TheSamba.com :: View topic

Tue Jan 30, 2018 12:09 am

I made a discovery that might help fellow diesel vans (i.e., originally diesel vans with a battery tray in the engine bay). I'll say a few things about the background first, but skip it if you just want the info: a really big, cheap battery that fits in the stock battery tray.

I've never been happy with my battery. It came to me with a Walmart battery that I assume meets the stocks specs -- 750 CCA. I replaced it under warranty once, and later bought an Autocraft battery with the same specs. I have a nice sound system with an independent amplifier and an inverter, and it's nice to park and use my computer and listen to music. But in cold weather or for anything but a very short time, I would be risking the need for a jumpstart. And when I've swapped injector pumps or otherwise needed to purge the fuel system, there's no chance I'll get the van started without an additional source of juice.

The van was for a long time stored 5000 miles away from where I was living, and although my most recent battery was just three years old, several very long periods of sitting discharged took a lot of life from my battery. Finally I knocked a hole in the side, which I've made several attempts to fix. My last attempt held for about a month before today, when my battery tray was again soaked in acid. Enough was enough, finally.

I recently bought a lightly-used sort-of deep cycle battery -- I think it's intended for marine applications and serves also as an 800 cca starter battery. It's huge. Amp output depends on surface area between the lead and acid, and so higher CA batteries have thinner plates. Apparently that means that they do not very well survive deep discharges. So, these starter/deep cycle combination batteries have to be made very large.

I spent some time trying to figure out how to mount this battery in my engine bay, and considered modifying the battery tray, but decided instead to use it as a second battery. It's certainly not as good a house battery as a proper, sealed deep-cycle, but I like the idea that I could start my engine with it, if necessary. I'll make a temporary mount under the bench seat, such that I can take it just when I'm camping or something. (I know, it's not properly vented . . ) Anyway, that's a future project.

Today I decided to get a new starter battery. I believe I've managed to fit the biggest possible battery in my unmodified tray, and it didn't cost much.

Check it out (sorry it's upside down):

It was something like $190 at Advance, but they're currently offering 30% off online purchases, or a max of $50. So, with tax, it's around $150.

It's an AGM battery, so can be mounted on its side (the only way it will fit, and truly, it just barely fits).

I'm waiting on parts to redo my wiring with nice terminals and lugs and so on, but for now, this is how it sits:

It just barely fits under the frame in the back and almost touches the rear light.

My starter has never sounded so happy. And tonight I sat in the van listening to music and charging my laptop, and when I started the van, the starter spun as fast as ever.