paimon - Here is a photo of where my EPS fuse is

Attachment 227427

Heres a couple more photos of my distribution block, its made of brass plate, and the bolts, nuts and screws are all brass and this is screwed to solid acrylic plastic which has a seperate acrylic plastic base, so nothing can contact any part of the vehicle.

Attachment 227428

Attachment 227429

The 100amp fuse is for the 4 gauge that goes to the factory fuse box.
The 250amp fuse is for the 2 gauge that goes to the starter motor.

Rotaman

M & W Australia?
is this it?
M&W Ignitions was formed in 1996 with the goal of being the number one performance ignition system supplier in Australia - Inductive Ignition Systems

i had to google what is a CDI... the only two prodcuts that i previously know that made these 'stabilizers' were the HKS twin power unit and this Okada...

Piamon At 25ft a copper 2awg wire with a current draw of 100amps should only lose 6.5%. I think the cable yard stuff is a bit nicer then standard 2 gauge cable. I would guess you would see should see more of a drop in voltage then your normal battery set up but not as much as you are seeing. I would bet if someone did the same readings as you with the battery being wired 100% oem you would still see about the same numbers as you are now. I am curious as to what the actual amp draw would be at start up.

Blacknightz - Thats them. The unit you would be looking for which is specifically for Rotaries would be the Pro-14/R. But that is only if you are looking for a CDI unit. M&W make produts for Motec, so they products are good quality. But since I don't know what the Okada Project plasma lift actually is, these may not be what you want. For all I know the Okada Project plasma lift may just be a large Capacitor.
I use to have one of the M&W CDI units on my old RX2. If you want to have a look at one. Look under my profile and check out the photos of my old RX2, you will see one of the engine bay and the little box next to the over flow bottle is the CDI unit.

Rotaman

neat little CDI...

thanks Mate! didnt know they were doing stuff for MOTEC... now that is assurance...

Rota; So in your opinion, would you say I should just trim off my ground wire and just ground to a chassis bolt close to my battery, like the rear seat belt anchor or rear seat anchor bolt?

FWIW I have a short < 3ft ground that is going to the rear strut tower, and the long ground running to my engine bay for the added insurance of a solid short ground and a solid engine bay ground ... but if I can save some wire and complexity that would be nice too.

have you tried not grounding the in the rear and just running to the engine bay?

I haven't but that generally isn't a good idea ... short grounds are best. I did a front and rear ground to reduce ground noise and resistance through the chassis ... but if the full run isn't necessary then i might as well trim it.

The Mercury/Motronics/AEM IGN-1A coil will run off the factory system with some additional wiring and dwell adjustment with spark output equal or greater than CDI

Ground to the Chassis or Run a Ground Cable? CE Auto Electric Supply Partners with D'Amore Engineering to answer - Video on Pg 5! - Page 5 - CE Auto Electric Supply – Providing Solutions to all of your Automotive Electrical Needs - SMD Forum

just reinforcing what everyone already knows.

Based on what Rotaman is saying, looks like the 8 has pretty good continuity through the chassis so it would be feasible to assume similar results.

Paimon - My opinion is what I have already said and shown in my photos.
I don't suggest that you use any battery earth mounting point that has anything else mounted to it like a seat belt. The problem with those type of anchor points is that they are only spot welded in place and you don't know how good a contact they have with the chassis as in current flow.
The problem with having anything else on the same mounting point is movement between two objects, especially a seatbelt mount.

whoever is suggesting running an earth cable from the front to the rear of the car, that is just stupid. Go and look up some current flow charts for the cable size you are looking at and you will see that running any cable long lengths is not a great idea.
Keep any cable run as short as possible for maximum current flow.
Think about this, a long cable run in a car would be from front to rear, that would be about 3metres ( 9 + feet ), now a good quality cable of 000 or 00 awg might give you 200 - 300 amps over that distance. Where'as using the chassis would easily give you 500 - 1000amps? Not that you will ever need that much current flow.
How much current flow will you get from 2awg or 4awg cable, maybe 150amps or at a stretch maybe 200amps before it starts becoming a heater.
So you see the best thing is to run as short a cable as possible and only run one cable if you have too.
Because in the end the main restriction in a good battery system will be the positive battery cable run from the front to the rear.

