Fitting a battery with a lower Ah and CCA rating

[daddycool]

ok, so the battery for our zafira needs replacing. its a 2002 base model 1.6 engine. a battery for this car cost around £60 (type 075, 55Ah, 550CCA)

as the zafira is based on an astra estate, i checked the battery for a 2002 astra with the same 1.6 engine as the zafira. the batteries for the astra estate cost around £40 (type 063, 44Ah, 440CCA).

why the different battery? the only difference between the vehicles is the astra estate is 150kg lighter. we're planning to sell later this year so tempted by the cheaper battery. will i face any problems?

ta

 

[sideways danny]

that change will make little or no difference

 

[daddycool]

except to my wallet
im gonna try charging the current one as a matter of course. i had the radio on earlier for around an hour and the interior light on for a couple of hours and it wouldn't start after that. gave me 10.5v. i took it out and left it in the hallway. i tested it again after a couple of hours of just sitting there and it was on 12.1v
maybe there's life in it yet

cheers sideways

 

[sideways danny]

I'd give that a good long charge, then do a drop test on it to see what the cranking power is like.

 

[daddycool]

a drop test, not heard of one but have an inkling and google is my friend. some stuff i've looked at reels off a list of different tests.
for testing cranking power, should i just disable the system and then let it crank for 15 seconds and see what voltage i get? or am i going in wrong direction?

what's the best way to disable the system? i thought pull the plug on the coilpack, but i guess this would still flood the engine. fuse for fuel pump then?

been scanning this:
http://www.aa1car.com/library/voltage_drop_testing.htm

 

[sideways danny]

a drop tester applys a current draw load to simulate the load a starter motor would put on the battery, then tells you if it's healthy.

 

[daddycool]

time to get friendly with the local motor factor

ta

 

[sideways danny]

anywhere that sells batteries should have one. I have a fancy one that i got from someone on here

 

[daddycool]

charged the battery in the end and it's been fine since. i don't think it will last another winter though, but car should be gone by then

 

[daddycool]

battery died again today. going to charge it and see how it goes. getting close to selling it now, should be looking for a replacement at the end of the month

 

[Sheila’s’ Wheels’]

Have a search on gogle,

I have a battery refurbishment place near me (Bristol Batteries) and they charge around £15 for a recon battery. Ideal if you're looking at selling the car soon.