Battery relocation

[johnnyl1972]

Hi,
I am chasing info on relocating my 323i E30 battery to the boot. Where does the wiring for this run, and if someone has done this, how difficult is it.
John

[MaDhAtTeR]

Hi john, it doesnt really matter where you run the wiring. Easiest place is to pop off the trim panel and run the wiring along the sil panel, so the carpet runs back over it. Ive got a link to the E21 guide i wrote up which should help you out, pretty much everything in it will apply to the E30 too, you can run it up along the guard the same at the back or simply go through the rear panel behind the seat.

Rear battery install *Pic heavy* - Bimmerforums - The Ultimate BMW Forum

Just keep the wire away from the speaker wires as it can induce noise, so run it on the opposite side if you are worried about any interference.

[GHaST]

As hatter said, run it anywhere. I did mine and just ran it in the corner of the floorpan.

I put mine in a battery box, then realised you could put it in that little cavity (like m3? and 6's? have).

The other option I thought was nifty was someone got the small form battery and fit it under the back seat. Its very handy if you do this to add charge/starter points in the engine bay (good to do this anyway).

[MaDhAtTeR]

I checked the vavity in the boot of my E30 against some guys who had the rear battery install and i found out it was smaller, the panels in the floor are a little different to allow the battery to fit in there. You could fit one, but it would need to be a thin, AGM battery or something.

Id keep the battery out of the back seat, too close to fuel pump/tank cover, close to seat springs above, plus if you needed to pull the connection in a hurry (like in an accident), difficult to get to.

[johnnyl1972]

Thanks for that guys. I was hoping that it would be relatively simple and I could use the original battery. Might have to put this idea on the back burner for the moment. The sub amp combo that I'm putting in the boot will help with the weight distribution anyway (heh heh) But will definitely run the cable for the amp down the rhs under the sill.
John

[MaDhAtTeR]

What i do is go into supercheap and buy a battery tray. Then ive just welded the tray to the floor of the boot. Usually i put it up close to the rear seat, but you can put it anywhere. Otherwise, if you dont have a welder, get some self tapping metal screws and screw it to the metal.

It is a simple process to move it john, it shouldnt take you anymore than an hour to get the wiring and everything sorted.