Rotaman

well color me impotent. shortened the wiring and now have the ground tapped into the rear seat backing bolt (i dont have a welder, so i cannot tack on something. Thing cranks fast as hell now.

Good to hear that you have sorted your little problem.
Obviously you must have had a poor connection with the previous posistion.
Also I don't have a welder either, I just had an engineer weld in a treaded steel block onto the chassis under the rear seat area.

Interesting isnt' it how little things can end up causing big problems when you are'nt sure of what you are doing or don't realise how critical a good conection can be when it comes to 12v systems.

Have fun

Rotaman

call me noob... and have poor command of english... so best is still to have the battery located at the front than in the boot?

Depends on your cars set up. It can help with longevity of the battery to have it out of the hot hot engine bay.

I love this mod, plan on doing this when I get the time to. Probably after my SAT :\

Probably really dumb question though, and random, but when I took off my bumper for my CAI install, what is the soft plastic foam thing behind the bumper? Mine ripped in half and I dont have one now. Does it affect the car at all other than I'm guessing to absorb the force kinda if the car crashes?

This threads topic is battery relocation. I am sure many people would be more then happy to help you with your question in more relevant thread. You may even be able to find your answer in search. Good luck.

As hoss said, it really depends on what you want to acheive. There is always going to be good and bad points to every modification.
There is certainly an advantage to having the battery in the boot when it comes to battery life, and probably for weight distribution as well.
But the down side is the distance that you have to run a cable and its extra size and weight.
As you have read in this tread, all the problems that are associated with not doing the job properly.
Don't take this modification lightly, this is one of those mods that needs to be done well, or you will have problems, especially with starting in cold weather.

Rotaman

An excellent question noob! :yesnod: Which leads to an alternative, solving many problems discussed herein, but generating its own. That is, to suitably insulate and/or ventilate a light battery in place underhood. This obviously eliminates problems related to the added weight of extra components, grounding difficulties, circuit complexity, and cable routing that a trunk relocation brings about.

This begs the question - which is better? That is, saving 30+ lbs underhood using insulation/ventilation techniques, or moving and possibly adding to overall car weight while distributing said weight elsewhere in the car doing a relocation? But that discussion likely belongs elsewhere.

The battery cable doesn't really weigh that much, but I ran it down the right side of the chassis where weight is needed the most just the same

Any thought on putting capacitor under the hood?

why

Noob deduction....

-> those wanting to have longer battery life span and weight distribution, and at a loss of possibly a tad slower quick starting

= locate battery in the boot, opposite of driver side, use 0awg if possible for less, minimal resistance...


-> those wanting to have quick starting, still hot engine temps affecting the battery therefore battery life (not in stock location but to the side near firewall), no much affect on weight distribution

= still locate in trunk, less cabling needed, starting time unaffected,

Been reading the whole thread and like a lot your relocation.
Would you be so kind to share some more details and give some advice?
I'm planning to relocate my Odyssey 680 battery to the washer bottle location. I have a JDM gen1 RX-8.
I plan to redo the wiring for the positive loom.

So it would be:

BATTERY Positive----0gauge---->150 Amp FUSE----0gauge---->distribution block:

----2gauge---->60 amp fuse----2gauge-----> EPS
----2gauge---->100 amp fuse----2gauge----->Charging system
----2gauge---->100 amp fuse----2gauge-----> Fuse box
BATTERY Negative - to chassis.

1. What do you think, is it alright to use 2gauge wires after the distribution block? Maybe i need to use different wire?
2. What Amp fuse would you recommend straight after the Positive of the battery? 150 Amp is a good choice?
3. What kind of kill switch can you recommend for my setup?

Beforehand thankful, Nikolay.

skatephoto

Since you are only looking to move the battery from one location in the engine bay to another, you could use all the existing wiring if you liked without any real down side.
But if you want to use 2 gauge cable I would only use this to the starter motor.
YOu can use it for the rest, but I don't think you will gain anything from using a cable that size.

This is what you are proposing -

So it would be:

BATTERY Positive----0gauge---->150 Amp FUSE----0gauge---->distribution block:

----2gauge---->60 amp fuse----2gauge-----> EPS
----2gauge---->100 amp fuse----2gauge----->Charging system
----2gauge---->100 amp fuse----2gauge----->Fuse Box
BATTERY Negative - to chassis.

