Pete-B Posted January 8, 2020 Share Posted January 8, 2020 Evening all, Would it be difficult for me, a non mechanic, to replace the engine battery in my 2015 Fiat 2.3 motorhome. Thanks for any help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weldted Posted January 8, 2020 Share Posted January 8, 2020 The engine battery is under the floor just in fron of the passenger seat. Disconnect the negative post first, reconnect last. Care when lifting battery is heavy and the angle is awkward for. A straight lift Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete-B Posted January 8, 2020 Author Share Posted January 8, 2020 Thanks for that, when I disconnect the old battery will I disturb any setting ie alarm, radio, ecu etc? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted January 8, 2020 Share Posted January 8, 2020 I can only speak for my 2011 x250, all that needed resetting was the clock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weldted Posted January 8, 2020 Share Posted January 8, 2020 Should not disturb the ecu, the alarm might go off when you reconnect the battery but just turn it off. The radio may have a code check your paperwork you have for the van. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witzend Posted January 8, 2020 Share Posted January 8, 2020 AS already said it's heavy and awkward. I had a bungee strap to hold + mount back and if you had a friend for help that'd be good to Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul- Posted January 9, 2020 Share Posted January 9, 2020 I use a spare battery to save the memory when I change a battery, but memory savers are available on ebay etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinM50 Posted January 9, 2020 Share Posted January 9, 2020 Paul- - 2020-01-09 8:09 AM I use a spare battery to save the memory when I change a battery, but memory savers are available on ebay etc. +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted January 9, 2020 Share Posted January 9, 2020 This 2016 forum discussion refers https://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/Fiat-vehicle-battery-access/45861/ and includes a link to a Fiat Forum thread that carries some useful photos. Transient Fiat-related dashboard-display settings for things maintained by the starter-battery (time, date, etc.) will need resetting after the battery has been replaced unless some sort of ‘battery keeper’ ploy is used. Similarly for radio equipment. This 2017 thread might also be of interest https://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/Battery-replacement-/46072/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete-B Posted January 9, 2020 Author Share Posted January 9, 2020 Thanks for all the help and suggestions, very much appreciated. Just one more question, which battery to get? I realise it has to be the same size, similar AH, and the Po's and Neg post have to be he right way round. But could anyone recommend a battery that covers these points. Thanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted January 10, 2020 Share Posted January 10, 2020 Informed advice on this forum is that a Varta/Bosch battery incorporating “Powerframe” technology would be an excellent choice for a motorhome’s starter-battery. The size of an Fiat Ducato X250/X290’s under-cab-floor starter-battery storage-compartment limits the dimensions of the battery that can be installed, but either of the following Varta Silver Dynamic batteries should fit OK https://www.tayna.co.uk/car-batteries/varta/h3/ https://www.tayna.co.uk/car-batteries/varta/i1/ with the former suitable for Ducatos with an engine capacity of 2.3 litres and the latter (longer) battery appropriate for (older) Ducatos with the 3.0litre motor. (There are Bosch-branded equivalents, but these tend to be more expensive.) You COULD could fit the longer battery, but as your Ducato has the 2.3litre motor the shorter battery (353mm in length) should be perfectly adequate, so let’s concentrate on that size. An alternative approach would be to fit a ‘dual-purpose’ Varta LFD90 battery, as this battery’s design characteristics make it particularly suitable for motorhomes where the vehicle may stand idle for prolonged periods of time. https://www.tayna.co.uk/leisure-batteries/varta/lfd90/ Similarly, a dual-purpose Yuasa L36-EFB (also sold by Halfords as the HLB 700) should be a good choice. https://www.tayna.co.uk/leisure-batteries/yuasa/l36-efb/ https://www.halfords.com/motoring/bulbs-blades-batteries/leisure-batteries/halfords-leisure-battery-hlb700 Asking-price and warranty duration will vary, so do some research. Don’t buy junk...!