Relocated battery to trunk and having issues starting
03-04-2016, 12:45 PM
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Relocated battery to trunk and having issues starting
Hey all, I've got a 5-speed 2005 Honda Civic EX which I've been doing a lot of work on lately. Recently, I relocated my battery to my trunk to open things up under the hood, and cause honestly, I just think it looks cool. I wired everything with a friend, using brand new 4ga AWG wire and 2 split-bolt connectors total for the entire re-wire.
Essentially, I grounded the battery with a ring terminal to the chassis ground nut that is on the right side of the lip of the trunk with a couple other wires grounded to it, then ran about 17ft of wire inside flex tubing from the positive terminal under the belly of the car while fastening it down with zip ties "inside" the chassis with multiple tie down points, brought it up through the bottom of the engine compartment, then used a split-bolt connector to connect the wire I just ran to the wire going to the starter motor and then the one going to the fuse box in a 3-way connection kind of way. Needless to say, all connections were taped up to prevent contact with anything, and to help keep everything in place.
Now fast forward to a day or two later, I go out to my car and can't start it because the engine won't turn over despite attempting to. ALL the electronics come on, and they can stay on for quite a while as I tested it before charging/jumping it with a plug in battery charger I have. I first thought it was a battery issue as it was at least 4 years old, so I bought a new one and tossed it in. It's not happening every time like it used to with the old one, but about 50% of the time, my engine won't turn over.
I'm at a loss as to what the issue may be other than a possible wiring issue, which isn't "very" likely, but certainly possible. I'm just asking to see if anyone else can suggest a cause for this. Thanks!
Essentially, I grounded the battery with a ring terminal to the chassis ground nut that is on the right side of the lip of the trunk with a couple other wires grounded to it, then ran about 17ft of wire inside flex tubing from the positive terminal under the belly of the car while fastening it down with zip ties "inside" the chassis with multiple tie down points, brought it up through the bottom of the engine compartment, then used a split-bolt connector to connect the wire I just ran to the wire going to the starter motor and then the one going to the fuse box in a 3-way connection kind of way. Needless to say, all connections were taped up to prevent contact with anything, and to help keep everything in place.
Now fast forward to a day or two later, I go out to my car and can't start it because the engine won't turn over despite attempting to. ALL the electronics come on, and they can stay on for quite a while as I tested it before charging/jumping it with a plug in battery charger I have. I first thought it was a battery issue as it was at least 4 years old, so I bought a new one and tossed it in. It's not happening every time like it used to with the old one, but about 50% of the time, my engine won't turn over.
I'm at a loss as to what the issue may be other than a possible wiring issue, which isn't "very" likely, but certainly possible. I'm just asking to see if anyone else can suggest a cause for this. Thanks!
03-04-2016, 01:35 PM
#2
Re: Relocated battery to trunk and having issues starting
4ga seems a bit weak to travel that far. Its also a bad idea to run a battery cable outside of the car, no matter how well shielded. Your ground also sounds antiquated for the job.
I ran 0ga from the battery box to the engine compartment through the cabin, using an isolated terminal as a break-out point for distribution. Then I used 2ga to the starter motor and fusebox. I used 2ga again from the alternator to the fuse box, and ran 2 new 4ga grounding straps off the engine/transmission. For a ground, I drilled into the trunk floor along where the structural part of the unibody meets the floor pan (behind passenger wheel) and used a 1/2" copper ring terminal to bolt it to the car.
I ran 0ga from the battery box to the engine compartment through the cabin, using an isolated terminal as a break-out point for distribution. Then I used 2ga to the starter motor and fusebox. I used 2ga again from the alternator to the fuse box, and ran 2 new 4ga grounding straps off the engine/transmission. For a ground, I drilled into the trunk floor along where the structural part of the unibody meets the floor pan (behind passenger wheel) and used a 1/2" copper ring terminal to bolt it to the car.
03-04-2016, 07:30 PM
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Re: Relocated battery to trunk and having issues starting
4ga seems a bit weak to travel that far. Its also a bad idea to run a battery cable outside of the car, no matter how well shielded. Your ground also sounds antiquated for the job.
I ran 0ga from the battery box to the engine compartment through the cabin, using an isolated terminal as a break-out point for distribution. Then I used 2ga to the starter motor and fusebox. I used 2ga again from the alternator to the fuse box, and ran 2 new 4ga grounding straps off the engine/transmission. For a ground, I drilled into the trunk floor along where the structural part of the unibody meets the floor pan (behind passenger wheel) and used a 1/2" copper ring terminal to bolt it to the car.
I ran 0ga from the battery box to the engine compartment through the cabin, using an isolated terminal as a break-out point for distribution. Then I used 2ga to the starter motor and fusebox. I used 2ga again from the alternator to the fuse box, and ran 2 new 4ga grounding straps off the engine/transmission. For a ground, I drilled into the trunk floor along where the structural part of the unibody meets the floor pan (behind passenger wheel) and used a 1/2" copper ring terminal to bolt it to the car.
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