Aaron92SE

iTrader: (128)

First off, I just want to say that I got this idea from Jime. He purchased a 300amp battery jump box and used the battery out of it for his car. It weighed 6 lbs. I believe he had problems with it starting. So he purchased a 400amp battery jump box with a 12lb battery and has been using that ever since without issues. Jime, please correct me if I say anything incorrect. Thanks.

So I found that Harbor Freight had the best deal on a Battery Jump Box. So I purchased a couple of them. One to keep in the trunk of my car and one to use the battery out of.

The jump box I used was a 650amp one found here (Item #40615):
http://www.harborfreightusa.com/usa/...bCategoryName=

It's the largest one they had. But before I ripped into this one, I looked at the manual and simply decided to order the replacement battery direct from Harbor Freight by calling their customer support at 1-800-444-3353. The battery cost $32.70. I order another battery for my HF drill, so that increased shipping costs to $7.99 instead of approximately $6.00 I think. The item number printed on my receipt for the battery is 26307. But you shouldn't need that. Just give them the item number for the Jump Box and tell them you want the replacement battery.

The battery weighs 14lbs. Details on the battery can be found here:
http://sealake.en.makepolo.com/productshow/4679314.html

Here is what the battery looks like:


First I had to install "flag to post" adapters. I ordered them through my local Napa store (Part # NW 728219) for $6.29. They come in a pair and were cheaper than ordering them online from a battery supply store. Here they are: http://www.napaonline.com/Search/Det...219_0063686061

I had to slightly drill out the flag terminals on the battery with a step drill bit in order to use some spare M6 bolts I had laying around.

Next, I had to figure out a way to mount it in my 3rd gen. I really wanted to get rid of the battery tray as well for further weight reduction. But this posed several other problems. One being, the coolant tank attached to one of the battery tie down bolts. Plus, a couple relay boxes attach to the battery tray.

Out with the old battery. It weighed in at 40lbs and the tray is 3lbs.


I zip tied the coolant tank to the coolant tube on the VQ35. I know it's ugly, but it's ok. I'm only worried about performance here.


I put a fresh coat of paint on my OEM tie down. I found two bolt holes already in my frame that I was able to use. So I had these long M6 bolts laying around that I was able to use.

Aaron92SE

iTrader: (128)

Here is what the battery looks like installed. I put some rubber bands on the bolts to prevent the bolts from ever dropping through the bolt holes. The bolt holes in my frame were threaded for M8 bolts and I didn't have any M8 bolts that were long enough or I would have used those.

I was able to zip tie the relay boxes securely.









I installed a cheap Harbor Freight multimeter inside my car so I can always keep an eye on battery voltage. So far, this battery cranks my car up just fine. I have noticed that sometimes, the engine has to turn over one more time to get it to fire up. But this is not a concern. I believe this may be due to the engine turning over a tad slower than before. My old battery was the largest and highest CCA Duralast battery that Auto Zone had to offer. But it's served it's life as I bought it back in 2003.

Well that's it. A weight reduction of 29lbs for under $40! I hope this helps somebody in the future. Thanks Jim for the idea!

MOHFpro90

iTrader: (11)

Wow! Good work Aaron, nice info there. I might check this out some time. Im running a smaller battery than stock, but its not much lighter (maybe 5 lbs lighter). Win!

DrunkieTheBear

iTrader: (17)

haha you shed as much as I just did in my car...except I went to the YMCA and took off about 35lbs

krazy6

iTrader: (5)

This is good to know!

tuko316

A lot cheaper than my braille

Aaron92SE

iTrader: (128)

I've had a little time to test this battery out. It works better than my huge old battery that I had. But that battery was very old and on the way out.

I've had a chance to test the battery in 35 degree weather and the car starts up perfectly every time.

And just today, I ran around the block a few times (6 miles or so) with the alternator disconnected. I shut the car down a few times and it started right back up just fine every time.

bryan163

iTrader: (2)

That's pretty cool. It weighs the same as my XS Power AGM battery, but costs $90 less. I also removed the tray.

Aaron92SE

iTrader: (128)

Cool. Your battery should last longer. But this cheap mod is perfect for the budget oriented racers.

bryan163

iTrader: (2)

Keep us posted on the testing. If is does hold up I may put one in my other car instead of spending the money on another AGM. Also if word gets around it may drive prices down on other lightweight batteries. If this battery is still cranking in a few months this should be a sticky.

