Battery relocation to frunk - Page 3

tjmr2 · 05-03-2009, 04:50 PM

Timon, PM me with an E-mail address and I'll send you pictures of my system, might be a week or more though, the MB on my home PC with my pictures crashed and I'm waiting for all my new parts to arrive. Have to rebuild the PC from the ground up.

I pulled 4 ea. 8 gauge wires from the frunk to the engine bay, used 2 for positive and 2 for negative. Connecting the wires to the original positive and negative ground wires in the engine bay.

1 ea. fuse on the battery positive post connecting both + wires to the fuse.

I also added a short ground from the battery to the frunk, but that is just an additional body ground and not the main ground.

I repeat from an earlier post. When I moved my battery to the frunk I did it in a manner I felt safe and comfortable with. It has worked flawlessly since then. You may not feel safe or comfortable with my methods. If you are not sure of your proposed installation talk to an engineer before you start. There is a very real danger of overheated wires, sparks, flame and carbeque with a crispy critter still inside. Thus ends the safety portion of this post.

Jackstand Queen · 05-03-2009, 06:19 PM

Timon said "I used a bolt & nut to connect all the eyelets together (this is where I think my problem is)."

I soldered the main positive cable to the main positive cable in the engine bay together. I used a propane torch.

I did not use any other ground than a thick, ordinary, single cable in the frunk. It grounds to the flat area just beneath the fuse box in the frunk.

Timon · 05-03-2009, 06:19 PM

Well I felt perfectly safe with where everything was, I'm just not sure why the car wouldn't start.

Was it the 3 eyelets in the back causing an issue or was it the ground?

Edit: My soldering skills are lacking, so I'm debating just using a distribution box to connect the 3 cables together - like the tech garage link earlier in the thread.

Edit2: IIRC from science, if the spark jumped from where the 3 eyelets were connected, attempting to ground themselves, wouldn't this mean that the battery wasn't grounded well enough?

Edit3:

Success! I guess it was a grounding problem. I reran the positive cable through the firewall this time, instead of the fender. Did everything identical to how I had it previously, except I grounded it under the driver's side strut bar. I scrapped off the paint this time too, and after I was all done I used some battery protection spray. The car starts, everything electrical works.

2 minutes after starting the car with the battery in the front, it started to rain.
3 minutes after starting the car with the battery in the front, it started to hail.
5 minutes after starting the car with the battery in the front, it started to hail marbles... which hurt like hell.

I swear god was smiting me for succeeding.

tjmr2 · 05-04-2009, 12:30 PM

The Devil may have been punishing you for not giving up and completing the job successfully.

Way to stick with it!

toyotaspeed90 · 05-04-2009, 07:32 PM

on my relocation setups I use a 100A breaker up front, use either 2 or 4 gauge (done one of each), run it to just above the stock fuse box in the engine bay and use a stereo 3 in / 4 out 2/4 gauge distribution block. The reason for needing 3 in is so that you can run the starter off one of the "in" sides (essentially bypassing the need for a fuse back there... which is the same configuration as stock). Then all else comes out off of fuses.

05-03-2009, 06:19 PM	#42 (permalink)
Jackstand Queen Cage Fighter Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 840 Thanks: 75 Thanked 64 Times in 60 Posts iTrader Rating: (1/100% )	Timon said "I used a bolt & nut to connect all the eyelets together (this is where I think my problem is)." I soldered the main positive cable to the main positive cable in the engine bay together. I used a propane torch. I did not use any other ground than a thick, ordinary, single cable in the frunk. It grounds to the flat area just beneath the fuse box in the frunk. Last edited by Jackstand Queen; 05-03-2009 at 06:25 PM..

05-03-2009, 06:19 PM	#43 (permalink)
Timon MR2 MKI AW11 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Utah Posts: 669 Thanks: 13 Thanked 42 Times in 37 Posts My Google Map iTrader Rating: (1/100% )	Well I felt perfectly safe with where everything was, I'm just not sure why the car wouldn't start. Was it the 3 eyelets in the back causing an issue or was it the ground? Edit: My soldering skills are lacking, so I'm debating just using a distribution box to connect the 3 cables together - like the tech garage link earlier in the thread. Edit2: IIRC from science, if the spark jumped from where the 3 eyelets were connected, attempting to ground themselves, wouldn't this mean that the battery wasn't grounded well enough? Edit3: Success! I guess it was a grounding problem. I reran the positive cable through the firewall this time, instead of the fender. Did everything identical to how I had it previously, except I grounded it under the driver's side strut bar. I scrapped off the paint this time too, and after I was all done I used some battery protection spray. The car starts, everything electrical works. 2 minutes after starting the car with the battery in the front, it started to rain. 3 minutes after starting the car with the battery in the front, it started to hail. 5 minutes after starting the car with the battery in the front, it started to hail marbles... which hurt like hell. I swear god was smiting me for succeeding. Last edited by Timon; 05-03-2009 at 11:21 PM..

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

05-03-2009, 04:50 PM	#41 (permalink)
tjmr2 Cage Fighter Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Colorado Posts: 410 Thanks: 0 Thanked 62 Times in 59 Posts My Google Map iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	Timon, PM me with an E-mail address and I'll send you pictures of my system, might be a week or more though, the MB on my home PC with my pictures crashed and I'm waiting for all my new parts to arrive. Have to rebuild the PC from the ground up. I pulled 4 ea. 8 gauge wires from the frunk to the engine bay, used 2 for positive and 2 for negative. Connecting the wires to the original positive and negative ground wires in the engine bay. 1 ea. fuse on the battery positive post connecting both + wires to the fuse. I also added a short ground from the battery to the frunk, but that is just an additional body ground and not the main ground. I repeat from an earlier post. When I moved my battery to the frunk I did it in a manner I felt safe and comfortable with. It has worked flawlessly since then. You may not feel safe or comfortable with my methods. If you are not sure of your proposed installation talk to an engineer before you start. There is a very real danger of overheated wires, sparks, flame and carbeque with a crispy critter still inside. Thus ends the safety portion of this post.

05-04-2009, 12:30 PM	#44 (permalink)
tjmr2 Cage Fighter Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Colorado Posts: 410 Thanks: 0 Thanked 62 Times in 59 Posts My Google Map iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	The Devil may have been punishing you for not giving up and completing the job successfully. Way to stick with it!

05-04-2009, 07:32 PM	#45 (permalink)
toyotaspeed90 No Skills Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Bellingham, WA Posts: 2,416 Thanks: 0 Thanked 149 Times in 144 Posts My Google Map iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	on my relocation setups I use a 100A breaker up front, use either 2 or 4 gauge (done one of each), run it to just above the stock fuse box in the engine bay and use a stereo 3 in / 4 out 2/4 gauge distribution block. The reason for needing 3 in is so that you can run the starter off one of the "in" sides (essentially bypassing the need for a fuse back there... which is the same configuration as stock). Then all else comes out off of fuses.