There is a reason Mazda had the battery enclosed! It can "NOT" handle the heat!!!

Mine is evporating acid on my intercooler.
That stuff is like the blob and keeps ccomming back.

If you have a SMIC, then you are better off with the stock ducting than using a Pettit or whatever. Make sure you also have the plastic batter cover to enclose it.

If you don't, get a gell filled battery (Baker, M2, N-Tech, Odyssy, etc.)

Best yet, relocate it to the cubby hole bins behind the seats.

 

Yeah the heat can really kill a battery fast. But to add to what you've discovered, I believe that the g-forces a stock FD can pull make it prudent to go with a sealed Hawker-type battery (or something similar-- the types that are advertised as not outgassing, and that can be mounted in any position).

And if you're relocating the battery inside the passenger compartment, a suitable sealed box, with vent tubes is a good idea. Personally, I wouldn't put a standard battery inside, even with a sealed and vented box. I've had standard batteries explode before, and it ain't something you want to be around (makes a nasty mess too...)

 

I know you have to do a sealed box when relocating to the rear to be track race legal but does it matter if it's a gel filled/sealed type battery allready? ...you still ned a sealed box or vent tube with a gel type battery?

 

Just seems like a good idea to me. You're putting a heavy *brick* inside the car with nasty stuff inside. Thus, I believe it's a good idea to get a sturdy box as an enclosure. I would like to believe the sealed batteries don't outgas, but I would rather play it safe and vent the box. Last time I looked, Summit had a nice aluminum battery box with a gasket-sealed lid. You could drill the sides or top to put in your cables and vent tubes.

 

I tried a Baker Precision gel battery. The size was great, would habe worked with the stock box hold down, but the posts were on the wrong side of the battery and they were flat with a hole in them. ...not only do you have to change the ends, it doesn't reach. That's too bad, that was a nice battery (Even had plenty of CCA's).

So, I went with the tiny Odessy (motorcycle) 680MJ battery (MJ = metal jacket). The battery is about 1&1/2" shorter and I McGyver'd the hold down with a drafting plastic eraser (not duct tape) "lol". (But I will be ordering the kit from N-Tech.)

--> To clean up the acid, use baking soda!
* Make sure to do this, or else it keeps comming back like the blob!

If you are using a maintenance (water filled) battery, please purchase the shield below if you can "not" replace it with a gelled type.
http://www.thermotec.com/tt/battery.html

I also looked at the 1/2 sized Optima battery's but all Optima batteries are too tall for the hold down.

 

I bumped this up because of the thread below...

https://www.rx7club.com/forum/showth...hreadid=110749

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by GoRacer
[B]I tried a Baker Precision gel battery. The size was
If you are using a maintenance (water filled) battery, please purchase the shield below if you can "not" replace it with a gelled type.
http://www.thermotec.com/tt/battery.html

I put this wrap around and under my battery. Works good.

 

Right on, I saved one battery and one engine bay.

 

quote
-----------------------------------------
There were also a few cars that had their batteries explode, a result of the intense underhood heat, and almost certainly directly attributable to the pre-catalytic converter, but this was apparently not common enough to warrant a recall, or sufficiently troubling to cause Mazda to rethink the inclusion of the pre-cat.
http://www.rotarypowered.com/3rdgenfaq.html
-------------------------------------------

(Edited) Quote by: "Jimlab"

 

does an optima batt. need a sealing box? will it still need the plastic heat shield if its in the engine bay?

 

Here's some fun. Previous owner didn't take maintenence to be THAAAAT important... battery was all corroded when I got it. Stupid me, I used the permatec spray foamy stuff to neutralize the acid that had collected all over the body near the battery. Some of the foamed battery acid and cleaner dripped onto the lower stock radiator tank. Now it looks like the floor plates in the various Alien movies... melted the plastic. Not all the way through, but enough for a VERY LOUD WTF on a Saturday morning the following week upon discovery.

Fluidyne arrives Thursday...

 

I'll also add that when my Mazda battery exploded WITH the stock IC/ducting, there was also an M2 dp on the car.