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That fragile battery

Discussion in 'Problems, Fixes, Tips...' started by baobab68, Jun 12, 2017.

  1. Vin Petrol

    Vin Petrol Copenworld Regular

    Joined:
    Jan 21, 2017
    Location:
    Stockport
    Car(s):
    2004 0.7 Copen
    If you have a fire, good luck to the insurance finding the remains in there, I wouldn't tell 'em :p
     
  2. freddyzdead

    freddyzdead Copenworld Regular

    Joined:
    Jan 5, 2017
    Location:
    Gosford, NSW, Australia
    Car(s):
    2003 Copen
    No, it doesn't appear to bother me. Although this battery is meant for a motorcycle, I can't see why anyone would object to using it in a car if it does the job. The capacitors are pretty much outside everybody's experience, but in the unfortunate event of a fire, It's hard to see how they could be implicated. The thing is, just a few years ago, the idea of a 500 Farad capacitor would have been absurd. Our society is going to have increasing problems because laws, rules and regulations are not able to keep pace with new developments in technology. It probably will eventually force some major social changes in our civilization.
     
    shane likes this.
  3. freddyzdead

    freddyzdead Copenworld Regular

    Joined:
    Jan 5, 2017
    Location:
    Gosford, NSW, Australia
    Car(s):
    2003 Copen
    I have an update: The LiFePo4 battery/83F capacitor bank has now been in service about a year and a half. It has never missed a beat. Until today. But I think it was my fault. I drove to Ettalong and took the ferry across to Palm Beach. This takes about 25 minutes, where it would be >2 hours by car. When I got back, it was 38 degrees C, so I put the roof down as soon as I got in the car. Before starting the engine; I do this a lot. Among other things, it verifies that the battery is working at capacity. Then I did something stupid. I turned the key with the car in gear and the clutch out. The car jumped and then there was nothing. Oops. I've never done that before. Ok, so I left it for a bit to let the capacitors charge up and tried starting again. Nothing. Dash lights dimly on. Oh, oh. Tried other things, no good. About this time I remembered the jumpstarter, which was in the boot, under the mat. But the roof was down. I pushed the boot release button and nothing happened. Oh, oh. I remembered that there's an emergency boot release somewhere, but couldn't remember where. Finally it occurred to me to look here. I took my phone out of my pocket and connected to Copenworld, and managed to find out where it is; under the bottom of the console bin. Whew. I got the boot open, managed to squeeze my hand in far enough to reach the jumpstarter. It's been there unused for well over a year, so I wasn't too sure it would work. Work, it did, instantly. I now see the unwisdom of keeping the thing in the boot rather than the glove box. It's in there now.

    What had me worried is that the consensus is that you should NEVER flatten a LiFePo4 battery, as they do not forgive this transgression. So, I let the engine idle for a few minutes, then turned it off, then started it again. Everything normal. Phew. Decided to give it a better test, so I put the roof up and back down again. Started the engine, no problem. So, it appears that I got away with it. No more trying to start with it in gear and clutch out. But if I do, the jumpstarter is now in the glovebox. It's probably a good idea to charge it now.

    In hindsight, I can see that the attempt to start the engine with the wheels connected used up the whole 7.5 amp hours in one hit. Nothing left over to charge up the capacitors again. I remember having some awareness that this could be the end result of what I just did, but I never tried to verify this. I have now. I have sat for considerable time on quite a few occasions with the radio on, with no ill effect, so I stopped worrying about it. I have put the roof up and down multiple times in one go, without the engine running. I am now wondering if I should install some low-energy backup system with enough capacity to charge the capacitors enough for one engine start. Or, just not worry about it and make sure the jumpstarter is always charged. I'm sure glad I bought that thing. But there are so many fakes out there, I don't know any way to ensure getting the real thing, that would be the main thing stopping me buying another one. They all look the same, real or fake; the Chinese are masters of fakery. And they seem to have no idea there's anything wrong with that.
     
  4. Salieri

    Salieri Copenworld Veteran

    Joined:
    Jun 19, 2012
    Location:
    Germany
    Car(s):
    Used to have a White Copen, but I sold it in 2023
    Thank you for the long term update
    If you are looking into car jump starters, this video might be of some help:
     

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