Are you guys venting your battery to the outside? There's a reason that they use only sealed batteries with vent tubes on cars like my Miata (where the battery is in the trunk from the factory). I've seen Miatas that had unsealed/vented batteries installed there, an aftera few years, the entire side of the trunk is corroded and rusty...

 

i have two batterys one small one and one in the back the 3rd gen alt runs them tiny batts well with my fogs on stereo bumping and a walboro rewired

 

dennis, nice car!

I have the the compartment vented to the outside using the factory seatbelt holes. I'm going to be running an optima in the next 2-3 weeks anyways, that battery is just temporary.

 

IF YOU ARE GOING TO INSTAL FOG LIGHTS STEREO ETC i would get a 3rd gen alt but your set up looks good and thanks for your response if you need any help lret us know

 

I'm currently in the middle of my battery relocation and I was wondering if it would be ok just to run the + cable to the starter and then run another smaller wire from the starter to the main fuse. what do you guys think? it seems like it would work fine to me, I don't really have a splitter that I can use, or really feel like mounting one.

 

That's what I've always done and I've never had a failure yet. Proper soldering techniques (not what you see the guys on TV doing!!) mean a super reliable connection. I generally solder the connection, pack the area with dielectric grease (working it into the cable) and then seal with adhesive lined heat shrink. That's how all the high current cables are done on my RX-7, how I set up cars I wire, and how my battery is set up on the Insight.

$70?!?! Where are you shopping? I buy the prefab battery cables at the local auto parts store for $20 each (in fact I'm getting some today/tomorrow). You only need short ones since the breaker is located beside the battery as should be a grounding point.

One other thing I noticed: your +12V point is in the engine bay? Or is that a grounding point? I like to keep the main distrobution points inside the car where they are protected from the elements.

I'm sure you've seen this picture before, but here's what I've done:



It's a little out of date since I've switched to higher quality cable lugs. Also I've since found a supplier for high quality insulated distrobution studs so if I was doing this again the homemade distrobution block wouldn't be necessary.

 

where the hell did you find distribution studs at, cos I looked everywhere before I found that one!

if that's the pass. footwell, my ECU is living there.

After jumping TYSON's car and watching him crawl through his hatch I really wanted to have a + point at the front of the car. I don't have nearly as much circiutry as you either I think

parts store wanted $63+ tax for a 0 ga premade wire.

 

http://www.waytekwire.com

So is mine. My Microtech is attached to the underside of the ECU cover tray (the one that the passenger's feet rest on). Of course the Microtech is rather thin while the stock Megasquirt case is kind of thick so I don't believe that it will fit.

That's what firewall passthroughs are for. Also I don't plan on having to ever jumpstart my car...

 

Here is whrere I put mine in the engine bay.

 

not to mention explode from the fumes...

 

super clean white engine bay ogm!

looks awesome.

I don't even plan on having to jump my car either, but sometimes other people need to be jumped - and sometimes stuff doesn't go according to plan.

 

I now have a policy that I don't jump anyone. Recently I stopped at the side of the road to help someone and even though I told them that I would connect the cables, they started to connect their side after I had hooked up my side to the Insight. Not only did they intend to connect both directly to the battery, but they were about to do it backwards! Needless to say I finished the job after explaining the proper way to do things and mentioned that when someone pulls over on a 400 series highway to offer assistance you LISTEN to what they say. I'm a pretty nice guy, but come on...The DC-DC converter on the Insight (supplies all 12V power) is a $3500 part!

A little off topic I guess, but sort of funny. My useless post for the month.