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete-B Posted January 10, 2020 Author Share Posted January 10, 2020 Derek Uzzell - 2020-01-10 7:49 AM Informed advice on this forum is that a Varta/Bosch battery incorporating “Powerframe” technology would be an excellent choice for a motorhome’s starter-battery. The size of an Fiat Ducato X250/X290’s under-cab-floor starter-battery storage-compartment limits the dimensions of the battery that can be installed, but either of the following Varta Silver Dynamic batteries should fit OK https://www.tayna.co.uk/car-batteries/varta/h3/ https://www.tayna.co.uk/car-batteries/varta/i1/ with the former suitable for Ducatos with an engine capacity of 2.3 litres and the latter (longer) battery appropriate for (older) Ducatos with the 3.0litre motor. (There are Bosch-branded equivalents, but these tend to be more expensive.) You COULD could fit the longer battery, but as your Ducato has the 2.3litre motor the shorter battery (353mm in length) should be perfectly adequate, so let’s concentrate on that size. An alternative approach would be to fit a ‘dual-purpose’ Varta LFD90 battery, as this battery’s design characteristics make it particularly suitable for motorhomes where the vehicle may stand idle for prolonged periods of time. https://www.tayna.co.uk/leisure-batteries/varta/lfd90/ Similarly, a dual-purpose Yuasa L36-EFB (also sold by Halfords as the HLB 700) should be a good choice. https://www.tayna.co.uk/leisure-batteries/yuasa/l36-efb/ https://www.halfords.com/motoring/bulbs-blades-batteries/leisure-batteries/halfords-leisure-battery-hlb700 Asking-price and warranty duration will vary, so do some research. Don’t buy junk...!!! Thanks Derek, your a champion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nyk Posted January 10, 2020 Share Posted January 10, 2020 I had a Yuasa HSB019 Silver fitted by Halfords today in my 2012 X250. These batteries have a good reputation and come with a 5 year warranty. I only had to reset the date/time. The control panel showed the original battery was apparently healthy but the cranking is noticeably livelier with the new one. Price was £158 including fitting charge of £18-worth it to avoid back injury/hernia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete-B Posted January 11, 2020 Author Share Posted January 11, 2020 Hi Derek, Just had another look at the link you posted for the Varta battery and noticed the neg and pos posts are the opposite way round to mine. probably a stupid question but is it possible they do the same battery with the posts the same as mine, ie the other way round? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobbygg Posted January 11, 2020 Share Posted January 11, 2020 Pete-B - 2020-01-11 4:52 PM Hi Derek, Just had another look at the link you posted for the Varta battery and noticed the neg and pos posts are the opposite way round to mine. probably a stupid question but is it possible they do the same battery with the posts the same as mine, ie the other way round? Pete-B Are you referring to the Varta lfd90? If so that has it's posts the correct way round for my Ducato, although mine is a 2009 X250. And, just to help you more, do you know anyone with a halfords trade card, the Yuasa HSB019 that halfords recommend for mine is £105.60 trade And the leisure battery HLB700 only £88 trade Hope this helps Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted January 11, 2020 Share Posted January 11, 2020 The drawings of the batteries show the neagative (earth) terminal on the left. HOWEVER, if the drawing were turned through 180 degrees, the negative terminal would be on the right, and that’s the way the battery is housed in a Ducato. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete-B Posted January 11, 2020 Author Share Posted January 11, 2020 Derek Uzzell - 2020-01-11 6:34 PM The drawings of the batteries show the neagative (earth) terminal on the left. HOWEVER, if the drawing were turned through 180 degrees, the negative terminal would be on the right, and that’sthe way the battery is housed in a Ducato. On mine Derek both terminals are on the same side ie as your original jpg but the opposite way round, if that makes sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alanb Posted January 11, 2020 Share Posted January 11, 2020 Pete, Are you sure that you are looking at the batteries correctly? The terminal arrangement shown in both of Derek's photos is configuration 0, (zero). That is with terminals towards you, the positive post is on the right. That is the arrangement adopted for Ducato starter batteries, and for many dual purpose batteries such as the Varta LFD90, used for MH habitation supplies Both of Derek's photos show the batteries with the terminals on the side more distant from the camera. Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted January 11, 2020 Share Posted January 11, 2020 My battery is exactly the same as in Derek's photo, the neg terminal is nearest to drivers seat and both terminals are towards front of vehicle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted January 12, 2020 Share Posted January 12, 2020 The dimensions of vehicle batterues are standardised and a useful (metric) listing showing battery ‘codes' is here: https://www.puretyre.co.uk/car-battery-specification-chart/ The starter-battery normally fitted to a X250/X290 Ducato with 2.3 litre motor will be a “019” with nominal dimensions of 354mm (Length) x 175mm (Width) x 190mm (Height) and a capacity of 95Ah. For X250/X290 Ducatos with the 3.0 litre motor a “020” battery was used with nominal dimensions of 392mm (Length) x 175mm (Width) x 190mm (Height) and a capacity of 110Ah. Battery terminal types vary as does the position of the terminals on the battery. This will be apparent from the lower attachment below, and the the Ducato battery needs to have the usual “B type” terminals and the “A0” terminal layout shown in the 12V Battery Layouts column. This Tayna