Rod Handsfield

I hope this reinforces to everyone that the battery hold down is truly not an optional piece of gear... it seems many think of it this way and it ends up getting left out...

Yes, but many of us have never seen one. What does it look like? Pics Please.

Dean_Fuller

I ASSUME this is the "hold down bracket"? I don't see it in PET but after mounting the battery I can't remove it without removing this side bracket. So the hold down does not go over the battery...its on the battery box to-wards the aft side. ???

Dean_Fuller

I tested the new battery with the car off and it reads 12.2 Volts....With the car running it tests at 14.4 Volts so I assume the alternator is doing its job as it should?

I THINK because the neg cable melted off the old battery so fast breaking the circuit it saved the alt??

ubercooper

Happened to me when I put a new duralast in
I didnt want that happening again...

Giovanni

[QUOTE=Dean_Fuller;7092036]this is the "hold down bracket"QUOTE]

That is it!

Rod Handsfield

Thanks for the pic of the battery holdown/"wedge". It seems that the lip on the front bottom edge of the battery should slip beneath the channel located on the forward floor of the battery box. The wedge then pushes the battery forward to hold the lip under the channel. There is no "hold down" per se, if the wedge is not tight or missing then the battery is free to slide backward and bounce up into the battery hatch, potentially shorting out the positive post of the battery and catching the car on fire. Does anyone have a couple of battery wedges from junked cars kicking around?

6mil928

Thanks I'm going to look at my battery area now. I don't have any of the rubber on the door or caps on the connections but I will have something on there soon. Glad the car is ok.

Alan

For S4+ cars this is the case.. earlier cars have various over the battery top type hold down cradles....

This style is the most efficient since the small "ski jump ramp" thing doesn't take up much space and creates a great rigid lock down. It does rely on the welded in front lip and the correct style battery with the equivalent interlocking molded in foot at both ends.

The ski ramp both holds the rear down and causes the battery to stay snug under the the front lip (pushes it forward) - it may not work at all on the wrong case style battery...

Alan

Dean_Fuller

Okay...I just could not talk myself into spending $60 or $70 on a new ground strap so I found a very nice replacement at NAPA. Its a tin plated copper braid 2 gauge 16 1/2" long. Cost was $14.40 and I used $2.00 worth of electrical tape to wrap the braided cable where it may touch the body. This allows the lid to close and at a large savings...Just thought I would pass this along.

Giovanni

That is looking really good Dean. Have you found the rear wire harness?

Dan87951

You lucked out!

I don't see a hose venting that battery. Should probably put a vent tube on there otherwise you might be putting a battery box in or worst it could explode.

Dean_Fuller

Can you elaborate about the hose? From where to where?

Thanks

Tony

The electrical tape is fine and all for now, but give it a year tops back there and it may start to unwind...nasty gooey stuff coming off it..etc etc.

Looking at that i would try a 700x23/25 bicycle inner tube of all things!
if you cut it, i bet it would pull over that cable nicely?
just a first impression of what i saw...

M. Requin

You wouldn't see the vent tube in those pix- it goes forward through a grommet in the battery box, at least on my 86.5. And if you don't have any existing tubing there already be careful of what you use, the fumes eat a lot of materials pretty quickly. And nice find on the ground cable - some large diameter heat shrink could improve it, you could even put it on over the tape.

Alan

I like it - neat idea!

There is also some self vulvanizing tape you can get that simply bonds permanently to itself after its applied - no unravelling...

Alan