Battery in SLS compressor tray

Hmm, my experience has been with a D2 TD5 and an ARB battery tray near the turbo, that Optima batteries are OK there. I have switched uses of the batteries so my starting battery is there and the house battery in the original starting battery position.
I changed my first blue top at 3 years and no swelling etc . It was still good as it turned out and the poor starting was injector washers. LOL.
My current Blue has been there two years with no swelling etc. I have made up a stainless barrier at the end of the tray and have a thermal blanket also around the battery. I also have the stock turbo shield and have polished it.

So IMHO the battery tray in LH back of the engine bay is OK, except you cannot get ARB ones any more.
I would worry about a battery under the floor due to rock strike or shorting due to dirty water immersion.

BTW another possibility raised by the battery bloke who sold me the Optima was that you can fit a flat shape AGM battery under the drivers seat.

Regards Philip A

This is what I did.

Attachment 143981

Quote:

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Originally Posted by PhilipA

I would worry about a battery under the floor due to rock strike or shorting due to dirty water immersion.

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I have one on the SLS shelf. I do not have a problem with it shorting going through water, dirty or not. You need something to carry the charge, something like salt. Even in sea water you would be ok. You will got some electrolysis of the water, however the battery isolator will protect the starting battery. How long will you be in the sea? If you have concerns, you can always coat the positive terminal in grease.

Rock strike? Hasn't happened yet.

Hi jjperko,

I fitted an AGM deep-cycle battery (Fullriver DC85-12) in my SLS tray in May of 2016.
It fits perfectly.
With the battery lying on one side, you can have the terminals at the TOP.
In that way, the terminals are higher than the door sill.
SLIDE the battery into place up a ramp of plywood or some such: don't try lifting it while lying on your side or back!

I folded some thin sheetmetal to make a floor under the battery, with a flange projecting up to protect the front end of the battery.

Just make sure that the battery is firmly secured in place (I used a piece of angle metal along the outer, bottom edge of the battery, with 2 fairly standard battery-hold-down rods hooked at their other ends into holes in the SLS tray bracket.

Cheers,
Andrew Milne

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jjperko

Hi All,

I've read a few past threads about mounting a second battery in the vacant tray on the chassis rail of a D2.

Just wondering if anyone has done this could let me know what battery they used? I've only got 170mm from the tray bottom to the floor which rules out pretty much all deep cycles I've come across (mostly 200mm plus to top of terminals).

I've been investigating other avenues but not really keen on carrying my existing calcium battery in the car or next to the turbo.

Cheers James

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I used a 3mm plate as the base for my 80Ah which was hooked into the bottom of the tray. I lifted the battery on my knees while sitting on the ground with my legs under the car.

Why not just sit it on a bit of wood on a garage jack.
That's how I get diffs out.
I drilled 2 holes in the top cup of the jack to match the holes under the diff and just jack er out.
Regards Philip A

Hi Philip,

There isn't enough room to just do a vertical lift of the battery (lying on its side) and then push it sideways into the SLS compressor shelf.
Even if there were, the battery terminals would very likely make contact with the underbody of the car in the process.

The bottom needs to be tilted upwards as the battery is raised by whatever means, then slid inboard.
Using a piece of thin board as a ramp (with its lower edge on the ground, and the upper edge just inside the SLS shelf) puts the battery into the right orientation to go straight in, and takes a lot less effort than manually lifting it.
There is no need to raise the car at all.

I should add that you need to secure the board / ramp at the SLS shelf edge to prevent it from moving.
Wire or string through a couple of holes near the edge of the board, and tied to the SLS shelf, can easily be removed when the job is done.

Regards,
Andrew

Quote:

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Originally Posted by PhilipA

Why not just sit it on a bit of wood on a garage jack.
That's how I get diffs out.
I drilled 2 holes in the top cup of the jack to match the holes under the diff and just jack er out.
Regards Philip A

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Hi James,

I have attached a spec sheet for the Fullriver DC85-12 battery.
This includes dimensions, which in my car 2003 D2a fitted easily into the SLS compressor tray / shelf.

Cheers,
Andrew

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jjperko

Hi All,

I've read a few past threads about mounting a second battery in the vacant tray on the chassis rail of a D2.

Just wondering if anyone has done this could let me know what battery they used? I've only got 170mm from the tray bottom to the floor which rules out pretty much all deep cycles I've come across (mostly 200mm plus to top of terminals).

I've been investigating other avenues but not really keen on carrying my existing calcium battery in the car or next to the turbo.

Cheers James

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A fully sealed AGM deep cycle battery can be laid on its side. [ according to an "expert ". ] They are a bit heavy, a suitable bracket could be made up I guess. I prefer an ARK Pak with an AGM deep cycle battery, safely secured in the back. The ultimate is the latest ARKPAK set up for charging a lithium battery, half the weight of an AGM, twice the cost, but the lithium battery can be discharged almost to zero without hurting the battery. I'm not an expert, but I have a lithium set up in a Projecta battery box, at the moment I charge it thru a Vitron blue smart charger. Really just experimenting to see which is the best set up for me. The Lithium battery runs my fridge for 5-6 days, I have a solar panel coming which is set up for charging lithium. When I work it all out, the lithium will charge my 45 lt car fridge, in freezer mode, and the two batteries in the camper trailer I'm buying will charge the EVA cool 60 lt in fridge mode ,in a perfect World. I really think a battery box in the back with the battery of your choice is better than one under the car, you wouldn't want to go off road. Just my thoughts.