New battery.

If it makes anyone feel better--(or worse)
I had to spring for a new AGM battery for my 99 this afternoon.
Symptoms
Slow turn over before start, unless the old AGM was on a trickle charger
overnight.
Secondary symptoms
Running voltage two tenths higher than normal. (Battery internal resisitance
a bit high)
Battery voltage dropped too far during start load testing. Automatic testor,
don't know the exact drop for failure.
The local battery shop carries AGM batteries for the Miatas, so $57 later
(prorated old AGM) back to normal.
The new battery is actually a slightly better fit than the old one or a
Wesco.
I had to put a small block under the screw down end of the bracket to make
it fit the Wesco properly, and we removed it to fit the new battery. Vent
tubes are in the same position as the old battery.

"XS11E" > wrote in message
. 236...
> XS11E > wrote:
>
> > XS11E > wrote:
> >
> >> I ordered a Westco online, it should be here in 5 - 6 days.
> >
> > Westco will be here tomorrow according to UPS tracking site.
> >
> > I hoped I could get the old battery to charge enough to move the
> > car, when I tried to hook the charger to it I found the ground
> > strap broken between the battery and the clamp that holds the
> > cable to the body, right above the battery.
> >
> > A quick trip to AutoZone, new ground cable and now the car cranks
> > over like a new battery! The battery is a Mazda one, it looks
> > fairly new.
> >
> > I think I just wasted a whole bunch of money.... <sigh> I should
> > have looked before ordering....
>
> Weird.... I've slain some gremlins with the new Westco battery. My
> driver's side window is no longer slow, I've not had the headlights
> refuse to pop up and a few other very minor things are no longer
> happening since I installed the new battery. OK, I know it's not the
> battery, it had to have been the partially broken ground strap no
> allowing full power to window motors, headlight motors, etc.
>
> Oh, golly gee whiz how I wish I'd looked carefully at that ground strap
> and maybe I would have noticed it was frayed????? Or maybe not, it
> broke right where it passes throught the body ground strap right about
> the negative terminal and next to the power antenna, it's pretty well
> tucked away out of the light.
>
>
> --
> XS11E, Killing all posts from Google Groups
> The Usenet Improvement Project:
> http://improve-usenet.org

I purchased my '99 Miata used in 2001. A month ago my battery died. 7 years
is good!
I use the car daily so took the old battery out and purchased a replacement
from Autozone.
After reading the other battery related messages, this might not have been
the best purchase. But I'll live with it.
The original battery had the vent tubes venting inside the battery
compartment.
The Autozone tech said the this was OK and venting to the outside was not
necessary.

Anyhow, my question to you is about the vent tubes.
Is it OK to vent the '99 Miata battery inside the battery compartment or
should it be vented to the outside?

If it sould be vented outside, is there a picture on how the venting looks.

Thanks,
- Pat

On Feb 16, 9:45 am, "Pat Dreiding" > wrote:
> I purchased my '99 Miata used in 2001. A month ago my battery died. 7 years
> is good!
> I use the car daily so took the old battery out and purchased a replacement
> from Autozone.
> After reading the other battery related messages, this might not have been
> the best purchase. But I'll live with it.
> The original battery had the vent tubes venting inside the battery
> compartment.
> The Autozone tech said the this was OK and venting to the outside was not
> necessary.
>
> Anyhow, my question to you is about the vent tubes.
> Is it OK to vent the '99 Miata battery inside the battery compartment or
> should it be vented to the outside?
>
> If it sould be vented outside, is there a picture on how the venting looks.
>
> Thanks,
> - Pat

The entire point in to vent it, is to the outside. That AutoZone
person has no idea what they are taling about, since you do not want
these fumes seeping into the passenger area, probably easily reachable
from the trunk. I also bought an Auto Zone battery, which you'll find
really will noticeably slow down in the cold winter months, which is
why i now keep it on my charger/maintainer, which you can read about
in my Charger/Maintainer thread. Anyway, my 2000 has the outside vent
hook up integrated as part of the right side rear reflector, hooking
on to that vent outlet. When I bought my AutoZone Battery, I do recall
the vent holes being in a slightly different place necessitating my
having to go back inside and getting a slightly longer tube. I
uninstalled the old and installed the new right outside their store.
The Miata is so easy, it only took me minutes.

Next time, hopefully several yrs. away, I'll probably go with a
Westco, since teammiata.com is very near to me. But I was also told
that First Interstate makes a Miata battery, which I have never
checked out. So maybe a First Interstate battery dealer may be of some
help.