Aaron92SE

iTrader: (128)

As far as I know, Jime has been running a cheapo battery just like this for over a year now without problems.

bryan163

iTrader: (2)

thats good enough for me.

BEJAY1

iTrader: (19)

FWIW, my last Odessey PC680 was $91 shipped via ebay(and a slow drop ship). Let us know how this one stands up to vibration over time.

Aaron92SE

iTrader: (128)

Will do.

Deckdout2

iTrader: (151)

Hey Aaron- Don't you have to add another 14lbs to the car for the jumpbox in the trunk as well? LOL.

Aaron92SE

iTrader: (128)

I don't have to keep a jumpbox in my car. But it's a good thing to carry around on the street. I always have a huge box of tools, a full size spare tire, all fluids, jack, power drill, cordless impact wrench, etc. So I always carry around plenty of weight on the street.

At the track is a completely different story. I just set the jump box on the ground while I race down the 1/4 mile. Simple.

maxgtr2000

iTrader: (29)

Good find. Relocating the battery for turbo is ok but it has it's issues. I need to check under the hood to see if I can fit one of these batteries under there instead.

asand1

iTrader: (1)

Aaron,
How many Ah is that battery marked, I have two 55Ah AGMs with posts already on them. Aaron

Aaron92SE

iTrader: (128)

24ah

MaxiNone

iTrader: (1)

wow, nice. i wish i knew about this when i bought a new battery 3 months ago. i was on a tight tight budget, and bought a smaller (between 1/2 to 1/3 smaller) battery but with a little more amps the the battery i had in my car. i was actually considering a riding lawn mower battery (yes i said lawn mower) so i could relocate it somewhere out of the bay, also it doesnt get that cold here in texas.

i like this idea as well, when it comes to replacing my battery again i'll definitely will consider this...

bryan163

iTrader: (2)

What are those Werker batteries from and how much are they? Being AGM, maybe they're more compact.

asand1

iTrader: (1)

They came out of a fire alarm panel at the casino I work at.

http://www.replacementupsbattery.com...a12-55pfr.html

This is my thread from 4th gen
http://forums.maxima.org/4th-generat...tery-pics.html

Aaron92SE

iTrader: (128)

Nice freebie! But don't these weigh about the same as a stock automotive battery of similar CCA?

asand1

iTrader: (1)

They weigh MORE but,

compact,
good for 1000 cycles (think dead battery),
low internal resistance makes for quicker charging (recovery) and higher cranking amps for size,
No gassing,
no leaking (no rust or corrosion),

nalc

iTrader: (11)

I can also vouch for the durability of these batteries. At Maxus, Jime and I were fiddling around with the wiring for his radiator fans, and we ended up just alligator clipping them. Then, I showed him my car, then it was the awards ceremony. Finally got back to the car, and saw that we had never unplugged the fans - both fans were running at maximum speed in the parked car for well over an hour.
So then I was about to pull my car around to jumpstart his, since we both expected that his car wouldn't be able to crank, but it did crank. And that was a smaller battery than the one you used.

Aaron92SE

iTrader: (128)

Yeah, from the basic weights I have seen, they seem to usually weigh more. But there's a reason why they cost twice as much. That's a nice freebie you got. Gotta love it.

Yeah, you are referring to the cheap batteries found in a jump start box. So far, I haven't had any issues with mine. Hopefully, I will be able to make a few runs on the track today. I will see how long I can keep my fans on in between runs before the battery drains. But for me, in order to run my fans, the ECU and everything else in the car must be running (grounded ECU terminal to operate high speed fans). So it will drain my battery much faster than hardwiring just the fans.

bryan163

iTrader: (2)

I checked it out. Seems like a great battery from a reliability standpoint, just not very light weight.

Aaron92SE

iTrader: (128)

Little update on my lightweight battery. Yesterday at the track, I attempted to make a couple runs without the alternator belt. It seemed to work just fine at first. But after 2 test passes, the battery got low on power and caused my ECU and/or UTEC to go in some kind of fail safe mode causing my engine not to rev above 1200rpm. No matter how hard you mash the pedal, it won't rev. But the engine still idles fine. As soon as the started charging the battery, everything was fine once again.

But in the end, this battery is still worth every penny. If you have a functioning alternator, you'll be fine!

asand1

iTrader: (1)

Be careful with killing the battery, Once it drops belw 10V the alt won properly recharge it, AGMs have a particular recharge procedure that most don't know about.
For this reason if someone tells you they have a junk Optima or Odyssey grab it up and do some research, Most are not junk, justy not properly recovered, an AGM SHOULD be able to cycle 1000 times.

