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agentmulder



Member Since: 16 Apr 2016
Location: Outer Space
Posts: 1324

Kuwait 
Storage of a puma with a dying battery??
Hello all,

I’m based overseas until November, my 2008 puma 110 will have been parked up for 4 months during a Southern hemisphere winter. It gets a long idle and occasional 4km trundle down the road about every 2 weeks or so. However, the driver reports it's having real trouble starting lately, but that it's fine once it’s turned over.

No dash lights (alternator/generator ok?) so I expect the battery is giving up the ghost?

My partner, the driver, will be joining me for travel at the end of my work so the vehicle will be sat for at least 6 weeks in it's current state. We won't have time to get it or a mobile mechanic to it (it's parked quite remotely).

I'm resigned to a bill of some sort - new battery/whatever - but I'd like to query the forum wisdom on the following:

- What should I expect on return?
- What simple precautions, if any, should my partner take? (as amazing as she is in every other regard, I wouldn't expect her to manage the the battery disconnection process without the alarm going off in the time we have)
- Speaking of which: what about ECU and alarm issues? (it's parked next to my in-laws holiday home, I don't want the BBUS/alarm waking them up)

Ta in advance from sunny Ashgabat, Turkmenistan*

(*only spotted one each of Defender and Discovery in 13 weeks!) Solved the bowel problem, working on the consonants...
Post #648062 3rd Sep 2017 8:27pm
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Scoobeenut



Member Since: 04 Mar 2015
Location: West London
Posts: 310

United Kingdom 2010 Defender 90 Puma 2.4 SW Santorini Black
Can you get power to the vehicle and connect a ctek battery charger to keep it topped up until you have time to change the battery?
Post #648063 3rd Sep 2017 8:35pm
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leeds



Member Since: 28 Dec 2009
Location: West Yorkshire
Posts: 8578

United Kingdom 
Yes battery might be on way out if it is the original battery.

Something like a Ctek charger would be a good investment.

Other issue might be the alternator. Is it giving out ca. 14.6 volts?

If not it will not be charging battery properly.



Brendan
Post #648102 3rd Sep 2017 10:41pm
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agentmulder



Member Since: 16 Apr 2016
Location: Outer Space
Posts: 1324

Kuwait 
Just had a look at the range of ctek chargers available in NZ, quite a few.

The puma battery specs I think was 90Ah?

Could I - well, could my partner - get away with one of the lower spec models and just 'maintain' the battery in its current state? Whatever it's current state is...🤔 (My multimeter with me here at work.)

After the initial charge how often would it need to be plugged in?

It's outdoors, but with a few diagrams of how to waterproof the electrics they may be able to work something I'd consider safe, but how much supervision is expected of these chargers? Solved the bowel problem, working on the consonants...
Post #648103 3rd Sep 2017 10:52pm
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agentmulder



Member Since: 16 Apr 2016
Location: Outer Space
Posts: 1324

Kuwait 
Last time alternator gave issues was for one night only, system measured only the 12ish volts and threw a dash light, which we're not getting at the moment... That was over a year ago.

My DMM is with me, we are both 9029mi away from the Defender. Solved the bowel problem, working on the consonants...
Post #648105 3rd Sep 2017 10:59pm
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ericvv



Member Since: 02 Jun 2011
Location: Near the Jet d'Eau
Posts: 5816

Switzerland 2009 Defender 110 Puma 2.4 SVX Station Wagon Santorini Black
Any Ctek charger should be fine to top up your battery, and keep it topped up for months if you leave it connected permanently. The easiest way to connect a Ctek is via a 12S plug and Martin's adapter which much commented on here. Many people on here have the Ctek MXS 5.0 which is plenty big enough. I have this version too, and have used it without any problems for regularly topping up or for longer time maintenance. Even the smallest Ctek charger which is the 0.8Ah version will do the job, it only takes more time to charge, but it will top your battery up fully and keep it topped up if you leave it on. I know this because before buying the MXS 5.0 I used such small Ctek on the Puma as I already had that for our garden tractor. So any Ctek smart charger will do the job, no need to invest in a big Ctek 10.0 or so.

Now, my Puma is of the same 2008 vintage as yours, and I had my genuine Varta 90Ah replaced by a new one just a month ago, 9 years, not bad at all. Again the same genuine Varta used by Land Rover for the Defender which is a LFD90 dual purpose battery with 800 CCA, clearly all you need for normal use. Alternatively you can go on the Varta website and spec your truck there. Varta themselves are suggesting two 95Ah batteries for the Puma now, see link below.

