065 battery. I know mine is a 1.8TS and I might be able to get away with an 065 size battery but the CCA was only 340, so the combination of small battery from unknown manufacturer (nothing on internet!) mean't it had to go. Just spent far too much on a Bosch S5 at Halfrauds but hey she's worth it!!!

One tip from when I had my 159, make sure when you change the battery you push the connector onto the terminals as far down as you can before tightening the screw/bolt as otherwise you can get a dodgy connection, particularly on the negative spring-loaded connection. If you don't it can cause all sorts of electrical gremlins, let alone shortening battery life.

 

The 'UK' size (ie. 027, 065 etc - I think it refers to some old Lucas part numbering system) is not an indication of output - just dimensions and post position.

As I said - there are 065 batteries on the market that have a higher specified Ah and EA rating than some 027s, likewise there are 027s that match and better some 096s. It's like tyres - some have more grip than others and you can choose accordingly, but you have to stick to the correct size for your car/wheels.

The Bosch S5005 battery for example (which is an 027 size) is rated at 63Ah/610EA.

PS. an 096 battery (at 280mm long) is 4cm too long to fit on the battery plate of a GT.

 

Holy undead thread Batman. :surprise:

From the last few starts I have a feeling the 027 battery in my GT is on the way out. I do have a perfectly good 096 battery spare. The width and height are the same although the 096 is about 35mm longer. The tray in my car is significantly longer than required for the 027. Using a tape measure it seems to be about 280mm which should allow the 096 to go in.

Mine is an early GT and perhaps that makes a difference in tray size. Does anyone have any experience of trying a 096 in a GT before I start disconnecting everything?

 

The battery i fitted had the following dimensions:

56219 Battery - Make: Alphaline

Length x Width x Height 243mm x 175mm x 190mm

Weight16.4 kg

Height was perfect and holding strip fitted as well as the original - no movement whatsoever.

For £50 i found this to be a bargain and my GT has started first time, everytime, this week.

 

56219 Battery - Make: Alphaline

Length x Width x Height 243mm x 175mm x 190mm

aka 027 standard. The Alphaline is rated at 62Ah/580EA, that looks like a very good spec for the price!

 

I was going through the manual with no particular aim and came across the page about maximum current when everything is off. They give two figures, one for a 60a/hr battery and one for a 70a/hr battery. This is the only time I've seen any mention of the battery spec in the manual or maybe they're just examples.

 

... This is the only time I've seen any mention of the battery spec in the manual or maybe they're just examples.

The "maximum loadless absorbsion of all accessories" values will be purely typical values for the size (Ah) of the battery alternatives and not the recommended battery specification IMHO.

 

Hi guys, I need to replace my factory Exide 770AGM (70Ah, 760CCA) for my 1.9JTDm 156, I've found a Bosch S5 007 (74Ah, 750CCA), however its height is 175mm as compared to the Exide 190mm.

I've checked the strap doesn't look like it can be shortened or anything, I'm pretty sure that the Bosch battery's quality and power matches the Exide, however would it be problematic to tighten due to its height?

 

Get the correct size, which for a 156 JTD or V6 is a Bosch S5008 or S6001 (or an S4008 if you want to risk saving a few ££).

 

Yeah I actually was after the S6001, but the Bosch distributor in Malta doesn't even import them yet, checked for any S5 and they have the S5007 and not the S5008 arghh.... I'll see what I can do then. Cheers Dave!

 

Varta equivalent if that is available (exact same manufacture as Bosch in Varta/Bosch owned factory)

I believe this is the same.
Varta Number 577 400 078 3162
Product line SILVER dynamic
Short Code E44
Battery Capacity [Ah] 77
Cold-test Current, EN [A] 780
Length [mm] 278 Width [mm] 175 Height [mm] 190

Agree the fixing and therefore the battery size is important, a non-standard fixing could result in a battery being loose. Not recommended.

 

Thanks for the info, I'll check tomorrow with the distributor, however I don't know is it me or are Bosch a better battery brand than Varta?

 

Same battery - Bosch and Varta have a jointly owned factory manufacurting automotive batteries.

Varta own the patents for the 'Power Frame' plate technology used in the batteries and Bosch distribute their own branded version of the Varta battery.

 

Yep, a Varta will be fine if you can get that.

I have a Varta D15, which is the equivalent of a Bosch S5005 in my Selespeed.

 

Just been on ePer and the replacement battery outputs are:

1.8 & 2.0 60Ah 320A
1.9JTD 60Ah 400A
3.2 60Ah 380A

Which is quite interesting I suppose in a nerdy kinda way.

 

For a GT...?
The current ePer has 3 batteries listed @ 400CCA/420CCA/540CCA.

 

Yes for a GT! No it wasn't the current one! but aren't the units of measurement quoted different? The one I looked at didn't use CCA.

 

It It means "CCA", but it just has "A"

 

Looks like they've upped the spec of the batteries then! I wonder why!!