Relocated Battery Charging Issues
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Relocated Battery Charging Issues
Let me start off by saying this isn't for a Ford truck, it isn't even for a Ford car. There is a lot of good knowledge here though so I thought I would see what I could find. If it is against forum rules to ask a non-Ford related question, please feel free to lock or delete this thread.
Background:
I am posting this on behalf of a friend who has a'95 Eagle Talon TSI AWD. The engine has been extensively modified and for space concerns, the battery was relocated to the trunk. The previous owner did a lot of things VERY badly, but for the battery relocation he did use some decent cable, it is welding cable, I can't remember the exact size but it's close to 3/4" of an inch thick. We had to get battery terminal connectors for a tractor trailer to properly clamp onto the cables. As purchased the car had a "used battery" that said it was warrantied for 1 year, 5 years ago. The alternator had recently died and has been replaced as well.
Current:
My friend recently had battery problems and decided that his super awesome "used battery" had finally given up the ghost. He bought a brand new optima red top and installed it. I have heard that batteries will discharge slightly on the shelf so it is a good idea to put them on a smart charger and bring them up to full charge. He does not have a smart charger, but I do. He drove the vehicle to my house and we put it on my charger, set it specifically for AGM batteries and let it go. After a few hours it was brought up to 100%. My friend left my house and went about his business. The next day he came by my house and just for fun he put my charger on the car and was stunned to see it showing his battery only at 80% charge! He had shut it off just long enough to connect the charger. I have read, and have seen from my own experience that a battery, even a relatively weak one, will build up a "surface charge" when the vehicle runs and that if you put a charger on it immediately it will show 100% even if it's not really there. The recommendation is to turn your lights on for a few minutes to dissipate the surface charge and then connect the charger.
So, not only did my friend's battery not seem to have the surface charge effect, it seemed to actually be somewhat discharged. I know the alternator is at least putting out voltage because his ECM will read 13.5 volts on a data log. Thing is that the ECM is a lot closer to the battery. I'm thinking that the extreme distance from the battery to the alternator might be the problem. I have not had opportunity yet to put a meter on the battery while the car is running, but I am guessing it will be somewhat less than alternator voltage.
What I am curious about is the best solution. I was thinking that we could run a new heavy gauge charging wire from the alternator directly to the battery. Or I thought we could re-locate the remote sense wire on the voltage regulator to somewhere further away and more representative of system voltage. I imagine we could do both. Just wanted to get some thoughts and feedback first.
Opinions?
Background:
I am posting this on behalf of a friend who has a'95 Eagle Talon TSI AWD. The engine has been extensively modified and for space concerns, the battery was relocated to the trunk. The previous owner did a lot of things VERY badly, but for the battery relocation he did use some decent cable, it is welding cable, I can't remember the exact size but it's close to 3/4" of an inch thick. We had to get battery terminal connectors for a tractor trailer to properly clamp onto the cables. As purchased the car had a "used battery" that said it was warrantied for 1 year, 5 years ago. The alternator had recently died and has been replaced as well.
Current:
My friend recently had battery problems and decided that his super awesome "used battery" had finally given up the ghost. He bought a brand new optima red top and installed it. I have heard that batteries will discharge slightly on the shelf so it is a good idea to put them on a smart charger and bring them up to full charge. He does not have a smart charger, but I do. He drove the vehicle to my house and we put it on my charger, set it specifically for AGM batteries and let it go. After a few hours it was brought up to 100%. My friend left my house and went about his business. The next day he came by my house and just for fun he put my charger on the car and was stunned to see it showing his battery only at 80% charge! He had shut it off just long enough to connect the charger. I have read, and have seen from my own experience that a battery, even a relatively weak one, will build up a "surface charge" when the vehicle runs and that if you put a charger on it immediately it will show 100% even if it's not really there. The recommendation is to turn your lights on for a few minutes to dissipate the surface charge and then connect the charger.
So, not only did my friend's battery not seem to have the surface charge effect, it seemed to actually be somewhat discharged. I know the alternator is at least putting out voltage because his ECM will read 13.5 volts on a data log. Thing is that the ECM is a lot closer to the battery. I'm thinking that the extreme distance from the battery to the alternator might be the problem. I have not had opportunity yet to put a meter on the battery while the car is running, but I am guessing it will be somewhat less than alternator voltage.
What I am curious about is the best solution. I was thinking that we could run a new heavy gauge charging wire from the alternator directly to the battery. Or I thought we could re-locate the remote sense wire on the voltage regulator to somewhere further away and more representative of system voltage. I imagine we could do both. Just wanted to get some thoughts and feedback first.
Opinions?
