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'01 TT2 Battery Spec?, anti-lock brake malfunction

Discussion in 'Subaru Sambar' started by Rick Melloh, Dec 26, 2017.

  1. Rick Melloh

    Rick Melloh Member

    Needing a battery spec for my 2001 Sambar TT2.

    I have been using dry cell racing batteries for a few years and am tired of their failures in cold weather. Having no reference for the old lead acid battery spec, I need help. The clearances are very tight and it has to be the perfect size or the + cable will ground out on the surround. My service and repair manual, obtained at significant cost, is no help at all.

    Haven't been on the site for a long time. The 2001 is still running strong, using no oil, starting eagerly. I run it all year round on 14" lightweight alloys with directional mud and snows. The rig gets regular use off road. Yearly driving is only around 1500 miles, so I never put the 13" steel wheels with summer rubber on any more, probably never will. It looks too beautiful on those 14" rims.

    In 2016, I had the alternator rebuilt locally (NH) with great success. Pretty much got a new alternator for the price of an unknown used one online. I also scored a used AC compressor out of Missouri, which took care of my squalling compressor clutch bearing, so things are once again ship shape.

    The anti-lock brakes have ceased functioning. The idiot light stays on no matter what. I check all the sensors and things look good. The sensor rings on the axles are fairly new and in good condition. Anyone know what to look for? Brakes work fine the old fashioned way, like the ones I grew up with. Brakes, rotors and pads are basically new. I would still like to see that light go back off.

    Everywhere I go, people love this little truck, especially when they see how hard it can work.

    [​IMG]
    Note the custom black ABS Battery cover I made in my shop.

    Happy New Year to everyone.

    Rick
     
    Last edited: Dec 26, 2017
  2. Botl01

    Botl01 Active Member

  3. Jigs-n-fixtures

    Jigs-n-fixtures Well-Known Member

    Measure, the battery space you have and get the largest battery you can, that will fit in the space. I got mine from an Interstate battery dealer. It has roughly twice the cold cranking amps of the stock one. I installed a longer battery cable to get the new positive post into a safer position. I also re-landed the ground lead, to the frame and extended it to a starter mounting bolt to groun the engine.

    A battery is an energy reservoir. Bigger is better, and so long as it is twelve Volts, the alternator will charge it to 13.6 Volts, and doesn’t care what the amperage capacity of the battery is.
     
  4. Rick Melloh

    Rick Melloh Member

    Botl01, that's a good reference chart, but it does not cover 2001. I'm pretty sure there is no difference in size for the 2001. I would bet on it. The chassis on these trucks never changes, but my positive post is LH, reversed to all those listed. I'm confused.

    I suppose it depends on how one is looking at the battery, but when installed, my positive needs be to the rear of the battery and on the left. There is little play in the positive cable, a lot in the negative. I called in the battery size to my best battery supplier and we'll see what he comes up with. I have complicated things by modifying the post clamps to fit the dry cell racing battery I was "experimenting" with. I might need to reconfigure for the Asia Type 3 battery again.

    Jigs-n-fixtures, I don't think the subzero temps forecast for the next 9 days are conducive to me modifying my cable configuration for the time being, but that is something to be considered further down the road. It is currently -2 degrees in the door yard and will get much worse for the next week and a half.

    In the past, I have been allowed access to the battery selection in a large auto supply warehouse and spent a lot of time measuring batteries and never found one that fit. That's how I ended up with the dry cell battery. It had way more cranking amps than the original spec. Just like you, I think more power and storage is always fine. Extra cost is not a problem, as long as it fits. With the dry cell battery, it was so small that I was able to build spacers to configure its placement exactly as I wanted and still utilize the original battery hold-down in the surround. However, the dry cell battery did not hold up in cold weather. Two consecutive batteries, the second being a replacement under warranty, have expired in winter. Leave the vehicle sit for a week and they die. So much for that idea.

    The saga continues. I might need to get my weak dry cell back from my battery guy and hobble the rig to a garage to have the cables redone in a heated space. My next search is for new cable ends for a Asia type 3 configuration. I'll probably end up having to order an Asia Type 3 battery from over 1000 miles away. I'll figure something out.

    Happy New Year.
     
    Austex7124 likes this.
  5. peppermink

    peppermink New Member

    Probably a horrible idea, but maybe a pair of LiFePO4 Motorcycle race batteries in series could be an alternative?

    Lithium batteries don't have as high of a self discharge as lead, and have lower resistance, making them able to more readily provide more current.
     
  6. Jigs-n-fixtures

    Jigs-n-fixtures Well-Known Member

    Lithium batteries have issues with rapid loss of power at low temperature.
     
  7. Rick Melloh

    Rick Melloh Member

    Thanks, peppermink. I know I like all my lithium ion batteries I use in the shop. One of the best features is that they are always ready to go, even if they have been idle for a month or two. I took a quick look and there are things to consider, a little pricey, but doable, if needs be. The little truck appreciates the low weight batteries. I was using an Odyssey PC680 sealed lead/acid racing battery, which I find, with more reading, is definitely not indicated for extreme cold environments. Not sure how lithium likes the cold either.
     
  8. fmartin_gila

    fmartin_gila Well-Known Member

    All very good suggestions and I fully agree. I spent a lot of years as a fleet mechanic and want to emphasis the need for good grounds. A lot of electrical problems and weird happenings of electrical items can be traced back to bad or marginal grounds, so it is always good practice to ensure that there is continuity between all grounded elements.

    Fred
     
  9. peppermink

    peppermink New Member

    I know that lithium batteries have decreased discharge potential in the cold, but what I think is more important is that they often return to normal charge when returned to normal temperatures. if anything, their self discharge decreases when put in the cold.

    in my experience, you get approximately 75% of the capacity (in Ah) out of discharging batteries under the same load in the winter opposed to the summer, but they will heat themselves up due to the temporarily increased resistance. I'm sure that this is probably less of an issue in a motor vehicle that has an alternator since it only relies on the battery for that one jump, opposed to my ebike which doesn't even have regenerative braking and is used as the primary energy source and drawn upon for the entire ride.
     

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