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View Full Version : moving battery to trunk??



levon2008
04-23-2008, 10:03 AM
I have a few questions i moved my battery to the trunk and the car wont start. it doesnt get enough JUICE if you know what i mean. What do i have to do to make this work? I even tried to jump the car while starting it and it just dies out when i turn the key you can hear a slight crank but thats it.

ghettogeddy
04-23-2008, 10:10 AM
what size cable are you using also how is it connected to the front terminals and the ground wire were is it grounded to

levon2008
04-23-2008, 10:15 AM
the cables in the front are all the same i spliced them into some amp wire its pretty thick but not as thick as the wire thats going to the starter its maybe a little more then half the size

ghettogeddy
04-23-2008, 11:06 AM
the cables in the front are all the same i spliced them into some amp wire its pretty thick but not as thick as the wire thats going to the starter its maybe a little more then half the size

you need at least a 4awg for the line at the least, a 2awg would be the best

levon2008
04-23-2008, 12:53 PM
you need at least a 4awg for the line at the least, a 2awg would be the best

Thanks I figured something was funny

AccordB20A
04-23-2008, 01:30 PM
indeed smaller cables wont let as much current down the wire. i hope your not running a ground wire aswell. you just use the body of the car as that

BITESIZE
04-23-2008, 01:41 PM
When you say "splice" I hope you are talking about twisting them together and electrical taping them. Go buy the necessary length, start from scratch and do it right - or else your car will catch on fire.

ghettogeddy
04-23-2008, 01:47 PM
what you need is a good heavy duty connector a good eather 2-4awg wire and some good electrical tape
and hopefully you got a batt box with tie downs

MessyHonda
04-23-2008, 01:53 PM
yeah 2 guage wire is recommended....why did you move the batt to the trunk....i would only use a sealed batt because of fumes and stuff.

ghettogeddy
04-23-2008, 02:47 PM
yeah 2 guage wire is recommended....why did you move the batt to the trunk....i would only use a sealed batt because of fumes and stuff.

i believe all batt are sealed now but i could be wrong

BITESIZE
04-23-2008, 02:50 PM
i believe all batt are sealed now but i could be wrong

If you take off the top lids, fluid will come out. :(

EricW
04-23-2008, 03:20 PM
i believe all batt are sealed now but i could be wrong

Their not. They usually say something like mantence free, but they can still be opened.


For a battery I would go with an optima or something similar.

AccordB20A
04-23-2008, 03:58 PM
yeah i would only put my battery in the boot id i had a sealed battery.

Pico
04-23-2008, 05:43 PM
how did you connect the cables form the engine compartment?
I used a fused wiring block when I did my relocation, so the wires go from the fuse housing to the block and the cable goes to the trunk.
Here's the fuse block that I got
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v337/picopop/100_0643.jpg

Kagato
04-23-2008, 08:03 PM
use the cables used to power welders. worked great on my 92 gti when i relocated the battery to the hatch.

BITESIZE
04-24-2008, 06:15 AM
how did you connect the cables form the engine compartment?
I used a fused wiring block when I did my relocation, so the wires go from the fuse housing to the block and the cable goes to the trunk.
Here's the fuse block that I got
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v337/picopop/100_0643.jpg

Pico=FTW!

A18A
04-24-2008, 06:24 AM
i would put mine in the boot if it was tiny small that it wouldnt take up much space :)

cygnus x-1
04-24-2008, 07:42 AM
The easiest source of wire to find for this is to go to Autozone and get the heaviest set of jumper cables they sell. 4 gauge is ok, 2 gauge is better. Put a 150-200 amp fuse in line with the positive wire RIGHT AFTER THE BATTERY. This is so if that if the positive wire contacts the frame for whatever reason (like an accident) it won't start a fire.

You shouldn't be using electrical tape either, or splicing wires. Run the positive wire from the battery fuse directly to the big lug on the starter. Then run another cable from the starter to the under hood fuse box. If you need more connections (like to an amp or something) run a cable from the starter to a distribution block first, and then to the under hood fuse box. Also, use the proper sized crimped lugs on the ends of the cables, not just bare wire.

C|

levon2008
04-24-2008, 12:22 PM
SICK comments well i did splice the wires and electical taped them together like a cheap ass :) but hence i see alot of diffrent options i think that are alot better im going to go with those. I also ran the ground all the way up i wasnt thinking. Thanks AccordB20A for the idea of the body PicoPop your hella sick with the fuse box im going to jock that idea but im thinking of relocating it a bit. I was thinking of using the jumper cables cygnus x-1 but i have a better idea.... Theres a construction site right near here with really great electrical wire :) stuff used on light poles i think its thick enough.. As for the battery now im worried i picked one up from autozone it doesnt have any lids for fluids its maintance free. IS THIS BATTER OKAY? i have a 6 month year old daughter and dont want her to get ill off of fumes. Me if i was by myself hell i dont care but my daughter means alot to me. So if this isnt good then let me know oh also where is the boot id thing at?

