Q? bout Battery relocation for people who've done it

[CoasTek240]

Ok... i've been working on my battery relocation for about a week now.
most people purchase the kits for $55-$130
well i purchased my materials for $

-28' of 2 guage power wire @.64/ft ($17.92)
-summit racing battery box $11 ($11)
-pos.,neg., and ground terminal ($3.74) @advanced
-(2) 1' long all-thread bolts 3/8" thick .58 each ($1.21)
-(4) 3/8" galvanized nuts (had them)
-(4) glav. washers (had them)
-zipties $0 (had them laying around)
-soudering iron and souder $0 (also laying around)
use existing battery tie down

total: $33.87 (sturdier and better quality than the kit.)

***i've got it setup so i battery is back there but not secured yet.
two questions?
1. i have not secured the battery yet, does everyone whos done this b4 to their s13 reccomend to secure it on the right side of the tirewell on the little shelf above the muffler(it fits perfect)?

2. where do i run the line out of the engine bay?... i was todl there was a tiny pre-existing hole in the firewall to run it through... but i spent about an hour looking and could not find it. i have it running out the top of the hoo din through the window for the time being.....(if there isnt a pre-existing hole.. does anyone have any reccomendations fro where to run the line.. perhaps drill a hole in the firewall..? nothing too hard)

-well i'll post pics soon as i get this thing complete

[andrave]

do you have a sealed battery? If not don't forget a vent tube and a sealed battery box.

[CoasTek240]

the battery box is sealed.. the battery howver is oem.. it meets specs though as long as the box is sealed.

but back to my questions?.. see above/\

[andrave]

ok, well I haven't done a rear battery but my brother did on his mustang, and I did run power cable to the rear for my big sound system.
I would say that the tray above the muffler would be your best bet. The mustang guys do theirs on the rear passenger side cause it puts the weight so the car launches the best. I think its to offset the drivers weight. Do you care about that?
I don't know...

Secondly, I couldn't find a suitable hole so I drilled right below where the AC lines run through on the passenger side, it comes out where the carpet ends up on the passenger side firewall. Its easy to access from both sides, easy to put a grommet in (VERY important) and its close to the battery and away from moving stuff and heat sources.

Also, don't forget a fuse... otherwise your car will burn down.

[killjoy]

Dude run it under your car and don't worry about drilling. You can run it exactly with your brake lines underneath and ziptie it to them. Its super easy and noone can see it.

[USMC240]

however running the wires underneath your car can also lead to problems such as corrosion, and wear (lets hope you dont bottom out that bad).

i have done the battery relocation, with out a kit, at about $40. You have to make sure your electrical system is already up to par, b/c your putting more of a strain, making your battery work harder, pushing all that power through a longer power cable. The bigger the better, theres less resistance that way.

The problems i encurred with my relocation was that i mounted my box on the drivers side, shortly after, my antenna was busted, and now i dont have access to it. I rivited the box down.

moving along, i was going to soilder the connections, but with that large of wire it would have taken all night. I went and bought a propane torch! Heat that son'a bisnatch up and let the soilder melt into it.

I ran the cable under my carpet and under the seats, no problems there.

[andrave]

most auto parts stores will crimp the ends you need on there for you, its a much better alternative to solder and will hold up better. Also make sure you have good grounds!

Don't forget that the jack is stored back there, either. If you use it, find it a new home or make the box removable, or just keep a cell phone or fix a flat handy. Remember that a spare tire won't do you any good without a roadside emergency jack.

[CoasTek240]

ok so i have it mounted right now and it's sturdy on the drivers side.. right above the muffler...anyways.. now i need to find a hole.. right now it's running b/c i have it coming in through the window temp
so i need the best spot to drill through .. there no way i'm running it under the car...

also whats this stuff bout a fuse..?.. no one has ever mentioned that...

i think thats only when ur running an amp. or electrical stuff like that.
thanx..
also if anyone has anypics of where they ran it it would be nice.
thanx

[andrave]

you have to run a fuse. Anytime you run power wire over a negative ground (which in this case is the chassis of your car) you need a ground. With the gauge of wire you are running, if the positive were to touch negative its enough power to actually weld metal together. Alternators and batteries are electrical things too.

[CoasTek240]

well how come no one else has doen this.. i cant think a single person that has done that with their battery relocation...
maybe on car audio stuff...
and i'm not doubting you... but i'd like to her some other opinions

[andrave]

Well, in car stereo, anything with a wire has to have a fuse. When you short out a wire, it causes it to flow all the current available, which will catch the wire on fire. My dad is an electrician, and when I was younger and first installing he would always point out the car fires that made the police reports and say "this will be your car if you don't fuse." And fuses have saved my ass a few times. If other people don't use a fuse my only guess is that the wire gauge is so large that there is no fire hazard. However, like I said, the heat generated when shorting wire that big is adequate to melt steel. I've done it before. Do the relocation kits come with fuses??

[orange-grey]

Why did you mount the battery on the drivers side? Wouldn't you automatically want to put that weight as far on the passenger side as possible to counter the left front bias? The only thing really worth debating is whether to mount it towards the back of the trunk for better weight distribution or towards the front of the trunk for lower polar moment of inertia.

