Here are some pics of my battery relocation project. I am finishing the writeup on TurboRX7.com Tell me what you think!
(Ignore the date!)

 

 

What kind of battery is that? What's the CCA? Any noticable difference between this and a stock battery?

 

It says it's an "Odyssey 680" in the pic.
Why would we need a write up of that. You moved the battery, pulled some cable, drilled a couple of holes and got creative with some clear RTV whats the big secret?

 

are you going to put a fuse in there?

 

Yea and can you do a write up on that?

 

Why a writeup? I wish to give, any useful information I have, to others with the same situations. In the beginning, i was under the assumption that the battery relocation was a kit. I found a creative way to do it and I want to share it with everyone who has shared their knowledge with me.
:-D

The battery has 680 CCA It has not shown any difference with the stock battery, but i havent tested the longevity yet.

The fuse is a good point.

 

Half the people here are too scared of doing things on their own and need a write up how to change their oil.

 

good job!

nevermind what other people say!

you maybe a little disappointed with that battery. If your in a area with cold weather it maybe even worse. that battery isn't too strong. and its crancking amps isn't too high.

ehhh.... maybe you will luck out.

good job again!

 

Mine lasted about 6mo and it's been sitting on a shelf for over a year. I thought about using two of them together since they are gel and the Optima vents even though they claim it to be sealed (acid). If that doesn't work i'll try the 925.

 

My area has cold winters. I want to start the car at least once a week in the winter so the testing will go on through there.

Where did you guys run your wires? Through the firewall? In the cabin? Under the car? I ran mine next to the fuel lines. The fuel lines have the plastic guard which is "perfect" for mounting the wires.

I used 2 guage wire, which i though was overkill but i am no expert on starter/alternator current. What wire guage do you use?

 

Well, no offense, but all you've really accomplished is documenting how not to do it.

Why did you run the ground cable all the way to the front of the car? You should have grounded the negative cable within 12-18 inches of the battery.

You have no circuit breaker or fuse. What you've created is a fire hazard in the event of an accident. If the positive cable gets pinched or damaged and shorts out, you've got a potential electrical fire or battery explosion on your hands.

Why did you drill holes through the floorpan and run the cables underneath the car? There are several write-ups on this forum which tell you where to run the cables without damaging the car.

I assume you're going to protect the connection of the positive cable at the power distribution/fuse block? That's another potential electrical hazard.

 

You have given me a perfect example of why i want to document it. I thought I had planned everything out. Quite honestly, I feel like a moron. Either way, someone will benefit from this... Me or the next guy. I simply wish to include all of my findings (such as your comments) and put them all in one place.

I will be sure to fix those things as now my fuel pulsation dampener isnt my only fire hazard. :-)

As for the front positive cable, i havent mounted the bracket. Good catch!

 

Well, it's certainly a good example of "there's more than one way to skin a cat".

I wouldn't redo it now, and from the dates on your pictures, I assume you've been running with it for some time now -- or you just let the batteries in your camera die.

For safety's sake, install a circuit breaker within 12-18" of the positive terminal of the battery. If the positive cable shorts, the circuit breaker will kick out and save your car from damage. After you resolve the problem, you can just reset the breaker. I'd recommend a 200-amp circuit breaker, since your starter will pull a considerable amount of current.

 

Damn Jim!!
While I agree with everything you posted, you didn't have to be so harsh on the guy.

rdahm, take so of jim's tips, fix some of the little things, and you'll have one clean relocation project.

 

www.turborx7.com is a very nice website. I'm sure your project will end up OK in the end, just be sure to install that circuit breaker, and I would make very sure that the cables aren't vibrating around where they pass through the frame. If the positive cable touches the frame, it could short circuit and cause a fire (the circuit breaker would keep damage to a minimum: a small fire is better than a big fire)

-s-

 

Thanks guys! Once i finish it properly... I will list the dos and dont of it. Good thing i posted, I would have been posting pics of a battery fire sooner or later. lol I figure everyone here has something interesting and useful to know. Even if jimlab comes across harsh, the info was well worth the berating. :-)

 

BTW, just so there's no confusion, the type of circuit breaker you're looking for is an automotive 12V DC circuit breaker. Don't buy an AC circuit breaker from Home Depot.

This is the Phoenix Gold circuit breaker I used (the picture below is of the 100-amp version, so make sure you get the 200-amp version). You can find it for a bit less than $40 if you look, but I provided a link to a reliable source below if you can't find one at your local car audio/stereo shop. Cut the positive battery cable within 12-18" of the battery (after disconnecting the ground cable, of course) and connect the two ends of the positive cable to the terminals on the circuit breaker and you're done.

The red button kicks out the circuit breaker so that you can disconnect the battery quickly if you're going to work on the electrical system, and to reset it you just flip the black lever (shown in the open position) closed.



http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=263-579

And here's a picture of my old setup...

 

jim is absolutely right. When people disagree with the truth about their pet project they call it "harsh" or "rude". Ignorance of facts does not make them less true.

...and there is no hold down device for the battery that I can see either.

 

Apparently you missed my smiley.


anyway, continue on with more relevant discussion.

 

I actually disagree... Being harsh or rude masks the facts, as people focus more on the delivery of message than the content. It is hard to truly understand each other on here.

While I do take some pride in making my own battery setup without much direction, I really appreciate the input from those who have "been there done that" I do not want to reinvent the wheel, but i do wish to do a project and show others my best output. Then everyone else contributes their's.

At any rate, thanks to everyone who has contributed. BEFORE i finish my writeup for my site, I will fix those things mentioned. I will also list the perils which i was unaware. What is that old saying? It takes a village to raise a child... Same applies here. :-)

 

That's the point I was trying to make. Most people when confronted with something they don't wish to hear about their project automatically decide you're being rude to them, regardless of the tone. Since it's their project and you had nothing nice to say they believe you're rude. Some things are just right and wrong, black and white. "Rude" isn't involved there.

 

That's a very clean looking install Jim. Kudos. Interesting picture angle as well.

 

I know this is probably somewhat trivial, but why use the driver-side compartment (this applies to Jim's photo also)? I haven't corner-weighted my car yet, but I would imagine that the ideal solution would be to add weight to the passenger side of the car. I can see that you're saving about 2-3 feet of wiring, is that the main reason?

-s-

 

The battery started out on the driver's side, out in the front of the car. Moving it towards the rear on the same side doesn't hurt anything, and having perfect weight distribution isn't as important as a lot of people seem to think.

Besides, Mazda's 50/50 front to rear number doesn't tell you anything about side to side distribution, and it changes the minute you put a driver/and or passenger in the car and the car starts to accelerate, brake, and corner. But sitting perfectly still with no one in the car? Yeah, it's perfect.