Downside of moving battery inside

[the great him]

You ask this of a guy who grew up in the back seat of a VW squareback with the battery directly under my seat (rear seat) for the first 13 years of my life?

And it wasn't even an AGM!

I turned out okay... twitch, twitch :wacko:

yeah most 80s and 90s audis had their batteries under the back seat, i dont see germans dropping like jews?

bad joke i know but funny

 

[cj80cruiser]

Toyota vans in the 80s had the battery somewhere under the passenger seats. Not sure if it was 2nd or 3rd row. I only know this because I saw a guy in the parking lot years ago needing a jump so I helped him out. He had me pull up to the side window and handed me the other end of the jumper cables. I thought it was a prank for the first few seconds.

 

[cdrewferd]

Good point about a lot of cars coming with batteries inside the cab. I had a couple Audi's and they were all this way. I would probably use an AGM style so I didn't have to worry about leaking.

Thanks for the thoughts. Anybody else want to weigh in?

 

[Desert36]

I know your looking for in cab help but if you're on the fence about 2 under the hood, here's my set up, 2 factory battery's, pita to install, can't live without.

 

[snivilous]

Good point about a lot of cars coming with batteries inside the cab. I had a couple Audi's and they were all this way. I would probably use an AGM style so I didn't have to worry about leaking.

Thanks for the thoughts. Anybody else want to weigh in?

My roommates VW Touraeg has the battery under the drivers or passenger seat. I heard a lot of German vehicles do it to help balance the vehicle. So the battery in the cab isn't a valid argument if current production vehicles are coming with them stock.

I like this idea too. A secondary battery could fit perfectly among the gear I carry in the back. I can't mount a secondary battery in the normal spot in the engine bay since my winch control box is mounted there.

 

[UnderFire]

AGM batteries can leak, so I'd recommend putting it in a plastic battery box, I've got one in the cargo area for stereo purposes, and have been running it back there around a year, never had any problems.

 

[Mont]

I have an optima yellow top wired from the front battery to behind the back seats for my amp, just drilled through the firewall (optional, can go through the existing rubber near driver seat) and then siliconed it, running 4 gauge wire right now, plan to run 0/1 in the future when i have enough money (costs a ton more than 4 gauge), grounded it on the hooks in the back, absolutely 0 downsides to it

 

[cj80cruiser]

Good point about a lot of cars coming with batteries inside the cab. I had a couple Audi's and they were all this way. I would probably use an AGM style so I didn't have to worry about leaking.

Thanks for the thoughts. Anybody else want to weigh in?

I'd still get a box for it from a store that sells marine stuff because you don't want cargo falling on top of your battery when you're driving around.

 

[TheDurk]

I don't know for sure about the other cars with batteries inside but my BMW 323i has the battery in the trunk. It is equipped with a battery that has a vent tube (~1/4" clear neoprene) that hooks into a hole in the top of the battery and goes outside the body wall. I suspect the other inside batteries are either in sealed vented boxes or use similar vented batteries. I wouldn't take it as a free pass to install lead-acid batteries in the passenger compartment. Personally, I would not do that. If you ever roll your truck, you could have sulfuric acid raining down on that 3-year-old.

A quick Google reveals such an installation is actually ILLEGAL in Ohio--I have no idea about other states. Go with AGM.

Lawriter - OAC - 3304-6-12 Vehicle electrical modifications.(see 3d)

 

[Swede]

I've been using an auxiliary AGM battery in my cargo area for a few years now and is one of my favorite mods to date. My stereo, lighting, 1500w inverter and winch run off of it.

It's in the box on the left and sits on top of the wheel well. Tucks in there nice too!

 

[cdrewferd]

Yes, I would either put them in a box, or build them into a box in my drawer setup. A lot of the drawer setups I've seen don't have drawers as the full bottom. They always have a small compartment right behind the seats. This is where I would put the batteries. They would be covered by the same plywood that would seal in the drawers and give me a flat floor.

I have a few other things that I'm going to do first, bumpers and skid plates, but when I get to this I'll make a new thread and document all that I can.

Oh, and keep the pro's and con's coming. It's awesome to see that several other guys have done this and are happy with having done it.

 

[Nelsonmd]

It was covered in the second post and then the OP was told to use AGM batteries.

I know it was mentioned, but no one seemed to really question that rationale behind putting 2 big batteries in the cab when they fit fine in the engine bay. Making a sealed box in the cab that vents outside is way more work than just bending some metal to make a dual batter bracket; so it's more work, with seemingly no payoff in functionality. That's all I was trying to point out.

I assume that's a typo?
and you meant coolant overflow?

Yeah, that was a brain fart. Thanks for the correction. Though for some of us, the coolant overflow is the tranny overflow:barf:

I don't know for sure about the other cars with batteries inside but my BMW 323i has the battery in the trunk. It is equipped with a battery that has a vent tube (~1/4" clear neoprene) that hooks into a hole in the top of the battery and goes outside the body wall. I suspect the other inside batteries are either in sealed vented boxes or use similar vented batteries. I wouldn't take it as a free pass to install lead-acid batteries in the passenger compartment. Personally, I would not do that. If you ever roll your truck, you could have sulfuric acid raining down on that 3-year-old.

A quick Google reveals such an installation is actually ILLEGAL in Ohio--I have no idea about other states. Go with AGM.

Lawriter - OAC - 3304-6-12 Vehicle electrical modifications.(see 3d)

A guy at the company next door to me lost his BMW to a fire when the cover to his trunk mounted battery dislodged and his golf clubs shorted it out. To me, there is added risk to interior mounted batteries, with little to no benefit.

Yes, I know that I could fit them both in the engine bay, but then I don't have room for a compressor of any sort other than portable. I'm not trying to make this hard, just thinking of something different.

There is plenty of room for a compressor with dual batteries in the engine bay, it just wont be in the front drivers corner. I think most people end up mounting compressors in the rear pass side near the ABS module. Here's a couple options: http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/116458-hardmounted-air-compressor-one-where.html

 

[Brianrietta]

In my mind it makes perfect sense to move batteries inside because you'd have a hell of a time trying to move your winch, steel bumper or front skids. The less weight hanging out in front the better if you ask me.