Tutorial - Battery Relocation

[gt4dude]

I've just read this thread and it seems I've done everything as you've written, in addition not only are my ring terminals crimped but they are soldered too.

My voltage is 13.4v everywhere i test it at idle,

Anyways I've got funny stuff going on I've never had before the battery relocation in this car,

Like when I turn the Key to the starter position sometimes nothing happens at all for a couple of seconds before starting to crank.

also my headlights go from dim to bright when i touch the gas pedal, it's alot more noticeable than before.

on previous cars, the problem was more notable after the installation of an alarm/immobiliser, but the problem was cured by running an extra ground directly to the engine.

On this car though, I thought I chose good enough grounds to begin with :S

For the boot I grounded to the bolt holding down the rear seats, in the front I grounded the engine to the bolt that was the original battery ground, there is also an additional engine ground between the alternator and the driver side of the engine bay....


I guess the real question is should I really need a separate ground from battery to engine? Isn't the chassis enough metal to carry the current for the head lights and starter motor? no other electronics are playing up as far as i know, except some interior lights are dimmer than before

[gt4dude]

Thanks for the charging diagram and pictures though, excellent reference.

[soopachargen]

are your grounds clean bare metal or painted?

[gt4dude]

paints scratched off from the abrasion of a ring terminal torqued down tight and many times doing up and undoing. new stainless steel cap screws all round, grounds are on m8 bolts.


I've never been one to believe in a million useless wires hanging off the engine like those grounding kits you see, but i think atleast 1 big fat one is in order...

[soopachargen]

how big is your cabling?

[gt4dude]

2ga grounds, 2ga positive, 4ga starter motor to fuse box.

cables are uncut, unfused with crimped+soldered lugs in each end of all wires, positive ones shrink wrapped too.

also retained the factory plastic cover on the starter motor terminal.

[gt4dude]

It's all done to a good standard, I've just never had any success without running a dedicated engine ground, but noone else seems to have that problem, but for me it's been with 2 Celicas in a row now.

[gt4dude]

Is there a such thing as a 2GA inline fuse? Cant find one SCA, Repco, Jaycar...

I run my 2GA right up to the starter motor and 4GA from there.

Distributor block is no good, it means you have to run 4GA from the back to the front so that the fuse is right by the battery...

[DeeCee]

Use an ANL fuse with crimp lugs on the cable for 2ga or look for the maxi fuse units. Last battery relocation I did used lugs on the cable instead of the compression fittings used in the tutorial. You will be able to get 2ga lugs from an electrical wholesaler. They may also let you use their crimping tool as well if you are nice to them or flick them some coin.

Of note, get the lugs with the bell ends, as it makes it easier to insert wire into the lug. Also trim any stray wires that are not in the lug.

Measure your wire diameter across. Not all cable is created equal as per below.


Lugged up


ANL fuse holder using lugs on either cable ends to make connection.


If you get the car audio lugs, then you have to bend the centres in and compress like crazy. If I have to use them then I will normally fill with solder. Not a preference, but they do the job okay.

[gt4dude]

Ive never seen a wafer fuse holder like that.

I use battery lugs like you first pictured, not the gold audio ones, those gold ones bend whenever the wire is tugged on

[Malcolm]

I've just got one of these for my Camry, except they use a slightly different style of fuse (I liked the OEM appearance of it)
http://jaycar.co.nz/productView.asp?ID=SF1980

[DeeCee]

jaycar ANL fuseholder:
http://www.jaycar.co.nz/productView.asp ... BCATID=565

[gt4dude]

SWEEET!! Cheers guys, I'll have a look at Jaycar on Kyber pass, Couldn't find it at the one in Wairau

[sergei]

If you solder make sure there is a stress relief on the end of wire that has been soldered.
Very important to use plenty of heat shrink and bolt on clamps, if possible, so the vibration does not rattle the soldered end.
I prefer soldering (I believe crimps are hack, and had seen many of them rot at the crimp point, and homemade crips - I seen plenty of them failed because either or combination of lack of skill, shitty Chinese crimping tool and shitty Chinese crimp). To solder 50mm cable you need a butane torch (don't even think soldering thick cables with 40W Chinese iron).

[gt4dude]

Hah, That's exactly what I do, I just didn't want to mention it incase it seemed ghetto, but yeah I get all strands of wire straight and into the lug, and stuff it full of solder and hold a pencil torch to it and feed more solder through a little hole until i've used about half a roll of solder.

When I had that low voltage problem, I fixed it by resoldering one of the first lugs I did which didn't have enough solder in it.

Surely this is the way it's meant to be done anyhow, I can't think of any tool that can effectively crimp a 2GA battery lug, aside from maybe a vice grip and a bench vice lol

[Malcolm]

Surely this is the way it's meant to be done anyhow, I can't think of any tool that can effectively crimp a 2GA battery lug, aside from maybe a vice grip and a bench vice lol

or

or
+ (seriously, this works pretty well)

[gt4dude]

GOD DAMN!@ That looks like bolt cutters

[DeeCee]

i have a hex crimp tool (just like the 'bolt cutters') which i use for 70mm lugs and smaller. I am not a fan of soldering. The example I posted was the car audio lug that has been shaped and beaten into a solid(ish) crimp and then solder to ensure that the lug stayed on. Normally I will crimp only.

[soopachargen]

what sort of resistance does soldering create?