Aaron92SE

iTrader: (128)

Yeah I know. It's not a deep cycle. So I won't make a habit of running it dead. It just ran low for a little while. The voltage got as low as 10.9 from what my gauge showed. The car still started, just turned the starter a tad slow.

Even if I trash this battery after a year or two, it still seems worth it for me to buy another one just like it considering how cheap it is.

Aaron92SE

iTrader: (128)

Update: Well, I ran the battery dead 3 too many times. And I went out of town for a couple weeks and the battery must have sat at 3-5 volts most of the time. It was 12v when I left though.

It's finally dead and won't take a charge. Since it's sealed, I don't want to attempt to revive it. It's just easier for me to get another one.

And since I am trying to get my car ready for a big import race in a couple weeks, I don't have time to convert my setup to a 16v system like I want to do.

Edit: Harbor Freight has these batteries on backorder for the next week. Since I can't wait that long, I yanked the 190CA/165CCA Lawn/Tractor battery out of my riding lawn mower to see if it would fire up my Maxima. The VQ35 fired up no problem. It is 95 degrees outside right now though. And it did seem to turn over a TINY bit slower than my 650A jump box battery. But it still only took about 3 revolutions to get the engine to fire. So at least it's good to know that that smallest lawn mower battery Advance Auto Parts has to offer will still crank my engine in the summer time. And this battery is exactly the same weight as the jump box battery, 14lbs.

nalc

iTrader: (11)

What is the reasoning behind a 16v setup? I've only ever heard of 6, 12, or 24v, and I always thought 24 was for heavy farm equipment and 6 was mostly for smaller, older cars.

Aaron92SE

iTrader: (128)

A 16v system is used when you need to hold a decent amount of power while running several power hungry electronics. Most people use a 16v system when they want to run those same electronics without an alternator. That is what I will use it for. Some use a step down and some put 16v through their ECU.

For me, when I run without an alternator on a 12v battery, my fuel pump (which is close to being maxed out) can't keep up at WOT. So right now, I have to keep running an alternator.

grey99max

iTrader: (12)

Remember my Voltage Boosta for setting up coil voltage? They make bigger ones - I have one on my Walbro 255lpr HP fuel pump, and I could run it at 22 volts if I was crazy. At 13.5 volts the pump draws 5 amps. The larger power supply is 120 watts.

nalc

iTrader: (11)

Ah, gotcha. So not refitting all of the electronics and stuff to 16v, just the alternator and battery (which will peak out >14-15v anyway with the alternator running), so that the battery will have the same voltage that the car does while running, except with the alternator disconnected, and will last for more runs before dropping below 12v?

Aaron92SE

iTrader: (128)

A 16v system just ensures you are able to satisfy the demands on all your electronics without the help of an alternator. It takes a 16v charger. I believe some have modified their alternator to charge the 16v battery though. Your stock alternator won't cut it.

Aaron92SE

iTrader: (128)

I have an original fuel pump though. I may simply need to upgrade it to one that can flow a tad more. Then it may give me the flow I need even without my alternator.

Aaron92SE

iTrader: (128)

I went to Advance Auto Parts today and bought a battery for $31.99. It has 230CCA and 275CA and weighs 15lbs. It works just fine in the summer. So I'm happy. I just had to make a new tie down since it sits higher than the jump box battery. Car starts with plenty of power.

grey99max

iTrader: (12)

No doubt that a Walbro 255 would fix you right up. The reason I mentioned the regulated power supply is that with the wide swing in battery voltage found in most race cars, especially in nitrous cars, there is a need for regulated voltage for all the custom electronics and other added parts. The battery may drop to 11 volts but you can keep all your electronics running normally - no voltage drops or spikes. For my pump, I use a Big Boosta set at 15 volts in series with two 10-amp rectifier diodes which drop voltage by .7 volts each, giving a stable 13.5 volts for critical electronics - and much cheaper than the commercial voltage supplies that sell for hundreds of dollars...

Aaron92SE

iTrader: (128)

My stock fuel pump is definitely stressing out. It's perfectly fine though if I have the alternator charging the battery. I have my FP set to 51psi, which is higher than the stock pump was meant for.

I'd be able to shave another tenth in the 1/4 mile if I was able to run without an alternator and still provide the engine with 51 psi.