Leyland 255 battery

[David Knight]

I'll bet your members have never seen a post from a chap who can't find his battery, but l am such a one. I bought a 1974 Leyland 255 - mainly for topping and hauling logs - and it's great. But the battery's flat and l can't find it to check connections, see how old it is etc. Can anyone help?

 

[Banana Bar]

I'll bet your members have never seen a post from a chap who can't find his battery, but l am such a one. I bought a 1974 Leyland 255 - mainly for topping and hauling logs - and it's great. But the battery's flat and l can't find it to check connections, see how old it is etc. Can anyone help?

Behind the front grille under the fuel tank

 

[startinghandle]

I am not sure but does the battery comes out from underneath

 

[David Knight]

Behind the front grille under the fuel tank

Ah, l thought that was a possibility, but couldn't see a way in. Is it via the grille or the side panel? I suspect it's an ancient batttery and just won't hold charge. Not helped by the fact that it's charged by a dynamo rather than alternator. Someone seems to have disconnected the heater plug circuit as well. I'd rather like to reinstate it - does the button go under the steering wheel next to the horn? Sorry to ask even more questions, and thanks for your help.

 

[startinghandle]

I am not familiar with heater circuit but have you checked fan belt tension and now you have found battery check terminal connections also earth connection

 

[Banana Bar]

Ah, l thought that was a possibility, but couldn't see a way in. Is it via the grille or the side panel? I suspect it's an ancient batttery and just won't hold charge. Not helped by the fact that it's charged by a dynamo rather than alternator. Someone seems to have disconnected the heater plug circuit as well. I'd rather like to reinstate it - does the button go under the steering wheel next to the horn? Sorry to ask even more questions, and thanks for your help.

I haven’t seen a 255 since I was 13 in 1983. From memory you have to remove the grille.

 

[spark plug]

I’m fairly sure you remove the side panel to access the connections. The battery sits in a hinged tray, to remove the battery you remove a pin on the left side of the tractor and the tray hinges down with the battery. Be very careful when doing this as the whole mechanism is strategically designed to jam your fingers at every opportunity.

 

[essexpete]

 

[X344chap]

thebattery can come out upwards if you remove the side panels but its awkward to do this. The correct way is to disconnect the battery terminals, remove the battery tray pin and the whole tray drops down at an angle to let the battery slide out. Usually the pin is seized. The midweight tractors dont have a heater plug in them afaik. Does it have the Simms inline or rotary diesel pump? The simms pump has an excess fuel plunger for cold starting.

 

[David Knight]

thebattery can come out upwards if you remove the side panels but its awkward to do this. The correct way is to disconnect the battery terminals, remove the battery tray pin and the whole tray drops down at an angle to let the battery slide out. Usually the pin is seized. The midweight tractors dont have a heater plug in them afaik. Does it have the Simms inline or rotary diesel pump? The simms pump has an excess fuel plunger for cold starting.

There's a pull-out/push in button low down in front of the driver's right shin, which seems to connect to the injector pump, so l assume that's the excess fuel device. I've never used one of those - do l pull it out to operate it? I only mention a heater plug circuit because there's a notice by the ignition to the effect that one should press the button for 10 secs before starting cold. My old lnternational B414 would never have started in midwinter without the heater plug! There's no heater button, but there's a hole in the panel where one might have been, and a couple of stout cables behind taped up so as not to touch. I think l'll remove the front grill to check battery condition, terminals and earth, then charge it up fully. Then fit an isolator switch on these two cables (l've got a spare off the B414) and see whether l have a working heater circuit. I may change the dynamo for an alternator as well.

 

[Marshall 100]

Don't remove front grille, there is not good access to battery.Just remove side panels and you can see battery under fuel tank. There is just spring which holds side panels on place,so removing them takes just seconds. Battery tray hinges down like told before,and then you can easily take battery out.

 

[David Knight]

Don't remove front grille, there is not good access to battery.Just remove side panels and you can see battery under fuel tank. There is just spring which holds side panels on place,so removing them takes just seconds. Battery tray hinges down like told before,and then you can easily take battery out.

Ah, thanks for that advice. I had a quick look, in a darkening barn, and couldn't see what was holding the side panels in. I'll have a closer look with the headtorch!

 

[David Knight]

Battery out and on charge. Terminals and earth look OK but l'll clean them up and dab with vaseline when it goes back in. Not checked fan belt, dynamo and starter motor connections yet, but will do. Battery is dated Apr 2010, though, so that may be a lot of the problem.

 

[startinghandle]

Battery out and on charge. Terminals and earth look OK but l'll clean them up and dab with vaseline when it goes back in. Not checked fan belt, dynamo and starter motor connections yet, but will do. Battery is dated Apr 2010, though, so that may be a lot of the probl yem.

Do not waste any more electrIc... turn off charger !!!
That battery has lasted good.... 9 years!!!
I remember many years ago a vehicle electric expert saying it is a good idea to charge a new battery for a couple of hours on low charge as it will last longer and he was correct

 

[David Knight]

New battery in, all connections and belts checked, and all AOK. I'm still wondering, though, about what l assume is an extra fuel control for cold starting. It has a push-pull knob, operating a cable running to the bottom of the CAV diesel injector pump. Does anyone else have one of these, and if so how does one work it? Also, what may be the wiring for a heater plug control runs one wire up to the inlet manifold (presumably to the heater plug itself?), and one to the starter motor connector where the supply cable from the battery comes in. There's no switch connecting the two wires (they have been taped together, but not touching). I had planned to untape them and fit an isolator switch across the two spade terminals. Any thoughts on the wisdom or otherwise of this plan? It's not cold at the moment, so starting is no problem, but l don't want to be caught out by the first frost just when l need to get some logs in!

 

[Marshall 100]

Push/pull knob inside cabin is for cold start,but there is no extra fuel.
It "turns" injection timing later to make engine start easier.
Some Leyland models has Minimec in-line pump,and there is button for extra fuel,but 255 is always fitted with DPA rotary pump.

 

[David Knight]

Push/pull knob inside cabin is for cold start,but there is no extra fuel.
It "turns" injection timing later to make engine start easier.
Some Leyland models has Minimec in-line pump,and there is button for extra fuel,but 255 is always fitted with DPA rotary pump.

OK, I can see how that would work. So what do l do - just pull the knob out for a cold start and push it back in when the engine's running?

 

[Marshall 100]

OK, I can see how that would work. So what do l do - just pull the knob out for a cold start and push it back in when the engine's running?

Exactly,and use thermostat also if engine starts difficulty.

 

[David Knight]

Exactly,and use thermostat also if engine starts difficulty.

Thanks. I (almost) look forward to the cold weather to try it out!

 

[startinghandle]

I cannot comment on wires without seeing
But what about antifreeze