relocating battery -problems

[dohc v6]

i relocated the battery to the trunk and when i did so the car started fine for 3 or 4 times and then it took a lot of cranking to get it to start. i am using 4 g wire for the ground and the same for the power. but i am using th stock wire from the starter motor. is this the problem or do i need heavier cabel to the power and ground

[5speedz34]

My car takes a while to crank and I have Optima red top.

 

I wasn't sure what Aaron used for the power and ground. So when I took out my interior I saw it was 0 gauge! 4 g is too small IMO.

[manitcor]

Ive been using 4 gauge for a few years now, I plan to upgrade to 0 eventually I just haveent had the desire to run the wire (though I have it sitting in the trunk ).

 

Where did you ground too? Is the battery holding its charge? You might have a drain somewhere. Also check all your connectors, If the copper is even a little loose in the connector it can cause problems.

[dohc v6]

i ran the grounf to the rear seat bolt where the seat mounts. worked for my sub. i noticed the battery is around 11.4 with the car just on not running.

[manitcor]

hmmm that seems a bit low, did you test directly off the battery terminals? Test your reistance to ground as well. I think anything higher then .1 or so is too much IIRC.

 

My ground is on a piece of the sheet metal right by the trunk hinge, the ground wire is only about 14" long.

 

Also I found that putting a washer on the power distrubution post in the front with some dieelectric grease on the terminals helps.

[Turbocharged400sbc]

RUN THE GROUND TO THE BLOCK!!!!!

 

otherwise you have massive voltage drop when your starter is trying to draw150+ amps!!!

 

RUN the power AND ground fronm the batterry all the way to the starter and Block/Belhousing bolt

 

you will no longer have any problems...

 

we use 4 gauge for the front and rear engine's in the 442 without any problems

for the front engine we ran power directly to the starter and then a seperate 4 gauge wire from the starter terminal to the aux power post for the body acessories

 

4 Gauge should be adequate for 150-200Amp intermittently

2 Gauge is the highest you should need with a V6

The 468 BBC in the shop Dragcar has 0 Gauge cable (power and Ground) as the starter draws 300 amps + with the 13 to 1 compression Drag engine...

 

Regards, James

[dohc v6]

ok i will do that. i will try it again

[Jcrow]

I used twin 4 gauge for positive. I used bolts welded to the body for grounds. Havent had problems yet.

[5speedz34]

I used twin 4 gauge for positive. I used bolts welded to the body for grounds. Havent had problems yet.

Does yours take a while to crank though?!

[manitcor]

mine doesnt take hardly any time to crank either, not any more than normal

[Turbocharged400sbc]

the 442's 3100 cranks 2 revolutions and fires right up...same with the 3800

 

For those of you who are running the ground through the chassis/unibody, do you have a 4 gauge cable going from the unibody (in the engine compartment) to the block?

 

from the factory most have an aux ground strap that is basically 8 gauge equivalent (its actually open braided on most) that goes from the block to the unibody, where the factory front battery location used a 4 gauge from the battery to the block and a smaller 8/10 gauge that goes from the battery terminal to the body, along with that aux ground strap...

 

dohcV6 I bet that is your problem, trying to draw power through that small ground strap...if its still there...

 

James

[manitcor]

hmmm I dont think I have that anymore but it may be a good idea to make one.