newbie:starter battery,60 max or 110 car batt ok ?for volvo md2b

[friday]

Sorry might sound like a silly I have 2 batteries, starter and service, both wet cell. my starter battery is dead, can I use a 110 amp car battery or should I buy a' marine starter' for my volvo md2b which has a dynastarter??!! of up to 60amp max
(according to manual) As I've been told different things on this?? without hurting anything...or me!!

Thanks for all your help on this.

 

[aluijten]

Dynastarters actually DC motors. When they are driven by the combustion engine they act as a dynamo (and not an altenator). The problem is that they are not very efficient compared to altenators, so the maximum current you can get is fairly limited (typ. max 10-15 Amp). So I would not recommend a larger battery then the original one. Wheater it's wet or gel is no so important, as stating current is only 60 Amps as you say. That is not so much. Wet batteries can deliver 200+ Amps and Gel can deliver 60 Amps without a problem. Using a car battery is no problem for starting. For Service you should use a deep cycle battery that can better withstand discharged upto 50%.
How is your service battery recharged?

Arno

 

[snowleopard]

60 Amp Hours is just about adequate for a starter battery, 110 is way over the top. A 60 Amp discharge rate will be totally inadequate, probably more like 10 times that is needed.

The cheapest way of replacing it is to go to a motorist's shop and ask for a battery designed for a diesel car, typically this will be around 75AH. Make sure the terminals are the right type, most car batteries have round posts but a few have flat tabs with bolt-boles through them. Also make sure the terminals are the same way round as the current battery, the last thing you want is to have to cross the cables over to get to the terminals on the opposite sides.

p.s. for future reference, no need to post here as well as PBO. You'll get the best technical help on PBO and cruising discussions here.

 

[andy_wilson]

I would buy the cheapest, biggest, wet cell battery that fits in the space allocated to it. What isn't used in starting is spare for some other use ( I also devote my starter battery to emergency requirements like GPS and VHF).

I suggest you buy a marine nothing. I use 12V truck batteries designed for tail-lift applications. They will start a dodgy engine all day, or run the domestics, or both. Buy them cheap from a truck factors.

A tiny battery will do for engine starting if you insist. Amp hours are only important when the engine is a bad starter. As long as the battery can deliver sufficient cold cranking amps, and won't be damaged by your charging system, it will be OK.

N.B. IF it draws all 60 Amperes AND if you turn the engine over for an eternity-seeming 10 seconds, you will only have used 0.167 AmpHours!

 

[friday]

Thanks for all your help on this, part of reason for the question is that Iam being given a brand new merc battery
free. I dont know what the old one was. And according to the manual which says battery,12volt,max.60Ah.
and as I was told that the battery is 110 ah I did'nt want to damage anything as I've been told that it could do this to the dynastarter.
Thanks for your time on replying to me.