I had some 4 gauge cable that I used just to see if it would work and it works and the battery gets a good charge. But when I try to start the car it drags really slow turning over and I figure its because that cable is to thin. I figure I need at a minimum of 2 gauge because of the distance the cable is running. I just need some opinions and advice.

Michael

 

Check out Summit or Jegs. They have a complete kit that you can buy and it probably tells you what guage the wire is.

 

4 gauge wire should be plenty heavy to turn the starter over. To do this right you should run a continuous wire from the battery to the starter, or to a remote starter switch which should be close to the starter. Also make sure that you have grounding straps running from the motor to the body. You can have resistance issues with both the positive wire and also ground.

Steve

 

I think trunk mount kits generally come with 1 or 2 guage cables.

 

just think of the added weight of the cable.....just buy a 14lb batt and leave it up front and save weight....just my thought
jesse

 

Related to battery relocation, does anyone with t-tops have a battery in the trunk? If so, is there room to put the t-tops in the trunk if a battery is in it? Also, due to our cars being hatches, would it be advisable to seal the battery in a box and vent it to the outside?
QCKZ28, do you have the 14lb. battery? If so, how long does it go before needing a charge? Also, which batteries does this include (other than the Dynabatt)?

 

i think the battery goes where the spare and jack go so ttops doesnt effect the relocation.but yea a dynabat would be easier and more of a weight reduction

 

the other 14lb battery is called hawker genesis. yes you will need a relocation kit/box, summit sells them for $80.
the light batt is only $70, as far as reliability goes im not sure, but when my batt dies im going to buy a hawker genesis.
jesse

 

yeah, i'm starting to think that its more trouble than its worth to move the battery. i didn't ground the block to the body so i'm wondering if this will be a problem. i'm considering just putting it back the way it was and leaving it. i noticed that most kits come with 1 or 2 gauge so thats why i was wondering if the 4 was to small. to be honest, it seems kind of small to me. i think that over a distance of 13ft or whatevery it is that its just not getting enough voltage to the battery on startup.

Michael

 

Believe me 4 gauge should be adequate. Take a look at jumper cables. Most times they are 4 gauge copper wire and typically run 12 to 15 feet in length. If your having slow starter motor cranking, you have a bad connection somewhere in the system.

Steve

 

where you ground it is important too.. running the ground all the way back to the engine can cause problems. I had my battery in the trunk for about a year and it was more hassle than it's worth imho.. getting a hawker genesis saves so much weight that it doesn't seem worth it to relocate the battery. I just put everything back up front and am much happier now.

I think there was a gmhtp article on relocating the battery though.. maybe you could look it up.

 

Mine was single (0) aught(sp?). May go a little thinner because it's heavy as hell.

Check this out too...
http://para.noid.org/~lj/Battery/TrunkBatt.htm