FTO AUSTRALIA

wow cable was cheap... all the cable i've looked at was like 30-40 per meter for a high enough rating...

what cable did they use???? (could you check the serial number on it please )

smorison wrote:

efteoh wrote:just curious, what would the rating of the fuse be if i relocated the battery to the boot? 60A?

you wouldn't need a fuse...
connect it directly to the existing positive wire..
earth the battery to the body in the boot..
put a safety cut off switch on the battery... also makes it easier for doing electrical work on your car

thanks. the bettery is getting too hot in the engine bay, and its getting a little crap in there now.

I put my battery in the boot,

I ran my power cable under the car to the engine bay.

Put a sealed calcium battery in a marine battery box that was secured in the boot. Great battery the calcium one took us over 30 mins of cranking before it started to slow down.

Earthed the the battery to two places in the boot.

i can take some pictures and post them if you want

yes please, i finially organised some time to fit a relay in my fog lights. i avoided using my fog light in fear of burnng out my switch! (stupid i know)

Can anyone tell me, if I disconnect my battery, is that going to reset anything that I'll need to be aware of or adjust? I know with my old Tiptronic, when the battery was disconnected for import, the car drove like crap till it learnt how to change gears to suit my driving. Now I've got a manual so obviously that won't apply, but is there anything I need to be aware of?

I don’t know about a manual but my car stalls when i reset the ECU till it relearns how to idle.

efteoh wrote:yes please, i finially organised some time to fit a relay in my fog lights. i avoided using my fog light in fear of burnng out my switch! (stupid i know)

just took a couple of pics of the battery box and cables in the boot and you can see them at http://photos.yahoo.com/dannyboyau

You are supposed to use sealed batteries in enclosed spaces (such as the boot of a car) because standard lead acid batteries emit a combustible gas when charging. This gas can explode if ignited...

Also, a cheaper alternative to expensive cabling is welding cable. It is lots cheaper then cable from electronics stores and is damn THICK!

I have a length of about 7 meters if anyone is interested. I paid $7 per meter if I remember correctly. This stuff is about 1.5cm thick!

Mike

thickness does not always mean better, its the resitance of the wire (or the metal make up)

you buy the proper cable from an auto electrican or from some where like alanco which deals into automotive electical equipment, your right onnzo you can use lead acid battery if it is a sealed one, i recommend the calcium batteries mine has been great and when i had a few problem got over 30 minutes of cranking before it died

yo how much did you pay for the conversion?

i'm interested if its viable and worth it

What do u need to do if you have a battery in the boot for ventalation?

you have to make sure it is asealed battery so you dont need ventilation

dmxmatrix i moved the battery myself, I got the cable from a mate and it cost me a bottle of wine for it and about 20 bucks for the battery box and about 10 bucks for the cable lugs and battery terminals.

a sealed batter is one that doesnt have those screw tops for topping up the water levels?

Some sealed batteries still have screw tops but they dont have the normal vents in the screw tops.

Most sealed batteries will have some way of getting to the cells. there is often a plug or plastic press in plate that covers the screw plugs or bungs that were used to put the electrolite into the battery. If you have a close look you might be able to see, often they cover them with a sticker. There is also usually a vent or valve to allow gases to escape if internal pressure exceeds a certain threshold.

Sealed lead-acid batteries are designed so that the oxygen generated during charging is captured and recombined in the battery. This is called an oxygen recombination cycle and works well as long as the charge rate is not too high.

There is actually vents normally in a boot, they are usually in the bottom of the rear gaurds on the FTO i think you will find them under the plastic tool trays.

Best advice I can give is to make sure when you buy it, tell them it is for inside your boot then they will give you the correct type of sealed battery

Yes I agree that thickness is not the only measure, conductivity is the important factor. I used the welding cable for 3-4 years (possibly more) with no hassles at all. I had a small dry cell battery powering my car and the voltage drop/resistance of the welding cable must have been neglible as it cranked first time every time.

If you are putting in a non-sealed battery, make sure you vent it to the outside... and make sure you put it in a water tight box. If you dont put it in a water tight box, teh acid will leak when cornering hard and spill everywhere!

For peace of mind, I recommend buying a dry cell battery so you dont have to worry about leaks etc.

Mike

sorry to dredge up this old thread again. but would 5 meters of cable be enough? i was initially going to use 4guage cable rated at 110A. but im thinking, should i just go for a 2Guage cable rated at 160A (just incase). do i really need it? im thinking about getting one of those battery box with current and voltage read out (and put my own fuse/circut breaker?)

thanksi was also thinking of putting 2 grounding pioints in both the boot and the engine bay. am i going over board? is it over kill?

btw, the cable im taling about is power cable available from Jaycar

hmmm... I think it would be best to buy a little more then not enough...

Measure the length of the car and add a few more meters to compensate for cabling the wire vertically... its better to have a bit more slack then it be too tight...

Mike

heavier the cable the better, I would use the 160A,

I seen those battery boxes at supercheap recently with the push button for checking your battery level and also the cable connections outside the box, I would have got one if i had seen one around when i did mine, a bit more expensive but yea go for it, and circuit breaker is a good idea if the cable ever rubs through it will protect from short cicuit.

I remember a comment once made to me by a auto sparky, you can never have to many earths.

160AMP for me!!...