webpage provides advice on how to choose the correct vehicle battery https://www.tayna.co.uk/tutorials/how-to-choose-a-car-battery and the “Step 2 - Fitment Guides” section contains the following caveat Compare the terminal layout. (Where the positive and negative terminals are located). For some reason many people find this a difficult concept. Remember that you are looking at the front of the battery if the terminals are closest to you (first picture). It may be mounted in the car so that when you look at it you are looking at the rear (picture 2). Both of these images show the same layout, Positive Front Right. People often say things such as “I’m looking from the driver’s seat and positive is on the right”. This means absolutely nothing to us as we need to know where the positive is in relation to the battery, not the car! (I’ve attached a copy below that shows the pictures.) The first posting of the MHFun thread on this link describes (with photos) how to replace the starter-battery https://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/x250-cab-battery-change-in-pictures.78883/ and the 3rd photo should make it clear that the battery’s terminals are on the side of the battery’s upper surface that is nearest to the brake and accelerator pedals and that the battery’s negative (earth) terminal should be on the right. (I’m not sure if a “019’ battery is marketed with a “A1” teminal layout, but, even if it were, the battery could not be fitted into a X250/X290 Ducato’s battery compartment without major rewiring being carried out first.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete-B Posted January 12, 2020 Author Share Posted January 12, 2020 Gets more and more confusing eh! Lets get this right, the negative terminal on mine is nearest the drivers seat and both terminals are facing towards the rear of the van, opposite way to Colin's and the opposite way to the jpg which Derek showed in his original posting. Phew. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted January 12, 2020 Share Posted January 12, 2020 Pete-B - 2020-01-12 9:48 AM Gets more and more confusing eh! Lets get this right, the negative terminal on mine is nearest the drivers seat and both terminals are facing towards the rear of the van, opposite way to Colin's and the opposite way to the jpg which Derek showed in his original posting. Phew. You seem to be confused, what you are describing is the same as mine and the same as Derek's photo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted January 12, 2020 Share Posted January 12, 2020 Pete-B - 2020-01-12 9:48 AM Gets more and more confusing eh! Lets get this right, the negative terminal on mine is nearest the drivers seat and both terminals are facing towards the rear of the van, opposite way to Colin's and the opposite way to the jpg which Derek showed in his original posting. Phew. The attached image shows the standard Ducato X250/X290 installation, with the negative (earth) terminal of the battery near the top-right corner of the battery compartment. If your Ducato’s installation differs from that, I suggest you provide a photo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted January 12, 2020 Share Posted January 12, 2020 Is the van LHD? although the photo Derek has just posted shows they should have the same battry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted January 12, 2020 Share Posted January 12, 2020 Pete This link shows the result of a GOOGLE image-search on “ducato X250 battery’ and all the relevant images show the same terminal positioning as in the photo attached to my last posting. https://tinyurl.com/wop5nxy My own LHD Ducato’s starter-battery installation is no different to that shown in the images - the battery negative (earth) terminal is near the upper-right corner of the in-floor battery compartment. Battery terminal layouts are shown on the file attached below, with each layout example assuming that the front of the battery (ie, the side with the main label on it) is facing towards the bottom of the drawing. The terminal-layout of the battery factory-fitted will normally be as shown in Diagram 2 (marked by red arrow) though installation involves the battery being rotated 180 degrees so that its negative (earth) terminal (lower-left on Diagram 2) moves to upper-right in the battery compartment (as in my last posting’s attachment). A 019-code battery with the terminal layout shown in Diagram 1 would fit in a Ducato’s in-floor battery compartment and, in that case, the negative (earth) terminal would be near the lower-right corner of the compartment, and the battery’s positive (live) terminal would then be near the lower-left corner of the compartment. However, with the positive (live) terminal in the lower-left position, I’m very doubtful that the large ‘bus plate’ (that needs to be clamped to the battery’s positive terminal) could be attached to that terminal. (I note that your motorhome is 2015 Bessacarr E462 model and I can’t think of any persuasive reason why its starter-battery installation should differ from the norm unless the installation had been significantly altered since Fiat built the Ducato on which your motorhome is based.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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