Quote:
Originally Posted by Paul Crowther
The.battery I replaced was 7 years old and fine., but because I’d had weird starting issues over the years that I’ve owned the car (but not battery related), when I realized how old it was I figured I’d play it safe and replace it. Now the new battery is acting weird because….. my battery tender keeps trying to charge it even though it’s fully charged. To the point that I m worried that the steep tilt necessary to get it installed messed with electrolyte levels in it.
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Paul - My advice is to keep it simple and go with a H6, Group 48 (G48/h6) AGM-type battery, it encapsulates the battery acid in Absorbent Glass Mats and is unaffected by orientation. Also recommend going with the smaller Group 48 battery as it's both easier to get in/out and your car has a clamp-down post to hold it in place. While a smaller battery will start your car w/o issue, it lacks the reserve power necessary to handle the draw caused when you accidentally leave a glove box light or dome light on overnight. While doing so can completely drain one of the smaller batteries referenced above, the G48/h6 battery can handle such a drain w/o issue.
Also suggest installing a voltmeter (one that fits in your cigarette lighter will work fine for this) and monitor voltage while driving. Our Carreras are notorious for having voltage regulators fail which allow voltage spikes of well over 14v to go through the electrical system and can cook batteries causing premature failure. Do your headlights/dashboard lights seem to "dim" from time to time and/or does your seatbelt warning light randomly illuminate at times? both are symptoms of a failing voltage regulator (as is a sulphur smell from the battery overcharging)