Do you get smaller batteries?

Scottd · Post by **Scottd** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 6:26 pm

I’m guessing this is A: a question asked by everyone who’s ever taken the battery out of their car! And B: the answer is no?!

Plus I noticed there was no bracket holding my battery, so it's just sliding around down there. Any ideas how to brace it without making it completely impossible to remove next time?

Rich H · Post by **Rich H** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 7:37 pm

Get a proper battery bracket...

AJT · Post by **AJT** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 7:41 pm

Battery Holder from Elise Parts
http://www.eliseparts.com/shop/index.ph ... cts_id=525

Scottd · Post by **Scottd** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 11:05 pm

AJT wrote:Battery Holder from Elise Parts
http://www.eliseparts.com/shop/index.ph ... cts_id=525

It's £23 and I can't get hold of it tomorrow

I'm thinking more laterally... blocks of polystyrene

fd · Post by fd » Sat Feb 16, 2008 11:20 pm

Yes you can but they are expensive and usually have different charge/discharge characteristics . . . lots of people with competition cars use smaller batteries but they don't need the car to start on a freezing morning after leaving the car all weekend for example . . . they usually also fit an anderson boost connector in case the normal battery is not enough . . . look for odessey gel/dry cells . . .

as for the crappy elise battery bracket - you can make it fit almost any battery with a little creative packing and metalwork, certainly it's a good idea to not have it sliding around as that can cause a fire (seen a burned out loom because of that before) . . .

Fd

Andy · Post by **Andy** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 1:23 am

How about a small ratchet tie down strap to hold it in place, like this

fd · Post by fd » Sun Feb 17, 2008 1:30 am

without cutting holes in the chassis . . . difficult to see how that could work . . .

Fd

robin · Post by **robin** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 10:45 am

The elise parts bracket is OK but not perfect.

IIRC there are two parts to the Lotus design - there is a shelf that the toe of the battery fits under (this is forward of the battery) and then the washer bottle bracket provides a downward clamp and a left right clamp.

What we've done in the past is to rivet small sections of alloy angle bar onto the original bracket to adjust the depth and width of the bracket to suit replacement batteries.

Without the toe piece you are doomed, however, so make sure whatever battery you get meets the following criteria:

(1) The terminals are the same polarity when placed in the original position (i.e. +ve is on the front left, -ve on the front right, IIRC). Make sure you check the polarity signs on the battery moulding - don't rely on the colour coded caps (because I think people swap those around for a laugh, or perhaps some manufacturers don't fit them correctly in the first place - whichever, they are not a reliable indicator of polarity).

(2) The battery toe will fit under the shelf properly.

(3) The battery is no larger in any dimension than the original.

(4) If the new battery is of the vented type, that you haven't lost the original tube and angle connector, and that this will fit into the new battery.

Scottd · Post by **Scottd** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 3:45 pm

Cheers folk.

There's the toe piece towards the front of the car but nothing else, so the battery can - and has been by the looks of it sliding back and forth a little bit.
I'm not needing to replace the battery, I took it out to replace the heater matrix. I was just wondering if there was a smaller one available so it was easier to remove for next time. I've taken off the radiator surround which should help it go back in a little easier.

Post by **Shug** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 9:07 pm

Scottd wrote:Cheers folk.

There's the toe piece towards the front of the car but nothing else, so the battery can - and has been by the looks of it sliding back and forth a little bit.
I'm not needing to replace the battery, I took it out to replace the heater matrix. I was just wondering if there was a smaller one available so it was easier to remove for next time. I've taken off the radiator surround which should help it go back in a little easier.

What does your washer bottle clip onto then?

Scottd · Post by **Scottd** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 2:49 am

Shug wrote:
Scottd wrote:Cheers folk.

There's the toe piece towards the front of the car but nothing else, so the battery can - and has been by the looks of it sliding back and forth a little bit.
I'm not needing to replace the battery, I took it out to replace the heater matrix. I was just wondering if there was a smaller one available so it was easier to remove for next time. I've taken off the radiator surround which should help it go back in a little easier.
What does your washer bottle clip onto then?

Yea cheers Shug FFS

, I was hoping to get away with that one.... realised while fitting it all back together the water bottle holder was the fekin battery holder lol.

I was jus confused cause some folk talk about battery bracket as if it's a seperate thing. But lets not discuss that an move on

/scott -tech god, any questions you know where to come!

Been a loooong day, probably bed time now ! nn

Rich H · Post by **Rich H** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 9:35 am

You must have taken it out to get the battery out....

Scottish Elises

Do you get smaller batteries?

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