Changing your battery is usually a quick process that requires just a few minor tools, but sometimes you need to upgrade your battery to a size that does not fit the original location. This happens because of added performance upgrades and accessories pretty often. It’s also pretty common to need to change a car battery’s location because of performance upgrades that require extra space for fitment in the engine compartment.
Step One: Do Your Research
If you are replacing your battery, then you need to check out a guide for your specific vehicle to locate the battery and any restraining bolts or other specific design features. While the general steps to replace a battery are the same across vehicles, differing choices about battery location and engine design lead to some pretty big differences in battery location in some cases.
If you are looking to relocate the battery, then you need to check out options for kits that give you everything you need to rewire your vehicle appropriately. One of the most popular designs is the trunk mount battery kit, which has the added perk of making access to the battery simple when you need to charge, test or replace it. In addition to the kit, you will also need a wiring diagram for your vehicle’s year and model to help you plan your rewiring operation.
Rewiring Your Vehicle for Battery Relocation
If you buy a full kit for battery relocation, you do not have to worry about whether you have the right wire type or length. You do need to plan to run the new wiring, and that might mean lifting the engine. If you don’t already have an engine lift in your garage, it is time to seriously consider the investment. The alternative is to find a friend who is already set up for the operation, but that could turn into an issue if you plan on doing a lot of work to your vehicle. In those cases, it will probably save the friendship to invest in your own hoist, in the long term.
The main goal of this operation is to connect the battery in its new location to the alternator and the rest of the electrical system so that everything works with the wire harness and fuse box you have in place. If you are doing serious electrical system upgrades that involve those parts alongside this operation, this basically lets you worry about them independently from the battery relocation.
Find a Battery Relocation Kit
If you know what you want to do but you have never checked out the relocation kits that make it easy, they are not hard to find. Since this upgrade is a common one in the performance and racing world, you just need to check out the performance part retailers you already trust for big upgrades like a camshaft kit or a short block crate engine.
If you are doing this upgrade to make room for one of those, it really simplifies your supply list to be able to get them in one place, too. Start your search today.