Battery relocation - Why complicate things...
 

I've read several guides on battery relocation. It seems more difficult than it needs to be. My question is: why can't I just take the proper wires, & attach them to the existing +/- cables as a extension peices, and run that to the trunk? I've read that you have to install breakers & the whole setup takes 5-8 hours... why can't you just do it how I'm thinking? I'm no mechanic... is my idea unsafe, & that's why the more complicated approach is used? Maybe I'm not understanding the walkthroughs...

The basic walkthrough as I understand it...
1. remove existing +/- cables,
2. attach new +/- cable to existing connections, & attach other end to new fuse breaker
3. run cables from fuses to battery

Why do you need to add the breaker in the middle... if the stock +/- cable is safe as is, why not just make these 2 cables long enough to reach all the way to the back? Is this a fire hazzard without the breaker? Did I understand the walkthrough correctly, or did I totally miss?

Any help would be appreciated... & again... I have read several guides on the subject...

Any short in that positive cable from the battery to the original battery connection will cause that cable, from the short to the battery to become red hot until it melts, burning everything that it contacts. Can you do it? Yes. Might it cause your car to burn to the ground? Yes. As long as you never get a short in that cable, without a breaker or fuse near the battery, you will be ok. Are you willing to take that chance for $35?

Maybe I'm not understanding the how-to guides... I've heard relocation kits cost around $200... for some cable & a breaker & a battery box...

But to relocate the battery... (please correct me if I am wrong)...

1. I remove the existing +/- cables.
2. Put new +/- cables from old connection points into a breaker
3. run +/- cable from breaker to relocated battery

End of installation? The guides seem so much more complicated than that...

Simple version. Put the battery where you want. Run a ground cable from ground terminal of battery to the body as close as you can, 12" or so, and bolt it up. From the positive terminal of the battery, run a short piece of cable to a 200 amp breaker or fuse block. All of the high end car stereo installers will be able to hook you up. From this breaker, run the positive back to the original battery positive terminal hook-up, and BINGO, you be ready to roll

If you are in NW indiana, you are not far from me. Call me, 708-774-3241, and you can come look at mine.

I'm actually in Terre Haute (west of Indianapolis) until the school year is over.

But what you said makes sense. The guides all seem over complicated... when you just need to replace cables with longer peices & put a breaker in the middle... Thanks

Well you could write a set of instructions for replacing an FD engine as:

1. Remove engine.
2. Rebuilt it.
3. Reinstall.

..but these would not be helpful. :)

I did a relocation recently and there are lots of details. It took me about 10x more time than I expected it to. Routing the positive cable cleanly and safely is tricky and requires pulling apart lots of stuff. You do not route the negative cable - you attach a new ground as close as possible to the relocated battery. And a breaker is an absolute must unless you want the possibility six feet of cable with 100+ amps running through it in the middle of your car.

It's not the breaker install that makes the battery relocation process take 5-8 hours. It's all the detail work.. routing the cable, removing interior panels, mounting the battery, making everything clean, re-installing all the interior panels (trying your hardest not to destroy them), making sure everything works, etc, etc.

Yeah the hardest thing is actually removing and re-installing all your plastic panels w/o breaking every stupid plastic clip in your car!!!! That is time consuming along with running huge ass wire through the car CLEANLY.

goodluck with your install,
-josh

What all has to be removed in order to put in the cable... most of the interior?

& what is app. cost for the new cables & breaker?

Just to throw it in there, I'm not a fan of battery relocation. If you absolutely HAVE to do it to fit an intercooler, fine. You end up adding a lot of complication to the system, can potentially cause ground problems, etc. Not to mention you need to make sure you have a sealed battery (like an Optima) as a regular battery will outgas, and it's not safe to be in the cabin with a standard battery.

I'm a big fan of the 51R battery tray - keep the battery where it should be, and you get a lot of extra room for a larger intercooler. If push comes to shove, you can go with one of the super tiny batteries, but I do like having a 51R that I can easily replace at most any auto parts store.

Also, there is SO little interior space in the FD, I hate wasting it with something as mundane as a battery. I guess part of that comes from the fact I DD my FD and use it for lots of things - getting groceries isn't out of the question :).

Dale

Call me paranoid... but I figure batteries don't like extreme heat... & it gets pretty extreme under the hood of an FD. I am simply wanting to relocate the battery so that I free up the space to help with air circulation (hopefully) plus to get the battery away from a heat source. Plus, I would like the extra room up front to upgrade parts (intercooler) later on.

& while I plan to DD my FD... as much as an FD can be daily driven at least... I find those bins pointless... they're great if you like to carry a bunch of crap around you dont need... & like to throw everything in there... but aside from that... if I have anything I need to take with me... that's where the trunk comes in... or the usable area that exists when the bins are closed

& what materials should I use?

any 200amp breaker will do I assume...

but for the cables... I've read people using 0,2 or 4 gauge wire... is any 'size' better to use?

Well I did little writeup on my experience with a battery RELO:
http://reganrotaryracing.tripod.com/batrelo.htm

A little bit more involved than most will need or want as I had a roll bar to work around and I'm an obsessive compulsive freak. But as most have stated you can half ass the install and run the cables anywhere, with no breaker/fuse, and using a regular battery and run the risk of 1) have the install look like shite (which many I've seen IMO do), 2) burning your car to the ground when the pos cable shorts to the chassis, and 3) blowing up in a hydrogen gas explosion. Your call. All in all my install was about $100 not including the battery.
FWIW,
Crispy

I haven't done this with my FD but I did relocate the battery in my VR4 and Summit sells (sold?) a relocation kit including wiring, terminals and a marine battery box with tie down straps for about $40 which worked fine for my application.