I would forget about the 150amp fuse from the battery to the distribution block. - I know this sounds silly as its a safety thing, but you won't need it for this short run. The more connections you have the more likely problems you will have.
To save your self more connections, just make the distribution block and fuse holder one item.
You would only need 4 gauge cable to the fuse box and if you look closely the fuse box input terminal is already connected to a large 120amp fuse built into the box.
The charging system from the alternator only needs to have about an 8 gauge cable to the fuse box, but I would just use the factory one for this.
As for a kill switch, unless you are going to use your car for racing, I wouldn't bother with one, again, its just another connection to cause a problem.
The only reason I have one in my car is that because of where I have placed my battery it is quite differcult to get to the battery terminals to remove one if I want to disconnect the battery. So I put in a kill switch to make disconnecting the battery easy.
Also you would only need a 8 gauge cable for the EPS as well.
hope this is helpfull

Rotaman

Thanks for your fast reply.
It;s really helpful!

So correct me if i'm wrong:

BATTERY Positive----0gauge---->fuse holder, distribution block:

----4gauge---->60 amp fuse----4gauge-----> EPS
----4gauge---->100 amp fuse----4gauge----->Charging system
----4gauge---->Fuse Box

BATTERY Negative - to chassis.
1. Is it alright if i use 4 gauge everywhere after distribution block instead of the 4gauge and 8 gauge, so i don't have to order lots of different cables?
2. So you think that i don't need 0gauge from the battery to distribution block?
3. If i split the battery positive wire harness, do you think it's enough cable to reroute to the location of the washer?
4. What is better to do with all the negative cables that were routed to the negative terminal of the battery? Should i ground them to the chassis where the previous battery was installed or should i reroute them to the new location and connect to the negative terminal?
4. As for all the grounding, should i use 0 gauge?

Thanks a lot for your help, i really appreciate it as i'm not that experienced in electricity work!

skatephoto, are you looking at doing this work yourself?
The reason I ask this is you have just said you are not experianced in electrical work.
You will find that working with 0 gauge and 4 gauge cable is not easy if you don't have the right tools.
You may find using the 4 gauge cable for some of the things you want to use it for may be differecult.
If you are not experianced with this type of work, I suggest you find someone to help you that is, or go and find an autoelectrician.
This is not the type of modification you want to do if you are not sure what you are doing.

Rotaman

Yep, i'm going to make this by myself, but i'm really into understanding the basics and then buying the right tools and then making the job.
I'll have a specialist check everything after i finish relocation. It's just about doing it right by myself and learning to do it right.

Rotaman, excellent addition to this thread!! Reading your posts made me go back and redo a lot of my work. It was a bit strange cutting into a perfectly good engine harness, but once you get it all separated its not really that complex. I am thinking soon this thread may need to be cleaned up to have all the pertinent information on the first page.

^ I agree. I moved my battery to the trunk about two months ago and this thread was very useful but it would be even easier if it were consolidated.

Sephitrask - Only to happy to help.
I've seen way to many mistakes made with battery wiring and car electrics as a whole.
As these cars are reasonably modern, the electronics in them will be prone to problems and in the next few years, I see there being a lot of problems with these cars, especially with bad earthing. Have a good look around your car when you pull something apart and see how many little earthing points there are.
Most of them have more then one earth cable going to them and rely on a small 6mm bolt going into areas prone for getting wet and or in areas that will build up with rust over time.

Probably some of the best advice I can give people is make sure your battery terminals are clean and clamped tight. ( If you can move your battery terminals with your hand when they have been tightened up, then they are stuffed, replace them with a better quality solid brass terminal )
Also if you are doing some work on your car and you see one of those earthing points I am talking about. Undo the bolt and clean all around it, clean the earth terminals and then put it all back together with some anti rust lubricant like CRC or WD40 etc, and be prepared to clean them every now and then, especially if you live in an area that rains and snows alot in the winter and if they put salt on the roads.

Rotaman

Just saw this thread and knowing its an old thread, I was wondering if any one has relocated the battery to where the windshield bottle is on passenger side on fire wall. I was thinking of doing that to open up the second cooling fan. I measured the space taken up by the windshield fluid bottle. The battery will fit and I might try it. Just wondered if any one has done tis and what there experience was and how did it work.