[CoasTek240]

ok i totally agree man it does make sense to run a fuse..
but no kits come with them either

orange grey... i can mount it in the trunk on the right side b/c the gas tank is directly below there

and it is too much in the way of things if pused directly behind the seats...
so i decided the left side.. besides.. that where almost evryone else put theirs

[CoasTek240]

*bump

[USMC240]

like i said, run the power (+) through the dash board, and under the carpet. under the back seat, along the side of the car and up to the battery.

It is always a good idea to put a fuse on your ****.

[mrdirty]

Originally posted by orange-grey
...or towards the front of the trunk for lower polar moment of inertia.

don't think PMI would be affected too much by a few feet.

You're asking for trouble if u don't run a fuse; like car burning down trouble . Damn cheap insurance policy...

I ran my cable under the carpet as well, 8 gauge if I'm not mistaken. Oh, and electricity is electricity; and us car audio guys have been there and back when it comes to wiring $hit up...

[240racer]

I ran my cable through the same grommet as the main harness on the way to the ecu. then just under the door sil or carpet. You do not need to run a fuse. There is no fuse on the original positive battery cable going to the starter. It may be a good idea to run a good wire to the alternator, I didn't and burned that one up. You just have to be carefull to make sure that your insulation is in good condition and you don't drag it over some sharp metal when installing. You must use rubber grommets whenever you run through a hole in metal. I have mine mounted in the spare tire hole, so I don't have any help in that area. I got these big splice connectors from Menards, I think they have them at Home Depot too. Get the biggest ones you can find.

[CoasTek240]

ok.. well i'm gonna run a fuse just for the fact that it couldnt hurt... even though numerous reputable people have told me (it can cause elec. problem w/out it) but it's nto a fire hazard..
i'm running 2 guage wire btw.

so how do i go about running a fuse?

btw...usmc240-i did what you said i ran the cable right under the glove box--through the firewall-- under the carpet, along(behind) the sidepanels through an acess hole to the trunk. the kit is totally complete except for the fuse(which i'm currently getting help for)...and i need to find a way to seal the hole i put in my firewall. does any1 have a suggestions to make a gromet or seal aroudn where the wire is?
i was thinking of just dapping a bunch of silicon caulking up there...
thanx

[mrdirty]

Installing a batt fuse is easy, just go get a fuse holder (140 amp should do), find a good spot right near the battery (less than 18" away is the rule of thumb) and bolt it down.

I custom made a gromet from....damn, what's that orange insulative stuff called....well anyway, nylon will do fine; just as long as u have access to a lathe....If not use a nice rubber one u can buy at any electrical store.

I drilled a 1" hole right under the heating/AC fan and ran the 8 gauge under the pass carpet. 8 gauge is little big for the channel where the rest of the wiring goes in the corner there.

[d240t2]

Someone said something above I have to question...

Since when is crimping much better than soldering and hold better? (Especially when crimping is usually a step in soldering automotive connections.)

Dennis

[andrave]

if you use a W style crimper it will not come out, if you crimp properly. Soldering such a large wire would probably lack strength, in my experience. When subjected to the rigors of the automobile environment (corrosion, vibration, movement on all axis) I choose W crimps. Regular V crimps are not acceptable as a means of connecting. Soldering will give you a lower resistance connection but IMO it is not woth the extra time and the W crimp will have a greater strength.

As for the fuse, stop by your local automobile electronics store and ask them what they have. www.partsexpress.com also has a good supply for reasonable prices, and they have always treated me as their most important customer even when I only order a few things.

If you have any other questions on electrical connections in cars feel free to IM me on aol, screen name is aandrave, I have been installing stereos for 7 years.

[CoasTek240]

i was told i could buy a fuse from the car audio store that goes right on ur battery terminal b/w the terminal and the power wire.


i also see them all the time on car battery's.

i do not have any car audio by the way i dont need anything special. i just want a fuse as a precautionary reason (taking ur advice)

[slideways240]

when you're dealing with large diameter wire soldering really isn't practical. it may be a better electrical connection, but your application doesn't require it. if you're going to mechanically connect the +lead at it's current location to your new #2 wire going back to the trunk then i would use a "c"tap connector insulated with scotch 130c splicing tapeboth of wich are commercial products and will hold up to whatever may be lurking under the hood. c taps might be hard to find and you need a pretty mean crimper to attach them so if you don't know any electricians you may be outta luck there.just use 2 good split bolts and tape it up good with the 130c.you can get both of those things from lowes.and iirc you can also get grommets in their little specialty hardware bins.

[CoasTek240]

sweet now what about the fuse?

[Negreac]

Take it from a guy whose had an electrical fire in his car from not using a fuse, you need them. If the insulation on your wire wears away anywhere along the 14ft.+ from the positive battery terminal to the main fuse blocks the entire wire will catch on fire. The only real way to tell what size fuse you will need is to go through all your fuse boxes(I think there's only 2, there may be more) and add up the amps. This is the minimum rating fuse you will need. Chances are it's gonna be pretty high. It's hard to get fuses at this high of a rating so what you will probably need is a circuit breaker. A household type circuit breaker should work but they are sensitive to vibration and movement. There's another type that isn't as sensitive that I've used on robots before, I'll have to ask around and see if I can get you more deatiailed info on them.