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This is a write up for people who have relocated their battery to the rear bins and want to be able to easily charge it by just plugging it in. Like a Tesla, an exterior battery charging receptacle!
The goal of this, for me, was to be able to charge my battery without having to go inside the car. Not having to shut the door on a power cord, and other various things that were just kind of annoying. I keep my car in storage for several months during the winter and this mod has been one of the best things I have done to the car.
It is pretty easy, pretty clean and VERY convenient.
In formal write up fashion, I will try to list everything you will need, with pictures.
Lets get started!!
First thing I did was locate the bin on the underside of the car, to make sure there weren’t any fuel lines or anything important running directly below..
It turns out that it is directly above the black plastic undertray plate that sits right in front of the rear driver side wheel.
You have to first remove it.
Once you figure out exactly where your bin location is, drill a hole through the chassis in the bin. (I used a 1/4" as a pilot bit and then stepped up to about a 1/2" bit)
It just has to be big enough to fit the connector through.
HOW TO NOT DRILL INTO YOUR BATTERY = DRILL FROM INSIDE THE BIN AND NOT FROM UNDERNEATH THE CAR
Feed the wire through the new 1/2" hole. (It is always a good idea to file any sharp metal edges first)
There are two ends to this wiring. The battery terminal end and the plug end.
The wiring uses a SAE connection
Weatherproof Sidewall Port, Universal Flush-Mountable Connector, SAE Power Socket 12AWG
Next grab the plastic undertray and figure out roughly where you would like the plug to be under the car. You should have plenty of wire to work with.
I went with the most direct, and shortest length. (I didnt want a ton of wire flopping around under the car)
Take a hole saw and drill out the hole needed to mount the plug to the plastic tray. (I forgot what size the hole needed to be)
To mount the plug, I used 4 stainless steel M5 bolts, and nuts. I used the shortest ones I could find.
Bottom side of the plastic tray. This is what you will see from outside of the car
After mounting the plug to the plastic under plate, you can hook up the ring terminals directly to the battery.
Next step is to plug the hole. I used waterproof duct seal and stuffed it evenly on the inside of the bin side, as well as underneath the car, on the chassis.
For those that do not know about, duct seal, is a very malable, sticky, waterproof, putty-like stuff, that does not harden. Comes in a small grey brick and can usually be found at any hardware store. It is designed for exactly this type of thing.
Duct seal inside the bin
Here are some pictures of the end of the Battery terminal cable it is on the bottom side of the car. Before plugging it into the plug connector
After plugging the hole to your satisfaction, you can take both of the SAE connectors and plug them into eachother.
This will give the plug its source to the battery.
You should have enough slack to take off the plastic plate very easily in the future without having to worry about getting into the rear bin again.
Fun fact is that a large majority of this install is all plastic as well, so you dont have to worry about any accidental shorts.
Now all you have left to do is re-install the plastic under tray.
(I ended up painting mine silver )
This is what it will look like when its finished.
You can now plug your trickle charger into the plug to charge the battery using the SAE connector.
Now you can charge your battery without entering the car and fiddling with the battery behind the seat!
I've been meaning to do something like this on my car, especially after I just bought yet another battery after TOTALLY killing the battery with the car sitting for a few months.
I think something similar could be done at the front of the car for cars with stock mount batteries as well.
Do you have a recommendation on a trickle charger?
I think something similar could be done at the front of the car for cars with stock mount batteries as well.
Do you have a recommendation on a trickle charger?
Dale
It could totally be done with the stock battery location! You just might need a little longer SAE cable, and a few zip ties to route it where you can access it.
As for a good trickle charger, they make expensive marine grade ones that are waterproof, reduce undercharging in colder weather, and built to withstand a little more abuse in general. NOCO Genius makes some very high end and smart battery maintainers, but they can get pretty expensive.
My recommendation is to get one that can maintain all different types of batteries. Lithium-ion batteries charge and discharge differently from a regular Lead-acid type battery, and 12V AGM vs Lead-Acid, etc. The software built into some trickle chargers can automatically identify or be manually set to which battery type you have to be able to maintain it properly, based on battery charge/discharge behavior.
So for anyone considering upgrading to a Lithium-ion battery in the future, that would be something to consider.
I've been meaning to do something like this on my car, especially after I just bought yet another battery after TOTALLY killing the battery with the car sitting for a few months.
I think something similar could be done at the front of the car for cars with stock mount batteries as well.
Do you have a recommendation on a trickle charger?
Dale
Dale,
I have done this to a number of motorcycles. You simply bolt the leads up to the battery terminals and plug it in when you are done driving for the day, with the quick detach. I used to use the brand "Battery Tender." Now I use one similar to this
Supposed to be easier on batteries and prolong the life. Don't know if it makes a huge difference, but I like that it shows the status of the battery as it is being charged.
After recently learning much more than I wanted to know about AGM batteries and charging, I will advise to go with either the battery manufacturer's recommendation, or with a trusted charger that was made for that battery brand. Same thing with terminals and accessories.
Dale,
I have done this to a number of motorcycles. You simply bolt the leads up to the battery terminals and plug it in when you are done driving for the day, with the quick detach. I used to use the brand "Battery Tender." Now I use one similar to this https://www.amazon.com/CTEK-40-206-5...2284481&sr=8-3
Supposed to be easier on batteries and prolong the life. Don't know if it makes a huge difference, but I like that it shows the status of the battery as it is being charged.
Stephen
I have this CTEK charger. I had an older CTEK that died after 10 years and kept my battery charged and ready to go. I bought the new version linked above and it works well with my AGM battery (Optima Red top). Just FYI, batteries still wear out and must be replaced.
Wonder if there are any factory grommet plugged openings in the vicinity of the rear bins / rear floor pan like firewall ? I also have a quick disconnect but also need to get inside pass rear bin.
Wonder if there are any factory grommet plugged openings in the vicinity of the rear bins / rear floor pan like firewall ? I also have a quick disconnect but also need to get inside pass rear bin.
The bin on the passenger side should be directly above the aluminum under-plate on the opposite side of the black plastic one.
You are probably going to have to drill through the chassis like I did if that is where your battery is located. Maybe you can buy a rubber grommet to fit the hole you need to drill?
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