Thank you for all the input guys always appreciating it

Levon

Pico
04-24-2008, 04:54 PM
One thing to remember is that if your battery says maintenance free that doesn't necessarily mean that it does not have acid in it.
for a battery like that you still would have to make sure that it is properly vented in the trunk to prevent fumes from building up inside the car.
Like EricW posted go with optima or since you got your battery at Kragens they sell one just like it which I used to have before purchasing my optima for the 3G

greentee76
04-24-2008, 05:56 PM
You can get 4ga or 2ga wire at a semi-truck repair or parts store along with the appropriate crimp on ends. Probably cheaper in the long run than jumper cables.
We keep upto 1/0 wire here were I work. That is some real wire about as big around as most peoples thumb.

ghettogeddy
04-24-2008, 06:13 PM
SICK comments well i did splice the wires and electical taped them together like a cheap ass :) but hence i see alot of diffrent options i think that are alot better im going to go with those. I also ran the ground all the way up i wasnt thinking. Thanks AccordB20A for the idea of the body PicoPop your hella sick with the fuse box im going to jock that idea but im thinking of relocating it a bit. I was thinking of using the jumper cables cygnus x-1 but i have a better idea.... Theres a construction site right near here with really great electrical wire :) stuff used on light poles i think its thick enough.. As for the battery now im worried i picked one up from autozone it doesnt have any lids for fluids its maintance free. IS THIS BATTER OKAY? i have a 6 month year old daughter and dont want her to get ill off of fumes. Me if i was by myself hell i dont care but my daughter means alot to me. So if this isnt good then let me know oh also where is the boot id thing at?

Thank you for all the input guys always appreciating it

Levon

you have to watch out for the construction site wire its normally several small wires in one

if you can get welding wire or someting high strand do so
this seems to be a good deal
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2-AWG-Marine-Tinned-Battery-Cable-Wire-Red-Type-II-FT_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ50437QQihZ020QQitemZ 300217391557QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW
but you can get this kind of stuff at home depot, lowes, ace, etc




edit: or something like this http://cgi.ebay.com/Rockford-Fosgate-2-AWG-Amplifier-Power-Kit_W0QQitemZ190216834323QQihZ009QQcategoryZ32810Q QssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
and for the ground
http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-Lightning-Audio-2-AWG-Ground-Terminal-Gauge-Plat_W0QQitemZ320243305019QQihZ011QQcategoryZ50549 QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

cygnus x-1
04-24-2008, 09:09 PM
Definitely look around for other sources for wire. But if you're buying new wire the jumper cables are actually a pretty good deal, especially if you can find them on sale. Also don't forget shipping if you mail order or go ebay.

One other thing to consider, is that if you ever intend to run the car at a track or drag strip they will probably require that the battery be in a covered box, and that you have a cutoff switch accessible from outside the car somewhere near the trunk. I'm actually planning to undo my battery relocation because of this. I'm also planning to run a large-ish motorcycle battery instead of a full size car battery. We'll see how that works out.

C|

ghettogeddy
04-24-2008, 09:23 PM
Definitely look around for other sources for wire. But if you're buying new wire the jumper cables are actually a pretty good deal, especially if you can find them on sale. Also don't forget shipping if you mail order or go ebay.

One other thing to consider, is that if you ever intend to run the car at a track or drag strip they will probably require that the battery be in a covered box, and that you have a cutoff switch accessible from outside the car somewhere near the trunk. I'm actually planning to undo my battery relocation because of this. I'm also planning to run a large-ish motorcycle battery instead of a full size car battery. We'll see how that works out.

C|
i plan on the trunk mount because im gona delete the key holes in the doors so if my batt dies i can still get to it


its eather that or a 2nd hood release on the underside of the car

lostforawhile
06-19-2008, 07:16 PM
The easiest source of wire to find for this is to go to Autozone and get the heaviest set of jumper cables they sell. 4 gauge is ok, 2 gauge is better. Put a 150-200 amp fuse in line with the positive wire RIGHT AFTER THE BATTERY. This is so if that if the positive wire contacts the frame for whatever reason (like an accident) it won't start a fire.

You shouldn't be using electrical tape either, or splicing wires. Run the positive wire from the battery fuse directly to the big lug on the starter. Then run another cable from the starter to the under hood fuse box. If you need more connections (like to an amp or something) run a cable from the starter to a distribution block first, and then to the under hood fuse box. Also, use the proper sized crimped lugs on the ends of the cables, not just bare wire.

C|was going to post some pics of my project doing the same thing. you can use split bolt connectors to attach the wires together, both wires go through the split,then you torque the crap out of the nut, then wrap it in rubber tape,then in electrical tape. solid low resistance connection. as for the fuse,you need an amg type fuse and holder,you can get the 175 amp one at oreilies,but you need to order the holder. only reason i did a split,was i have a fuse block for distribution under the passenger seat,and i needed to tap four gauge wire off of it. they are a very strong solid way to connect wires together. you can get th split bolts in the electrical section at home depot. you need the largest one they have to connect 2- 2 gauge and one 4 gauge together. if you have an amp distribution block near the back of the car,it's best to tap right off of that main cable. anyway,heres the box the battery is going in,i'm using an odyssey pc268, they are considered safe for use in the passenger compartment http://www.odysseybatteries.com/battery/pc625lg_01.jpg
this is a vintage tool box circa 1950's, going to leave the paint just the way it is, and bolt it behind the passenger seat. then i'll make bracketry inside of the box.
http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd158/lostforawhile/S4020108.jpg
going to mount an autometer sport comp voltmeter on the other end inside,and the amg fuse block in there as well,
http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd158/lostforawhile/S4020110.jpg
found a couple of vintage stickers for the box as well. only type of decorations it's getting.
http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii23/Sinister_Image/eBay%20Images/HondaVintage.jpg http://img.inkfrog.com/pix/hyperdrive/castrol1.jpg

lostforawhile
06-23-2008, 12:26 PM
heres a source for your amg fuse and holder, you can get the fuse from them,or oreilies has the 175 amp one on the shelf. they just don't have the holder. http://store.cci-products.com/bofuhoforamg.html

lostforawhile
06-25-2008, 03:37 PM
heres the box,i left the original paint on it,my entire concept is closer to a rat rod anyway,so this fits. box had too much character to paint. it's been worn from people using it for 50 years. if i painted it it would look like a walmart special. with the original paint the stickers look like old vintage decals on it. this looks like an old tool box i used to have in the eighties now, had the same decals on it. http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd158/lostforawhile/S4020129.jpg