Of all places, you'd think that dang Sears would have offered them by
now. But no such luck, asa far as I know. The dealer's proces are
outrageous as usual.

"Pat Dreiding" > wrote:

> The original battery had the vent tubes venting inside the battery
> compartment.
>
> The Autozone tech said the this was OK and venting to the outside
> was not necessary.

I disagree.

> Anyhow, my question to you is about the vent tubes.
> Is it OK to vent the '99 Miata battery inside the battery
> compartment or should it be vented to the outside?

No, yes.

> If it sould be vented outside, is there a picture on how the
> venting looks.

I don't know of one. The vent tubes connect together and then the
single tube exits through a fitting in the trunk just in front of the
right tail light. Lift up the carpet and see if it's not there.


--
XS11E, Killing all posts from Google Groups
The Usenet Improvement Project:
http://improve-usenet.org

Ok - that's what I thought.

I have the vent tubes going off the battery, but I don't have the T
connector and tube to vent to the external venting tube.
Should I be able to pick this up any any auto supply store or must I go to a
Mazda dealer?

- Pat

"XS11E" > wrote in message
. 236...
> "Pat Dreiding" > wrote:
>
>> The original battery had the vent tubes venting inside the battery
>> compartment.
>>
>> The Autozone tech said the this was OK and venting to the outside
>> was not necessary.
>
> I disagree.
>
>> Anyhow, my question to you is about the vent tubes.
>> Is it OK to vent the '99 Miata battery inside the battery
>> compartment or should it be vented to the outside?
>
> No, yes.
>
>> If it sould be vented outside, is there a picture on how the
>> venting looks.
>
> I don't know of one. The vent tubes connect together and then the
> single tube exits through a fitting in the trunk just in front of the
> right tail light. Lift up the carpet and see if it's not there.
>
>
> --
> XS11E, Killing all posts from Google Groups
> The Usenet Improvement Project:
> http://improve-usenet.org

In article <rxItj.35964$we5.17448@trnddc02>,
"Pat Dreiding" > wrote:

> I have the vent tubes going off the battery, but I don't have the T
> connector and tube to vent to the external venting tube.
> Should I be able to pick this up any any auto supply store or must I go to a
> Mazda dealer?

The auto parts store will have an assortment of connectors and tubing.
You should get out for around a dollar.

--
Lanny Chambers
St. Louis, MO
'94C

On Feb 16, 3:10 pm, Lanny Chambers > wrote:
> In article <rxItj.35964$we5.17448@trnddc02>,
> "Pat Dreiding" > wrote:
>
> > I have the vent tubes going off the battery, but I don't have the T
> > connector and tube to vent to the external venting tube.
> > Should I be able to pick this up any any auto supply store or must I go to a
> > Mazda dealer?
>
> The auto parts store will have an assortment of connectors and tubing.
> You should get out for around a dollar.
>
> --
> Lanny Chambers
> St. Louis, MO
> '94C

Yeah, but he might need to go to the dealer for the part that gets it
outside the body. Like I said, my 2000 has the vent tube going to a
spot that is part of my right rear reflector, not the tail light.

XS11E > wrote:

OK, the new Westco is in and is fine.

The old Mazda battery was apparently fine also, the problem turned out
to be a bad ground cable.

So what to do with the old battery?

Sunday a friend came over driving his Suzuki Sidekick, when he tried to
leave, his battery was completely dead so.....

A Miata battery fits nicely into a Sidekick and the "What to do with
the old battery?" question has been answered.

Result: Everyone is happy and I earned a brownie point for having a
good used battery that was the right size and the right price, free!


--
XS11E, Killing all posts from Google Groups
The Usenet Improvement Project:
http://improve-usenet.org

In article > ,
XS11E > wrote:

> Result: Everyone is happy and I earned a brownie point for having a
> good used battery that was the right size and the right price, free!

<clap clap clap clap> You just earned a free pass on your next typo. :-)

--
Lanny Chambers
St. Louis, MO
'94C

Lanny Chambers > wrote:

> In article > ,
> XS11E > wrote:
>
>> Result: Everyone is happy and I earned a brownie point for having
>> a good used battery that was the right size and the right price,
>> free!
>
> <clap clap clap clap> You just earned a free pass on your next
> typo. :-)

I dunt mak tipoes.


--
XS11E, Killing all posts from Google Groups
The Usenet Improvement Project:
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