They seem to have more choices now than they did back in the day, you can do a keyword search for "Battery box" and come up with all sorts of results. Here is a sample:

http://store.summitracing.com/defaul...5&autoview=sku

http://store.summitracing.com/defaul...5&autoview=sku

The far majority of battery relocations I've seen are complete shit and suffer from at least one of these major flaws:

Poor mechanical mounting of the tray and/or battery to the tray. I've seen many with a battery just sitting loose in the bin. No mount at all! :uh: You don't want that bugger moving. When it moves the cables move and you're just asking for eventual trouble. Idiot.

No breaker or fuse mounted within inches of the positive terminal. This is an absolute must as someone pointed out earlier. If you don't know why this is so then you should not be doing any work on your car's electrical system. No exceptions. Stop and put down your tools. Do not pass go.

Not properly protecting the positive cable of the battery. If I'm going to run all this thick cable under my carpet and have it smashed against the metal chassis I'm going to want more protection than merely the insulation on the cable. Where's the guy who ran his bare cables underneath the chassis? Dear god!

Not insulating the positive terminal of the battery itself. Shocking!

Passing the cable through plain drilled holes in sheet metal. If you run a cable through anything put a damn grommet in the hole first! And use a proper grommet. A few wraps of electrical tape around the cable where it passes through the metal is called "wishing". It may make you feel better but it's useless.

Not using a sealed battery in the interior of the car, or putting a non-sealed battery in a sealed box and not venting the box to the exterior. Hello! Idiot in progress! (These cases solve themselves if the owner happens to smoke.)

Any single one of these problems is enough to be dangerous and IMO make you an idiot. Unfortunately you typically see a combination of these problems in each installation.

So is there any 'best' gauge cable to use?

& how much cable (+/-) will I need to run to the trunk?

& how much does a 100amp breaker cost... I called a local audio store & they charge about 55 for a 100amp fuse setup plus cable cost

Ummm.... it's all on the page I had in my previous post. Maybe you should read more and listen to what folks are saying before continuing with further questions.

Crispy

What size battery will you be installing? I'd recommend a 13lb Odyssey PC680 in the stock location, as opposed to installing new cables, cutting your interior apart, and drilling holes in your chassis for the new battery mount. Worst case scenario: your battery explodes, or your cable melts and your interior catches fire, or your cable rubs against the chassis and shorts out all the electrical compnents in your car. You've admitted you're not a great mechanic, do you really want to take that chance in a car that's going to see mostly street duty?


-s-

*sigh* Yes, your all-knowing highness...

& After taking your advice... I re-read your write up... it said you bought 16 feet of 2 gauge for + & 3 feet of - 2 gauge. I've been told to have no more than 1 foot of negative... but this doesn't answer any of my questions... from which got your above response.

So the kit you bought came with 2 gauge? I already said I knew people used either 0,2, or 4 gauge... I had asked if any strength wire is the 'best'; you simply using one size in your application doesn't mean it is the 'best'.

I also asked how much + cable I need... well your kit came with 16 feet... but isn't it possible that you only used 12? I didn't see in your write up (granted I only glanced through it) how much excess + cable you had.

Ok time to spoon feed. Ready? Open wide :D I'm being sarcastic in case you missed that as your questions as I'm sure others have seen also are becoming somewhat tedious and frustrating. Yes I bought a **KIT** (you did read what a wrote eh?) that contained 16 feet of red 2 gauge and 3 feet of black 2 gauge. IT WAS A KIT! I didn't need all 3 feet of the black 2 guage for the negative ground. You will need "about" 1 foot of negative cable. But it all depends on how **YOU** do you install. Will you need 13 inches? Maybe. Should you buy a little bit more than what you could need? Probably. At perhaps a $1 a foot would it be wise to spend the extra $1 and buy up to 3 feet? Your call.

Correct. What is "best?" Common sense would dictate thicker is better. I did some of my own research (hint hint) and came to the conclusion that for the maximum current draw when starting the car for the length of cable to relocate the battery that 2guage would be sufficient and that 4gauge would not. Would 0gauge be better? Sure. Was it worth the price to go with the 0gauge. By my evaluation, no.
Was I comfortable using a thinner 4gauge wire? No, on that count also. BTW strenght has not much to do with the wire gauge. It's all about the thickness

Ah ha! So you DIDN'T read it then? Ok I'm out. I give up. Try and help and this is what you get. Good luck to ya and I hope you don't burn your car to the ground.
But some last words in parting...why not just buy the Summit Kit for $40 and save you the agro of having to ask 50 million mundane questions? It would save us ALL from the pain and suffering.
Regards,
Crispy

Crispy, you are a very patient man.

I like how people people ask for help and don't take the time to read it.

Especially with this kind of attitude.

*sigh* back to you

i think TMadlem84 is just making it more difficult than what it seems. its an easy job. it just takes time. i spent approximately $200 for everything which includes the kit, battery, fuse, etc. and dedicated a saturday afternoon relocating. its not rocket science, kits provide much longer wires than needed so you can cut it down to size. i think you are not up to this job and should hire someone to do it for you.