When i did my battery relocation i used this as my guide. http://www.stanford.edu/~sunid/battery/
I also selected a different battery, this is the current version of it. Voltphreaks Link

The battery is a bit pricey, but it allowed minimal cutting of the storage bin, plus i was able to follow the guide an i used all of the recommendations with it. Both the fuse block and circuit breaker were installed when i did the battery relocation.

The battery is a bit pricey now i picked it up when it first came out, so i got a much better deal on it. For its size and weight, and power output, its great.

 

you can still hook it up the way i did and run the +line inside the car....thats not the problem

you can allso install a breaker - its up to you

i just wanted to show where to hook up the lines (you can run them the way you wanna under the car or inside the car)and keep it simple no need for extra fuse box in rear bin

 

moconnor has it right.

Don't take serbRX7's advice and run w/o a breaker. That could potentially lead to a fire. See the link in the FAQ for the link to moconnor's relocation and also to CrispyRX7's.

In case you guys didn't notice, moconnor is the author of that link that everyone is posting.

That link might have been around for a while but it is a time test proven way of doing it RIGHT. Just b/c it doesn't have a recent time stamp doesn't mean any of the practical electrical engineering best practices have suddenly changed. Gravity hasn't changed in years last I checked...

 

by reganrotaryracing.tripod.com

"Jack up car to run cable. I used the route taken by the brake and fuel lines under the car. Took a bit of fiddling around but it works and it keeps the high power battery cable away from the main wiring harness"

"150Amp ANL blade fuse mounted near new battery location"

http://reganrotaryracing.tripod.com/batrelo.htm

 

A 150 amp fuse & a circuit breaker serve the same purpose. Either one will protect the wire in case it is grounded out. I agree with you and the choice of either one is simple preference.

The benefit of a circuit breaker is flexibility. When I need to disconnect my battery to work on my car, I simply push a button to release my circuit breaker. With the fuse, you will have to climb in & physically pull the terminal wire.

As far as running the wire on the exterior goes, I simply wouldn't. Though it may seem fine, it is exposed to the elements. Bottom out the car, or run over a object in the road, and you could easily damage the line. I realize the fuel lines are there too, but it's one less thing to get injured in case of an indecent.

 

Reason why i run both. Fuse on the + and circuit breaker on -.

Mine has been under my car for almost 4 years now. I use to check on it every few months after about 2 years of that i stopped looking. About 2 months ago i installed my meth system and ran the meth line near it and check the cable there isn't a mark on it.

 

There should be very little risky when having the cable routed outside under the car. Why? Because many manufacturer like BMW, Mercedez, Lexus and even Porches all does that. Any problem? VERY rarely. Even when the car is trashed in an accidently your cables would most likely be ok.

My suggestion is to follow where brake lines were tucked and place the cable next to them.

-AzEKnightz

 

I just finished a relocation using the Summit Racing kit and Optima sealed battery.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SUM-G1231-K/

Additional parts are needed such as the 150 fuse indicated in posts above. A breaker or high current switch also makes working on the car easier instead of disconnecting the negative cable all the time. One draw back I can see by running the postive directly to the starter is if you ever need a jump. By running it to the stock location you can jump it from there.

 

even tho my + batter goes directly to starter...you can steill jump it from stock location...

 

More recent BMWs (and perhaps other cars too) have an crash-activated disconnect on the battery positive terminal. In a crash, it will disconnect the battery in microseconds. Even a breaker will allow some current to flow before it disconnects the battery, which may be enough to start a fire if the fuel lines are also ruptured.

Those that state that a breaker is not needed are correct - but only in the sense that insurance, seat belts, fire extinguishers, condoms etc. are not needed.

 

holly cow that battery is pricey.


anyway

after reading and asking question and seeing your setup here on forum/thread I decided to relocate the battery to passenger bin.

I also followed:
http://www.stanford.edu/~sunid/battery

but he has a few things which may not be good ideas:

- 150A circuit breaker is useless while our main circuit is 120A
- all the terminals are for sound system and could cause heavy resistance or loosing voltage by using them. I just use the regular electric ones
- don't need to mount the base (battery holder) to the chassis. I mount on the passenger trunk and it's super strong enough.
- he didnt mention about the vent for the battery. Wesco has 2 vents. I have to run vacuum tubes to get the hot air out of the trunk. for this I had to drill a small hole on chassis

 

I don't think you understand the purpose of the breaker. It has to be large enough to deliver enough current to the starter motor. The main 120A fuse is not in series between the battery and the starter motor.

I have no idea where you got this idea (or, indeed, what 'regular electrical ones' are). The voltage drop between the battery and the fuse box contact point was not measurable with my voltmeter (which has a resolution of .001V) so the resistance is clearly negligible (as one would expect - I am not sure why any high quality connector would be designed to have a high resistance).

I don't know what a 'passenger trunk' is - but a relocated battery should be attached to the chassis or frame.

As stated in the write up, the Westco is sealed so does not need to be vented.

 

I too use the Miata Westco battery and it has worked perfectly, even after periods of no start, and a flooding incident I had. It's a quality battery.

 

I have my battery relocated to the trunk.

Ran power cable under car and zip-tied to brake lines.

This was back in 2006, it was actually in the driver rear bin but i decided to put JDM seats a year later but power cable was under car since 06, so far so good.

 

thanks for clarification!

 

Sorry to revive an ancient thread, but has anyone found a more recent battery relocation guide available? Im no electrical wiz and I figured a guide would be extremely helpful

http://www.summitracing.com/int/part...200a/overview/ was the kit I was going with, seems like the best bang for your buck of the kits with the battery box included

http://www.stanford.edu/~sunid/battery appears to be a long outdated/ inactive link. Thanks in advance

 

Link is alive again.

 

are most people running 2 gauge? 0 gauge seems a bit of overkill.

 

You determine the size based on length (which adds resistance). Mine is in the bin and I run 2 gauge direct to the starter and then to the fuse panel. If you run direct to the fuse panel from the back 1st then back down to the starter (which is a waste of wire) you may need to go 0 gauge.

 

Hi, I'm total noob when it comes to electrical things and didn't wanted to make a new thread just to ask some concerns I have when searching about relocating the battery to the trunk (JDM version with rear seats).

Chronus
I have read the link above that must people recommend for a relocation but there was one thing I didn't get... What is the fuse block for?

 

read post #40

 

The fuse block is only needed if you want additional circuits to run aftermarket items - so it is optional.

The breaker is basically a big fuse and is needed for safety reasons. If it definitely not optional.

 

apparently you cant buy an scb150 anymore so what else can I use?

 

What part of Trunk is not understood in this thread

 

It's where the rear bins WOULD be... in the pictures, he just carpeted that area