Rav - New Battery In Spain And Reverse Polarity

[Kevlon]

Hi Team Rav

After 5 years, my Halfords HCB072 Battery stopped working (not bad eh?) on my 2005 Rav-4 diesel so I tried to recharge out of the car but got a "reverse polarity' warning message on the charger. From the forums it looks like a few other successfully use this Battery. It was installed facing forward on the passenger side of the vehicle so the main label could be seen from looking at it under the bonnet. The black, negative, terminal was next to the LHS wing and grounded to it.

Is that the wrong way? Or has the Battery been reversed? How can the car have been running faultlessly for 5 years with a reversed polarity? I bought the car with it fitted that way btw.

So off I taxied to the nearest Toyota dealer - I'm travelling through Spain - and they gave me a new Toyota 28800 YZZJE battery (made in Spain with June 2013 stamped on it)

Here's the thing - this battery if I install it facing forward in the same position has the red, positive terminal on it's right. Is this because in LHD Spanish RAV's the battery is on the other side and so the negative is nearest the earth ground? Or are these cars positive grounded?

Here's the thing:

- do I install new battery with the Positive (red) earthed - opposite to they way it has run for at least 5 years

- do I turn the battery round and earth the negative which will then be near the wing? This is the way the Halfords (charger message - polarity reversed) was installed

What's confused the whole thing is the charger (used successfully on another battery recently) has said that the current set up is wrong, but the car ran ok.....

Conundrum (adivinanza in Spanish, aparently)

Cheers

Kev

RHD UK Toyota RAV-4 XT-R D4D 2005

[Dippy]

Damn, I was most of the way out to the car to help you, then realised you were talking about a 4.2 rather than the 4.3 I have. Mine is Spanish.

I did have a (Portuguese) 4.2 diesel, but that was now 5 yrs ago and I have no clue about the Battery wiring :(

[Kevlon]

Ah, I should say it's the 3 door RAV-4 XT-R D4D so its the 2.0 litre diesel engine :-)

[Merseyshark]

call the RAC / AA / Green Flag, etc. let them install it ........

[Kevlon]

Green Flag it is - wondered why i was paying out for it. Good idea mate.

Is your Battery installed on the passnger side with negative to earth?

[Big Kev]

Could reverse polarity reading on your old Battery be because it has a dead short or dead cell, hence its demise....? Good to know that same Battery did you five years, as fitted to wife's in place of original daft wee Battery.

[Kevlon]

Hmm, makes sense, so that sorts out the charger reading. Thanks. Just need confirmation that it's the negative to earth on that model.

The Rav's spent many a time parked out at temps down to -15 with instant starting, so to last that long is good, I agree.

[Big Kev]

Polarity must be exactly same as your old Battery, so both posts require to be in same orientation, as the pos and neg leads usually won't stretch any further than original.

[Parts-King]

on my 2005 Rav-4 diesel so I tried to recharge out of the car but got a "reverse polarity' warning message on the charger.

So you took it OFF the car? Is it entirely possible you actually DID connect it to the charger the wrong way round?

You are of course correct, the + (positive) cable needs to be connected to the red, positive terminal on the Battery

You would be amazed at the number of 80amp main fuses I sell because people jump start or try and put the Battery on the wrong way round

Kingo

[Kevlon]

I found the red plastic postive cover for the left hand fuse box Battery lead fallen down the back of the bulkhead so now know that the earth must be negative - which is how the Halfords Battery was wired up. So going to assume that it had a short or dead cell to gave the worng polarity reading on the charger. The Spanish Battery with the positive on the right is therefore incorrect. You're right, it wont fit to the leads if twisted round so off to change the battery.

[Kevlon]

Hi PK. I actually checked about 5 times before I connected the charger lead. Same again after I pulled the plug. Purely because Ive read so many posts about others !Removed! it up like you say :)

[Tech01]

Dying (or dead) batteries can show up "reverse polarity" on a charger or test-meter, in their final death throes.

[Kevlon]

Garage now supplied Battery with positive left and negative right so I fitted and all works fine - just as well as the car temp gauge is reading 35 degrees and now I've got aircon again.

Shouldn't really have been a problem but a series of issues made it one:

- old Battery failure led to wrong charger polarity reading

- Battery connections in car not marked so not sure which way round it should go

- nothing in user manual or google to indicate which way this model grounds to earth (it's neg)

- not helped by local Toyota initially supplying battery with positve on right where the earth connector is.

So thanks everyone, particulalry Big Kev who got me on the right road and Malaga Chris for confirming it just now.

Cheers

Kev

[Guest]

Might be worth taking a photo and uploading to this thread, in case anyone else has the same issue?

Gus