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MG parts spares and accessories are available for MG T Series (TA, MG TB, MG TC, MG TD, MG TF), Magnette, MGA, Twin cam, MGB, MGBGT, MGC, MGC GT, MG Midget, Sprite and other MG models from British car spares company LBCarCo.

MG MG Y Type - BATTERY FOR Y'S

Having just bought a battery for my MGA, which has been converted to negative earth and a single 12v battery. I wondered what suggestions any of you have for the Y. I have traditionally used Halfords as my suppliers in the past, mainly because they are cheap and have a 3 year guarantee. Moreover, they don't quibble about changing them. However, they are quite expensive now and quality batteries can be bought on-line at competetive prices.

Any thoughts would be very handy please!

Thanks

Jerry
J P BIRKBECK

Hi Jerry

It is a tough call. For myself though I would say that I never mind paying money for good service and sometimes the small(?) difference that you may pay for a mail order battery (assuming you still save after factoring in the shipping costs of what is a fairly heavy item ... which may well be dry shipped and you then still have to obtain the acid) may be more than offset on the odd time you pick a duff one up that way.

A short story - my wife and I thoroughly prepped our MG MGB GT prior to going on a rally in Spain with it. It was fully kitted to the then required legislative and competition requirements. Before we left however I was uncertain and had doubts over the battery. For peace of mind we replaced it with a new one.

I will give you three guesses (and you wont need two of them) as to what failed and let us down on the rally ... spectacularly on a night stage in the middle of a hurricane force storm lashing the Northern Iberian peninsula! Actually it failed almost the day after we got off the ferry in Bilbao and were already in the mountains. Fuel stops were made by stopping on the down side of hills and topping up or finding gas stations with significant down-hill slopes and getting jump starts in the morning from other competitors. The only competitor who refused to give us one runs an well-known MG Parts and Repair operation in the UK and was also running a red MGB! Notwithstanding that though, we still managed to finish third in class.

Oh and when we got back to civilization we bought new battery. On return to the UK the faulty one was turned back in ... for a full, no questions refund!

Paul
Paul Barrow

Jerry,

Lincon Batteries

http://www.lincon.co.uk/

Phone them up and choose where you want the terminals. They also sell the old style rubber batteries too which come dry and with instructions on adding the acid from the supplied bottles, DIY.

Not cheap but touch wood mine works a treat, and also keep the battery on constant trip charge.

Good luck

Richard
R E Knight

Good Evening Jerry

You might find it worthwhile to contact Carwood on the Binley Trading Estate, Coventry. Suggest you google them first They used to be known as Coventry Battery and Ignition before a name change a good many years ago.

They are more trade than retail oriented but are most helpful in my experience.

Clive Evrall
J.C. Evrall

If you want a 'modern' battery just ask for a battery for the 'classic' Mini. As the battery is hidden in the battery box, you don't really need an old style rubber battery although I like the idea.

When I got the Y six years ago I bought the most expensive Varta battery in that size because it has a handy handle for lifting on it. Even with the neglect and abuse I give it it is still going strong, pretty amazing I think.
Willem vd Veer

I can second Willems suggestion about the Mini battery - Type 038. My wife drives a classic Mini Mayfair. I replaced the battery in the Mini a couple of years ago because it did not seem to hold its charge in the winter. The new battery did not either, and I put it down to mainly short runs with cold starts and headlights on, meaning that the power used in starting was not replaced by the alternator during the run.

I put the 'old' battery in my YB and it has been fine. I have charged it once and that was only as a precaution after a long period of 'rest' last winter when it was very cold for a long time. The YB always starts easily even after standing for a couple of weeks (perhaps I should not have said that!).

The battery box on the YB is much bigger than the 038 battery, but I have put some blocks of wood between the box and the battery to ensure that the clamp bar can be tightened.

Mike
M Long

All,

Just returning to an old thread, as my battery on my YB appears to be no longer fit for purpose.

My original old style classic battery which I purchased from Lincon Batteries worked for quite a while however it is only guaranteed under warranty for a year. I purchased a second battery for the YB along with battery for the YT from Lincon in April 2014 and now find that the YB battery will no longer hold a charge and that the cranking amps are considerably less than what it is meant to be hence the engine won't start.

