info on batteries

[cc]

After installing a new century yuasa battery 15 months ago, a non start and a smell of battery acid led to scrutiny of the battery and  discovery of a bent + terminal post see pic.
The battery was refused replacement under warranty altho it was secured with the alfa battery strap and never had a knock.
A local Alfa dealer said he wasnt surprised and said they used a replacement battery brand 'Austral' which i havent been able to find on the net. May have mis heard the brand over the phone.

Not being impressed with the Century Yuasa longevity or strength, then rang a local Alfa repair specialist who recommended  AC Delco as they had experienced good battery longevity; 5 years.
Bought one from Allstar batteries in Underwood for $195. Left the the old battery with them and while yarning,  more histories of good battery life for the AC D. Interestingly they had been to an AC Delco training session on batteries! and that AC Delco pay particular attention to having a strong battery post design. The pic of the AC D battery terminal looks robust with a large flange and plenty of metal where the post anchors into the battery body.. AC D also invented the sealed battery according to their web site. Was hoping an intermittant electrical issue with the speedo dropping out was related to the battery. No such luck.

[colcol]

I have been using SUPERCHARGE batteries lately, my 156 JTS had a Supercharge fitted when i purchased it and it lasted 6 years, Supercharge seem to be a popular fit on Alfa Romeo's.
After i installed the battery i had less squirrely error messages and Stabilty control warnings.
They also have a clear battery condition window, that is green for good, clear for needs charging and red for a problem.
They are about the same price for other quality batteries, Autobahn sell them as do independant Auto Electricians, Colin.

[Rigi]

I've had a good run in various vehicles with Delkor/Bosch

[cc]

Hi Guys
The v6's electrical issue has returned.. No speedo, the computer running the transmission in limp home mode. The brake wear light on...., transmission fault light on.
Ive convinced myself! that the malfunctions root cause is unreliable power supply ie low voltage, amperage. As these symptoms occoured last year when the battery dropped a cell. Then I replaced the battery and the same electrical problems disappeared. Happy days.

With the re appearance of the old electrical issues I asked racq to do a battery/starter and charging test.
This involved putting a meter across the battery terminals and starting the car.
The results of the test are:

Battery: 12.65V, 587CCA The condition window is green.
starter: 10.97V (this may be the voltage as the starter motor cranks)
Alternator: charging at 14.27V

The meter doing the test was a Midtronics MDX-p300.
Thoughts guys? Anyone had a similar experience and got to the root cause?
I thought my alternator may not be delivering enough power.


In the last few months the electricals were ok. However, at night with headlights on, it was if the increased load couldnt be sustained and subsidiary items like the speedo would die and the brake wear warning light would be on.. Also when a turn indicator was on, the lights would flicker in time with the indicator..

[cc]

Havent tested under full electrical load.
Will go and look for worn wires for possible earth.
cheers