'Repackaging' the battery

[HiAsAKite]

So.. despite having an accumate hardwired into my Chim, I manage to leave it 2 months over Xmas without turning the trickle charge on, and the battery is well and truly dead.
Sulphited, Accumate won't even try...

Stupid boy..

It fairly old battery and has been run down a few times before so not that much of a surprise, more my own stupidity for not keeping the accumate plugged in when it was garaged over winter.


So, battery case bolts removed, battery pulled forward, removed, new battery sourced, replaced into the fibreglass box, and...


....how do I get this thing back in again?

I see just a tangle of cables, wiring loom etc, plus a flap of carpet that somehow needs to not foul with the battery leads to cover the terminals and stop relays bouncing off the live and shorting etc, and somehow I am supposed to get this back into that nice snug footwell...

So - my questions...

1)
- the fibreglass battery box has a carpet 'flap' that folds over the top of the battery.
Do you fit this with the flap folding from the back of the box towards the passenger? (ie so it folds towards you, and then you push the box back into the footwell - so the flap hangs in the 'backward' direction relation to the front of the car)

Or with the flap coming from the the 'front of the box', so it foldes forwards away from the passenger seat, and towards the front of the car... and then push it into the footwell hoping pushing it in won't dislodge it?


2) Is there a technique to getting the this back in with the tangle of the wiring loom etc


At the moment I the battery in the box with the carpet at the front of the car (away from passenger, and battery terminals also at that end, and can't for the life of my see how the flap will sit cleanly over the terminals and battery cables etc, much less stay there if I try to shove it in the footwell.

Grateful for your thoughts? :-D

(and yes I have probably just posted the longest post ever, basically asking, which way does the battery and battery box fit in a chim...)

[450Nick]

It takes a bit of fiddling but it will go in; just pull all of the wiring forward and out of the way and sort the battery before putting the carpet over it then worry about the wiring.

If you have it out though, my advice would be to throw it all in the bin. Get one of these:

http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/motorsport/batteries...

and one of these

http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/performance/battery-...

Then mount it over the fuel tank in the boot - much more leg room, better starting and less mess!

ooh also one of these: http://www.batterybrain.co.uk/product/battery-brai...

Then you'll never need an accumate. The unit disconnects the battery if it reaches 11.something volts. You can re-connect it with the key fob so it will always start. Also you can disconnect the battery via the fob so it doesn't lose charge in winter

Edited by 450Nick on Monday 13th February 10:33

[s p a c e m a n]

Mine came with a rubber mat slung over the top of it when it was in the footwell, made it easier to fit as the loom/relays/ecu could just sit on top of the battery without causing fireworks.

[Yex 450]

When I replaced my battery I found the box would only go back in one way as the bolt holes are offset to centre.............ask me how I found that out, 50/50 chance and I lost

There was a small fibreglass extra piece that went over the battery terminals and a piece of carpet to go over that to prevent anything electrical coming into contact with the battery.

The box would slide back in once it was the right way round and sit over the bolt holes. I could carefully place the ECU and other electronics around the box before putting the passenger foot well end piece back in to place. The ECU in my car goes down the outside of the battery box, nice snug fit, and all the other wires etc. go on top and are held in place by the end piece of the passenger foot well.

[pb450]

+1 for the boot conversion. Soooo much more convenient for connection/disconnection, replacement, long legged blonds etc. It removes all the hassle with the rats nest wiring and ECU sloshing around down there.

You will need stout cabling though, to make the additional run length work properly. Can't remember core diameter but others here will be able to confirm.

[HiAsAKite]

Yex 450 said:

When I replaced my battery I found the box would only go back in one way as the bolt holes are offset to centre.............ask me how I found that out, 50/50 chance and I lost

There was a small fibreglass extra piece that went over the battery terminals and a piece of carpet to go over that to prevent anything electrical coming into contact with the battery.

The box would slide back in once it was the right way round and sit over the bolt holes. I could carefully place the ECU and other electronics around the box before putting the passenger foot well end piece back in to place. The ECU in my car goes down the outside of the battery box, nice snug fit, and all the other wires etc. go on top and are held in place by the end piece of the passenger foot well.

That sounds like mine, ECU was also cosely squeezed in on the outside side of the battery box. Which way did the carpet go.. did it "flap up" from the front of the car back towards the seat, or the other way?

[Paulprior]

i dont even have a piece of carpet to cover mine, but the battery goes in with the terminals to the front of the car, positive on the right on mine, it might not help now, but next time put a marker line around the battery box on the floor to make it nice and easy to put it back into position for the fixing bolts.

[ianwayne]

On mine, as you look into the passenger footwell, the +ve terminal is at the front left. I'm not sure the big red cable would reach to the right if I wanted it to. I know some people do this when using a different battery.

The carpet then flips over from the front as you look at it from the passenger seat. The end of the loom with all the relays on it can then sit on top of this carpet insulated from the battery.