Got an old 306 DTurbo, the battery has seen better days, but i got another one for free

The old battery is only 430A, the new one is almost 950A...

Any reason why i couldnt/shouldnt fit it? Will it cook my alternator or starter etc?

Cant think of any reasons not to, it should certainly turn over better!

Cant think of any reasons not to, it should certainly turn over better!

Thats what im hoping for!

Just someone told me the alternator would die a quick, horrible death :confused:

Erm, will the alt generate enough power to charge it properly?

The Alternator has built in voltage/current regulation ,and will charge any battery fitted no matter what the ampere/hour capacity of the battery is. The amount of current (amperes) put into the battery is governed by what its condition is ,fully charged- little current,very flat -high current.The only way you will 'FRY' the alternator is to connect the battery terminals the opposite way round ,which is impossible to do because of the battery lead lengths, or short the alternator output whilst it is turning.

I take no responsibility if this goes pear-shaped, but my Dad did exactly this with an automatic, and had no alternator or battery issues for 2 years afterwards.

430Ah seems very low for a diesel battery. I'm sure ours were all closer to the 600Ah mark.

Shouldn't be an issue as long as the other one is in good nick, the terminals are correct, it fits in the space and most importantly isn't too tall. Don't want the thing touching the bonnet

I obviously take no responsibility for this at all.

430Ah seems very low for a diesel battery. I'm sure ours were all closer to the 600Ah mark.

Shouldn't be an issue as long as the other one is in good nick, the terminals are correct, it fits in the space and most importantly isn't too tall. Don't want the thing touching the bonnet

I obviously take no responsibility for this at all.

Its meant to be 550A, but its dying, especially coming into winter and running veg oil, really doesnt like starting now...

Its meant to be 550A, but its dying, especially coming into winter and running veg oil, really doesnt like starting now...

If it's meant to be 550 and you're running a 430, I'm amazed it turns over at all in the cold as those engines require a good amount of cranking amps to turn over.

Is the new one the same size?

IIRC I used to run things in the 650-700Ah range in the XUD's

If it's meant to be 550 and you're running a 430, I'm amazed it turns over at all in the cold as those engines require a good amount of cranking amps to turn over.

Is the new one the same size?

IIRC I used to run things in the 650-700Ah range in the XUD's

Doubly so on veggie oil which needs a bit of cranking to push up head temperature, even with good glowplugs.

It should be fine. The battery is not going to really draw anymore current to charge it than a lower ampage one would, it should be near fully charged most of the time anyway. That is only the amount of power the battery can put out when cranking the engine, the higher the better.

If it's meant to be 550 and you're running a 430, I'm amazed it turns over at all in the cold as those engines require a good amount of cranking amps to turn over.

Is the new one the same size?

IIRC I used to run things in the 650-700Ah range in the XUD's

Have to park it on a hill overnight and bump start it in the morning

The new one is almost double the size, so im going to need to modify the battery tray a bit (a lot)

I thought you meant the new battery was the same size as the standard battery but just a higher AMP rating.

If the new battery is much bigger I'd go and get one that is the correct size and sell the one you have on. I'd be concerned about putting it on the tray as it's going to be a lot bigger and no doubt vent a lot more acid vapour when charging.

They are not that pricey, and some places pay for old batteries again so your 400ish Ah one will get you some money back.

I'd buy something around the 650Ah mark as they definitely do one that fits on the tray. You'll probably get about 10 years out of that, so it should see you for the life of the car