2nd Battery . . where can it go

[Brian97V8]

I was thinking about adding a second battery to my 97 the only problem is I have no idea where I am going to find the room, any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[tbomb]

trunk is a good place. i think somewhere rick has some instructions about where to add a 2nd battery. one of the links on www.explorer4x4.com

 

[Brian97V8]

tbomb

Trunk - please explain

 

[tbomb]

you ever hear of guys with race cars putting the battery in the truck? they put it over the right rear wheel in the truck:

1) theres more room in the trunk than under the hood.

2) it puts more weight over that wheel for traction.

just mount it in the trunk, get a battery mounting kit or something from pep boys and run the cables up to the engine compartment.

 

[Brian97V8]

I did not think there was enough room back there. Are you suggesting it go in the trunk out in the open or behind the plastic?

 

[tbomb]

not enough room in the trunk?! you have an SUV!

just right in the trunk/cargo area is what i mean - not behind a plastic panel or anything, i dont think you could fit it in there. you can get a battery mounting kit, which has a battery tray and components to mount the battery in the tray, you just need to figure out how you wanna secure the tray down. im pretty sure some other people have done this, have you tried a search? or you could just do a custom install (which i am a big fan of.) then you could throw something on top of it to cover it up - build a little box or something.

good luck.

 

[Jim Galloway]

I have heard of people cutting out their windshield washer reservoir, but leaving the coolant overflow reservoir. Then they install brackets annd a tray in its place for a 2nd battery. Then, you can find a smaller wiper reservoir from some little Japanese car at a junk yard and find a place for it somewhere somehow. You will just have to refill your washer fluid more often.

 

[DocVijay]

If you mount in the trunk.

If you do decide to mount it in the back of your X, make sure you get a sealed box for the battery with a vent to the outside. Laws vary, but some local and state laws say that the battery must be vented outside. Besides, it's just a good idea. Having sulfuric acid sprayed around the inside of your car is pretty bad. Also, if you get a battery like the Optima's, they are sealed, so they eliminate most of the risk.

 

[leebo]

Originally posted by tbomb
you ever hear of guys with race cars putting the battery in the truck? they put it over the right rear wheel in the truck:

The biggest reason they do this is....it's the rules in almost every class. They don't want a battery filled with acid in the front where most of the crashes occur.

Brian....try a search on this. There are a few out there on moving the battery. It works about the same, only you'll also need to install a battery isolater(sp??) It allows you to choice what battery you want to use and charge. You can also buy a kit from summit racing for around 50 or so that gives you everything you need to remount the battery.

There is also no way in this world will you EVER get me to mount a battery inside of an everyday ride. Not only does the risk of gas get to me..but also the idea of having a chance of a battery flop around during a wreck and smash me upside the head also scares me. You'll have to do some welding to mount a steel box inside your explorer to mount it in there. My suggestion...get the kit from Summit and either remove some stuff from under the hood to make it fit, or find a place by the spare tire to mount it. I'd chose the first one. But even more of a question....do you really need one?? A good alt. and a nice battery should do the trick just fine.

 

[Brian97V8]

leebo

Do I really need one. No. If it not that much work would I add a second one, yes. I have looked under the hood for a place to put it and really can not rind one. How would I place it by the spare battery?

You are right on the inside thing. I am not big on that idea either.

 

[Derrick C.]

I agree with all the suggestions above. What if you have a killer stereo equipment? I have a total of almost 3,000 watts just on the inside of my truck.
I took the cargo area and split it into 2 areas. The front half is where my 2 15s are at and the back half is my tool box. I seriously needed a battery just to run my audio stuff. I choose inside of my tool box. And yes go with a Optima battery. Completely sealed! Theres no chance of it flyin around in a crash or even a roll over(tested that one)

 

[yob_yeknom]

Originally posted by Brian97V8
If it not that much work would I add a second one, yes. I have looked under the hood for a place to put it and really can not rind one

If not that much work... That may be your answer right there. Just finding a place and mounting will require quite a bit of work. Getting it all wired up correctly is an entire other job in itself. This may be more work than you want to get involved in.

 

[KeyserSoze]

I agree with the earlier post about the optima batteries. They are for car audio anyways, plus they are sealed so they cant leak or give off gas or whatever. That would be the best way.

 

[Ray Lobato]

Originally posted by leebo





There is also no way in this world will you EVER get me to mount a battery inside of an everyday ride. Not only does the risk of gas get to me..but also the idea of having a chance of a battery flop around during a wreck and smash me upside the head also scares me. You'll have to do some welding to mount a steel box inside your explorer to mount it in there. My suggestion...get the kit from Summit and either remove some stuff from under the hood to make it fit, or find a place by the spare tire to mount it. I'd chose the first one. But even more of a question....do you really need one?? A good alt. and a nice battery should do the trick just fine.

Lee you obviously don't have a 1000+ watt stereo or a winch, both of which will suck the life out of a battery in short time. You can get a marine battery box that will bolt to the floor and is vented to the outside. It will not come loose and is safe , even if you use a regular battery. Put an Optima in there and you will have absolutely NO problem at all. A "good Alternator and a good battery" won't always to the trick. Your "good Alternator" won't do any good with a dead or low battery from playing your stereo too long before charging the battery.

 

[Bill Kemp]

I had a deisel GMC van that needed two batteries. One of them was hung under the van and it worked just fine.
Seemes like you could find a spot in the r. rear and maby help balance out the gas tank weight.

 

[Brian97V8]

If I do hang it outside the vehicle how would I protect it so water will not get into it?

 

[DocVijay]

Kits available.

Try Summit or some other places like that for battery mount kits. You can get sealed boxes that would work fine outside the vehicle. It only has a vent hose coming out of it to vent any gas buildup, but otherwise it's airtight.

The sealed battery boxes at summit is part number MOR-74050 or part number SUM-890100 . Just search for that on the page www.summitracing.com .