Been awhile, but boy there are a lot of good installs and extra info. I do like that distribution block you use. My car had about 70k on that set up with no problems with starting or anything for that matter as bolts loosening. Running an extra ground in the back would benefit the grounding capabilities. Adding extra grounds off the engine also are a must for even more proper grounding.

When I get my next 8 I'm gonna have much cleaner wire setup running under the hood with a distribution block and a little bit different routing and connections. Battery will still be in the same place so I can carry a full size spare. Very helpful with the extra info. Thanks.

So this talk of consolidation I'm for. Just let me know what all and where. Plus this is a V1 trial like Team would put it for low cost and experimentation for the best possible setup and to share what others have also done and like. Then combining other installs together hopefully someone, or me will do a V2 lol.

A few people have done it. There are some in this thread that show their setup. Got some spring cleaning to do in here.

^------ really a whole new thread should be started. Maybe a general info sticky on relocation since most are so different.

FYI, my hard start issues were not related to my battery relocation or it's setup. I installed a new S2 starter and she fires up with barely a bump of the key :)

S2 starter FTW!!!

hello
i planning to use that combination! with battery in the trunk!
1.#1/0 cable from battery /fuse 150am/under the car to starter //
2. in the starter connect with oem cables to front! and in the front a fuse distribution for eps/main fuses,and charging system!
3,GROUND FROM BATTERY! TO CHASIS! REAR AND FRONT OEM GROUNDS! WITH ADITIONAL GROUNDS CHASIS TO ENGINE IN LEFTH AND RIGTH SIDE!
SOME PEOLPLE DO THAT COMBINATION?

I love this modd. adds some beauty.

southdakotadr8, If this is your main 12V line from your battery to your starter motor or the car itself, its certainly not what I would call good.
If you are just using this distribution block for your car stereo, then no real problem.
Have a good look at the connections on the fuse block. How easy is it for water to get to those points when you wash your car?
Those grub screw type connections are not ideal for the long term. They tend to crush the wiring and can vibrate lose over time.
The best connections are crimp and soldered in most situations.
Hope this is helpful

Rotaman

Thanks Rotaman, I was wondering if that may be an issue. ill heed your advice and post back with an updated solution .It is my main power 2ga line thru the firewall I have a 100am in-line fuse at the bat and I was using this terminal to distribute power to power steering, main power and starter using the existing harness and adding appropriate fuses to each 60 60 and 100. Will enclosing this fuse terminal be enough if I regularly clean the terminal?

It will help, but you might be suprised how easy it is for bad connections to form if water or moisture can get to any of those connections. Keep a good eye on them. Might be a good idea to spray them with WD40 or something like that.

Rotaman

Question about the factory negative terminal. It has a chassis ground, cooling fan ground, and one I don't know. Is it really OK to just ground these out to the frame? Wasn't sure why Mazda grounded them out to the battery.

Bump anyone new have pics and info with their relocation?

What do you need info on NYC?

Travis

So I am going to be moving the battery to the trunk and am curious what your opinion on this setup would be.

So, quality 2 ga from battery positive to under hood. Curcuit breaker off the battery ( JL 80 amp? I figure JL Audio would be decent quality but the biggest they have is 80, no 100). As far as when the positive gets to the bay, a fused splitter for each peice that needs juice.

The real question I have is for the grounds. 2ga aswell, one right off the battery to the trunk somewheres. But I took out my battery box today and noticed the front support member directly below it. 1 of the 3 factory grounds goes to it. Do you see any issues with grounding all if them to that member?

Also, is 80amp too small? No sound system or anything like that.

80 amp is too small. the starter will draw too much for that to be reliable. 100Amp should work...but basically the OEM fuse is 120Amp....should stay above that. I have a 150Amp slo blow breaker on mine....

You really need the thing to blow if you have a short in the main feed wire...and it will blow 150Amp easily

Don't go too small with the battery...there are issues with a small battery that likely are due to the power steering draw

Okay. Ill keep shopping for a quality breaker then. Whats your opinions on what I said about grounding the negatives to the support that runs underneath the battery tray?

I'd just ground it to the frame in the back....you can run a bigger ground from the frame to engine. If you are worried about how good it is....check out the resistance.from the motor to the battery and it will give you an idea how it is working