Battery Swap Procedure

[pgp001]

I have been getting nervous about the original Battery on my RAV, it looks like an OEM fitment to me so it is well past its best if it is 8 years old !.

It is the small 45Ah petrol version, and it shows only 12.2 volts when measured after it has stood an hour or so. I reckon it should have a "resting" voltage of about 12.6 to be in good nick.

The car has been used every day since I got it in January, and has never failed to start yet.

However now the weather and daylight is improving, I will be using my motorbike for the daily commute instead of the RAV.

So it will probably stand on the drive all week until it gets used at weekends.

Before it decides to let me down, and based on previous posts on here, I have bought a brand new 70Ah Diesel RAV Battery from Halfords, and I intend to swap it over next weekend.

My question is:-

Should I temporarily hook up a spare 12V Battery to the battery leads of the car whilst I disconnect it and fit the new battery.

I am thinking about trying to keep the ECU and my "Ultragauge" (similar to Scangauge) alive so I do not lose any settings or programs etc.

Would it be a big deal to just disconnect the battery and let the ECU reset, or will it take ages to relearn everything again. I have read stories about cars running like a bag of hammers for ages after an ECU reset, should I be worried ?

Thanks

Phil

[Big Kev]

Wotsha Phil,

I am not familiar with what an "Ultragauge / Scangauge is exactly, but my wife's 3 door is exactly same year and petrol as yours, and swopping the batteries over was just a case of...swopping the batteries over. No ECU problems arose then or since. Good idea fitting the larger rated Battery too, but I would not have thought your voltage reading was terminal...?

Big Kev