So any Ctek can top up your battery and automatically maintain the charge if you leave it plugged for longer periods of time. But one day your genuine battery will start to give up anyway, a period you probably can extend by using the Ctek regularly. Yours, like mine, at 9 years is a good life expectancy, you may be able to extend further with a Ctek, but not forever....

Wonder how Ashgabat is today, I was there last back in December 1989 (cotton (khlopok) trading related), surely wouldn't recognize the place anymore, and my good old Intourist hotel there probably is no more. How funny it was to fly from Moscow Domodedovo airport where temp was minus 15°C and land in Ashgabat a few hours later where it was +30°C then. Laughing

Good luck there, Eric

https://www.varta-automotive.com/en-gb/bat...S%29%22%7D You never actually own a Defender. You merely look after it for the next generation.
http://youtu.be/yVRlSsJwD0o
https://youtu.be/vmPr3oTHndg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GtzTT9Pdl0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABqKPz28e6A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLZ49Jce_n0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvAsz_ilQYU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8tMHiX9lSw
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dxwjPuHIV7I
https://vimeo.com/201482507
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSixqL0iyHw
Post #648109 4th Sep 2017 1:17am
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zsd-puma



Member Since: 09 Aug 2016
Location: Kent
Posts: 2720

United Kingdom 2010 Defender 110 Puma 2.4 USW Santorini Black
If the battery is just a bit low then any mains car battery charger will charge the battery on an overnight charge. Once it's charged keep it topped up with a cheap solar charger.
Post #648114 4th Sep 2017 1:54am
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agentmulder



Member Since: 16 Apr 2016
Location: Outer Space
Posts: 1324

Kuwait 
ericvv wrote:

Wonder how Ashgabat is today, I was there last back in December 1989 (cotton (khlopok) trading related), surely wouldn't recognize the place anymore, and my good old Intourist hotel there probably is no more. How funny it was to fly from Moscow Domodedovo airport where temp was minus 15°C and land in Ashgabat a few hours later where it was +30°C then. Laughing


It's ... well - let's just say I can tell you all about it in 50,437 minutes

Rolling Eyes

Last month the death ray (the sun) regularly got us up to 40°C+, I think cracking 46°C one day. Our electrical drive cabinets are sweating in the 70's, big bucket of smoking Makita power tools too.

I've been on night shifts though, so it's quite pleasant for me - and much better internet once you've found a VPN that works, although I'm not sure of the veracity of the following 'fact', but apparently the 800 staff I've been trucked in with are using half of the country's internet Shocked Solved the bowel problem, working on the consonants...
Post #648115 4th Sep 2017 2:10am
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lohr500



Member Since: 14 Sep 2014
Location: Skipton
Posts: 1277

United Kingdom 2013 Defender 110 Puma 2.2 XS CSW Santorini Black
As suggested above, given the Defender is outside, I would consider a solar charger placed inside the windscreen.
I have a 10 watt panel that is around 1ft 6 inch square and since I started using it, I have no issues with the battery going flat whilst standing.

Sometimes there can be 3 or 4 weeks between me using the Defender and before using the solar charger, the battery would discharge to the point where the alarm went off whilst cranking the starter. A sign of low voltage.
I have a tracker fitted which will be taking some current draw (I have never bothered to measure the actual current when standing).

Unless you already have a permanently live cigar socket in the vehicle, or some other power point, the easiest way to connect the panel would be directly to the battery. Although I think I would want an inline fuse between the battery and panel just for piece of mind. In theory current can't flow back to the panel when the panel isn't generating a high enough voltage as there should be a diode in the panel to prevent this. But a fuse would prevent an excessive flow of current the wrong way if the panel did go wrong.

Also as above, it would be even better if you could get your partner to fully charge the battery first with a mains charger for a couple of days. Then the solar charger just has to hold the battery voltage.
Post #648133 4th Sep 2017 6:42am
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Balvaig



Member Since: 19 Feb 2016
Location: Fife
Posts: 719

Scotland 2016 Defender 90 Puma 2.2 Landmark LE Corris Grey
If the vehicle is stored safely and you do not need the alarm then just disconnect the battery. Replace when you return.
Post #648144 4th Sep 2017 7:40am
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agentmulder



Member Since: 16 Apr 2016
Location: Outer Space
Posts: 1324

Kuwait 
Hello all, thanks for the discussion.

As mentioned, I'm not with the vehicle, and my partner, while very handy with most stuff, doesn't have time to learn how to place inline fuses or disconnect batteries.

I think perhaps solar charger will suffice as placing some crocodile clips on terminals wont take too long. However, big question, will a solar charger/protect itself work if the battery is low?

Also, any brand recommendations? Solved the bowel problem, working on the consonants...
Post #648209 4th Sep 2017 12:47pm
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