Topic: Sorry but another Battery Thread Question

[chrisbaildon]

Hi there,
I know lots of people ask questions on here about batteries for the C5 and I have tried reading all these, but am still confused as to what to do.

I am new to the forum but have owned a C5 for the last 6 or 7 years, without any issues. It was a C5 that orginally was not working that I bought from eBay but then Adam Harper worked on it for me getting it back to working order, also converting it for me to also run on 24volt & I bought 2 new Sinclair batteries from him. These batteries have now died and I am wanting to replace them, ideally I would like to keep the battery covers and key switches, but am I really going to be able to achieve this if I just used 038 car batteries (would they still be suitable for a 24volt C5?). Or what are my other options, unfortunately I am not no goods with electrics or anything. Any help would be appreciated please, I have tried searching for Adam Harper via Google to contact him as he helped me so much all those years ago but he seems to have disappeared. I also tried contacting C5 Martin (as he helped me with my POD a number of years ago when that stopped working), but have not heard back from him. The weather is so good at the moment and just wish I could be out on my C5.   

[plumber]

hi there...iam using the 038 battery but they are diesel van quick batteries from leyland def 38.00 plus vat...and they are working my c5 fine and i do have oringinal sinclair batteries to.....not much defferance ive found...hope this helps

the plumber

[Karl]

A type 038 battery will be fine, they fit the original Sinclair battery tops using these;
http://c5alive.co.uk/ecommerce/product_info.php?cPath=19&products_id=6&osCsid=d0b7289b7e3d92f3681a8438abf6f035
I ran my twin battery c5 called "moneypit" on 038's before I changed over to a c5alive wiring kit. I see no reason why your 24v shouldn't run ok on them.

Adam Harper is still around but is taking time off for personal reasons - hence he has taken his website down for a while.

C5Martin is exploring the world of kitcars but does still help out occasionally with c5 related stuff.

Although that pretty much leaves us and the excellent www.sinclairc5.com flying the flag for c5's, I think we're coping ok 

[chrisbaildon]

Well I went out yesterday and bought a 038 car battery and made sure it was fully charged overnight. So this evening I have been out onto a private road to test it, the road is completely flat and my C5 managed 3.06 miles before it went down to the last 2 red bars on the POD.

Does that seem reasonable for a 038 battery? I am sure I used to get a lot more than that with my Adam Harper batteries before they died.

I wish I could find a leisure battery that would fit the original top peice somehow, has anyone managed this & if so what battery did they do it on. The leisure batteries I have seen so far the gap inbetween the + & - is around 8 inches and I have been told it needs to be no more than 7 inches 
Any help greatly appreciated.
Chris

[Karl]

I'm told a brand new battery will perform better once it has been through six complete recharge/discharge cycles - so it's possible it may well improve after a bit more usage .

A few others on here have been using 038's, hopefully they'll post a comment soon to confirm if you're in the right ball park range wise.

I'd also be tempted to make sure you have everything set up properly to ensure the minimum amount of rolling resistance - like making sure you're rear brake isn't binding . When you're using a vehicle as low powered as c5 every little bit really does make a difference 

 

[Retro Andy]

I have been using the same two batteries (065's) for the past two years and when charged one battery has always been enough for a run which are about 12 miles, I once went to work and back three days before the beep and I reckon it managed about 16 miles altogether.

Retro Andy.

[marcdonnelly]

Hi i run orginal battery tops with 038 car battery 7-8 miles normally .3.06 does seem very low?

[coverman]

Just bought an 049 45Ah battery( this is modern replacement for 038 apparently).Fits under battery cover almost.Using battery terminals with bolt sticking up, rather like Transit terminals.