General Moving the battery to the boot

[Bushboy]

Just a question on how to do this really.

Obviously the battery needs to be properly secured down in the boot with a tray which is bolted/weleded in BUT how do I go about the wiring?

do I just extend the normal positive battery terminal cable through the bulkhead and to the back of the car through the interior?

And then as far as the earth goes, do I make a new earth point in the boot and connet the batter negative to this. Then can I just remove the normal earth cable in the engine bay? Obviously providing that all components that rely on it are still connected to the earthing point?

Basically something like the following.



Would this work or would I need to extend the original earth cable to the back like the positive cable?

 

[col7104]

Even though I could have done it myself, I got a garage to do it just so that if it does go up in flames, I can have a go at them . This is how they did it:

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c321/col7104/Seicento/DSC_0087.jpg

There is a new earthing point in the boot, and no more earth to battery wire in the engine bay, as this was reused in the boot . Advantage with the terminal in the engine bay is I have positive if I want to connect anything else up in future in the engine bay.

 

[Bushboy]

So is the thing they have mounted there just a connector to join the original loom positive to a cable that runs through to the boot and to the new battery?

is the setup pretty much just what ive drawn in the diagram?

 

[col7104]

Yeah it's literally just two studs that form one positive terminal. On the Sei, not sure on the Cinqs, there's two positive cables, one from the alternator and the other goes to some funky loom behind the battery. These two cables which would have connected to the battery are connected to one of those terminals. You can then see the big fat red wire on the left hand stud which runs through to the boot. It runs through the grommet just behind the accelerator pedal and under carpet etc just like an amp install.

Yeah your diagram is it

 

[levemircento]

Yes its easily do-able, think back to the old type mini and how the battery was mounted in them.
Sink the battery into a purpose made tray cut into the boot floor [these trays can be bought], or you can mount it onto the boot floor directly with a bracket to hold it down, either way it must be secure and level, and make sure it is covered in a non conductive material in case anything metal in the boot falls onto it and makes a circuit.

Earth just needs remaking next to the new position, ensure you earth to clean and sound metal.

Positive needs extending back to the engine bay, use as thick a wire as you can, as you will lose less amps when your starter is turning the engine over, a long wire like that if not very thick can be quite resistant to amps.


When I used to build race cars for the ovals I used to have to mount the battery in the passenger footwell, the procedures are much the same.

 

[dave]

connector looks like the top off an old solenoid

 

[dave]

could use isolator switch as a conector, from here they also have battery tray http://shop1.actinicexpress.co.uk/s...d&ActinicSID=7bd3b39a1af90498c4bb3ecee401568a

 

[col7104]

I got my wire from here, 25mm2:
http://www.autoelectricsupplies.co.uk/product_list/124

Aaron (j333evo and a great help when I was doing this) used one of these to connect the battery wire, as the Cinq only has one positive wire to connect I think:

http://www.autoelectricsupplies.co.uk/product/162

That would save you needing a terminal, but if you have an alarm to wire up it would add a bit more time.

 

[Bushboy]

yeah ive been looking on ebay and seen the isolator switches the same as those and was considering looking into them. Same with the battery trays. I'm definatly going to get one of those battery trays anyway. I will bolt it to the boot floor to the passenger side of the spare wheel (adds some weight to the pass side and the rear too).

Would using 4 gauge cable be thick enough? Looks thicker than the standard cable to me and ive got plenty of it from an audio wiring kit I bought.

 

[col7104]

I was told that 4 gauge wouldn't be man enough Otherwise I could have saved some money there too. Gaz (turbo sei) used 4 gauge amp wire though and his seems to still be alive.

If you get an isolator switch for somewhere you can use it (in cabin) get the one that cuts ignition too, otherwise you can fry the alternator if you disconnect the battery while the engine is still running. Something about diodes I think.

 

[dave]

Could You Use Heavy Duty Jumplead Cable?

 

[Bushboy]

Ide mount the isolator in the engine bay anyway and lock it on. Only use it if I ever needed to disconnect the battery etc.

May look into the cables on the website you posted.

Im presuming the the higher the ampage the wire takes, the better. But what is the minimum ampage cable I should get?

 

[rallycinq]

Its also better to get a bulkhead fitting rather than trying to get the cable through a groomet.

Cheers

D

 

[col7104]

150 amps or so at a guess, I'm not too sure. Someone will though and hopefully post lol. The longer the cable the larger it'll have to be. Three metres did the job on mine, that's what I gave them and nothing came back. But then again they could have nabbed the remains

 

[col7104]

Its also better to get a bulkhead fitting rather than trying to get the cable through a groomet.

Cheers

D

That too

 

[arc]

^ what i did.

the main earth off the battery mounts on the seat mounting bracket on the rear arch.

at the front, the main cable comes into a box - then splits. starter motor and alternator one way, and then the OE 100A fuse and to the loom the other way.

the second big feed from the battery powers the extra bits on the dash, ECU, Lambda controller, dash relays, HU, EQ, amp etc.

i wouldnt use anything less than the 25mm2 cable either.

 

[randomizered]

As said, extend +ve to battery.....ground to shell and make sure its clamped!

Remember though, a standard battery may leak or explode depending on type, leaking toxic gasses. Lots of people put them in a sealed container, and have a vent to the outside of the car. I think the gasses are explosive as well

A faulty alternator, or crash are two things that can cause leaks. Even the gel types release the nasty gasses.

Kristian

 

[Brooky]

As said, extend +ve to battery.....ground to shell and make sure its clamped!

I think the gasses are explosive as well

Kristian

A good ground is important, it may look like you have a good earth, but might not, when i wired my amp in i earthed it to one of the seat brackets and it just wouldn't work ,needed a better earth.

And yes the gasses discharged from charging batteries is hydrogen...very explosive

 

[Bushboy]

explosive, yes maybe, but not to the point that your going to blow up your car becuase you moved the battery into the boot lol. yes, if its leaking then there is a larger chance but if the battery is in good nick, the gasses will just escape (like a vacume) when you open the door to get into the car.

 

[h2ypr]

If it was me personally, i'd be routing the cable under the car. Drop it down the back of the engine bay, run it along the underside (properlly secured) and take it up through the boot straight onto the battery. It will be one piece and hence no problem with water etc. I would personally mount the battery in one corner of the boot and build an L type bracket hold it in place. Then it can be pulled straight up if needed to be removed. Also you'll need to remember and get a "ideal" earthing point.

As for the cable it needs to be capable of delivering the correct amount of amps. 60-70 amps should be enough?

Ross