I contacted Lincon but got no reply and spoke to Shield Batteries in Poole who have conducted tests on battery and concluded it's faulty. Shield are part of the Lincon group so supply the same style batteries. I asked the chap who I was dealing with why he thought my battery was faulty and he explained that it could be to do with the battery either:
A) going below 50% charge.
B) Over charging the battery, therefore cooking one of the cells.
I find it frustrating that I tried to follow best advice and keep the battery hooked up to a trickle charger.

Out of interest what do other owners use in their Y's? Do other Y owners keep their batteries trickle charged?

Richard
R E Knight

I have a NUMAX type 065, 55AH,in my TD, but I do not know if it will fit a Y type. However, I can recommend it as I bought it in Wallingford on the 3rd May 2002 for £30 - I still have the receipt. It still starts the engine easily, and is charged by the car's original dynamo.
R A WILSON

I buy my batteries for both classic and modern cars from a discount shop nearby, they seem to last 5 or more years after which they slowly reduce in capacity. Since they are cheap I can buy two for the price of a named one. The major battery killer on our cars is the regulator which needs regular attention to ensure its not over charging. Another idea is to purchase batteries with access caps for each cell and to regularly check it with a hydrometer, back in the 1950 - 60's this was part of the usual maintenance checks. Bryan
B Mellem

I agree entirely with Brian.Though I bought mine on line from a firm in Preston. I seem to recollect that the size is an 068. It does need support to prevent it sliding round the box. Although there is more space for spaces. Price £36 delivered with a 4 yr warranty. Why pay more? I am surprised Richard that Lincon only offer a 1 yr warranty.

You also asked about Battery conditioners.. I bought a trickle charger from the owners club a couple of years ago. It was around £24 and is a simple 3 pin plug with two connectors to fit to the battery terminals allowing it to be charged in situ.

I had a spare regulator so sent it to a firm in Lincolnshire and had it rebuilt with solid state electronics. I havent fitted it yet but will include it with my spares when we go to the IOW and show it to you.
Cheers
Jerry
J P BIRKBECK

Hi Guys,
I meant to chip in on this thread a few weeks ago with a couple of comments. First of all trickle chargers, I use solar panels on all our cars and find all you need is a 1.5watt charger to keep a fully charged battery alive for an extended period. These low wattage chargers are of the wide spectrum amorphous type and do not need full sun to maintain a good strickle charge. They have a built in regulator and reverse polarity protection. If you want to charge an almost dead battery you will need a 10 or 20 watt mono-crystalline type that work better in full sun and are more expensive. I let the battery in our YT nearly run out of water and it subsequently ran out of grunt. A drink of rainwater and 6 weeks at 10w slow charge while overseas and it is back to full charge and working perfectly.

The other comment is batteries for those of us who have other MGs or british cars that run twin 6v batteries. Check with your local battery specialist or online for a Fullriver HC28. These are a high cranking capacity 12v battery used in snowmobiles and jetskis etc. That aside they happen to be perfect dimensions for a 6v cradle, 165 x 176mm they are also only 125 mm high so you will need to shorten the clamp hooks. The clamp type terminals can be removed for tab style cable ends if you prefer. No reason why you couldn't use one in a Y and have some extra space for tools and spares!! I have attached (hopefully) a shot of an HC28 in our MGA
Hope this is of interest
Cheers
Richo


R A Prior

The battery in my MG Y is the same one that was in in it when I bought it back in 2010, no idea as to how old it is.

Think the secret to keeping a battery alive, particularly if the vehicle is not used daily, is keeping them charged with a CTEK (or equivalent) charger which can be left connected 24hr a day 365 days a year. A connector socket hangs out of the battery box, which I just plug the charger into and switch it on.

The other thing is a keyed isolation switch, or a battery terminal (see image) so that the circuit is broken while the vehicle is out of use, just in case there is anything that is causing a slow drain on the battery.

The battery in my 1925 Willys Knight was replaced in 1999. It finally decided to go to battery heaven in late 2015 after being kept on life support most of it's life with the CTEK charger. Money well spent I think.

Can't comment as where to buy in the UK - haven't lived there since 1966!

Cheers
John


J B Turner

This thread was discussed between 30/01/2012 and 11/10/2017

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