Heads up: i4 won't fit a 24F battery, 35 only

[drowned12]

Bought the V6 battery box and tray and whatnot. It fits OK and is significantly wider than the stock 51R tray (meant to hold a 24F battery). However, the positive terminal wiring harness is not setup to fit on a tray that wide. Looking at the diagram it appears the V6 harness attaches from behind whereas our i4 is from the side-ish.

So the only option for upgrading the 51R battery is to go to a group 35. It's the same width and height as the 51R but is a bit longer. The only part you need is 31512-TA0-A10 which is the hold down plate for the battery.

[Rattmann]

You can bend the hold down straight and save some $$.
I did this mod without buy any new hardware!

[glen e]

exactly - bend the tang and torque it down, it ain't going anywhere - I did not even buy a new batt box, just threw the spacer out and put in a real battery....

[mp5cartman]

Any advantages on putting a v6 batt on an i4?

[drowned12]

I'm doing it because I need the extra capacity for powering my accessories when the car is not running. I've had to jumpstart my car 3x now since hacking my 12V socket to be always on (I think I drained it once and the alternator hasn't been able to charge it up all the way with my < 20 minute driving habits). I also think the car will start faster with the extra cranking amps.

[ksills]

You guys do know that the LX-P in the Northeast comes from the factory with a group 35 battery?

[mikeyd914]

i just took the tray out completely in my car and a little holder thing, i can fit some pretty big batteries in my car.

but i just bought the optima yellowtop group 35 battery yesterday. i hope its good with 3 year warranty i paid 180 for it from advanced auto parts with a 45 dollar coupon off from $220.

[glen e]

Originally Posted by mp5cartman

Any advantages on putting a v6 batt on an i4?

yes the i4 battery is undersized and should not be in anything but a garden tractor or a honda motorcycle...being underpowered it works harder and fails faster.....

and understand one thing...IF YOU FLATTEN THE BATTERY IT IS NEVER THE SAME - YOU JUST TOOK A PERCENTAGE OF LIFE OUT OF IT AND IT WILL FAIL WITHOUT WARNING...batts are to be used from 90% and above - not drained and recharged.....

[ksills]

Please see attached picture, not all I4's come with a 51, some come with a 35

[glen e]

the real key is what CCA it is - look on batt - minimum IMO is 600 CCA....

[Markus]

Originally Posted by drowned12

I'm doing it because I need the extra capacity for powering my accessories when the car is not running. I've had to jumpstart my car 3x now since hacking my 12V socket to be always on (I think I drained it once and the alternator hasn't been able to charge it up all the way with my < 20 minute driving habits). I also think the car will start faster with the extra cranking amps.

You are correct. Not only will an alternator rarely charge a discharged battery in < 20 minutes but alternators are not designed to charge a battery from dead. Every time an alternator charges a battery from dead the life of the alternator is reduced quite a bit.

You should always use an external charger to bring the battery to a full charge if the battery has been allowed to discharge to the point where it will not start the car. I know this is not always possible and sometimes to have to jump start the car and go.

Alternators are not designed to charge dead batteries

And as Glen says - every time you discharge a battery to the point it won't start a car you have substantially reduced the battery life.

[G2Nice]

You can fit a 24F battery in an i4, I did it a couple months ago with a Duralast Gold. Just remove the battery casing on the old battery, reuse the tie downs and add a bigger ground ( or grounding kit, on my case).

[drowned12]

Originally Posted by G2Nice

You can fit a 24F battery in an i4, I did it a couple months ago with a Duralast Gold. Just remove the battery casing on the old battery, reuse the tie downs and add a bigger ground ( or grounding kit, on my case).

Do you have a picture of that? I don't see why Honda would put a bigger tray on the V6's with 24F batteries if the 51R/35 tray would work. It's ~1.5 inches wider too which is making me question that it can properly fit even though you say you've done it.

[G2Nice]

Originally Posted by drowned12

Do you have a picture of that? I don't see why Honda would put a bigger tray on the V6's with 24F batteries if the 51R/35 tray would work. It's ~1.5 inches wider too which is making me question that it can properly fit even though you say you've done it.

Sure, i'll take some pics, might take a couple days, what with this hurricane on top of us right now...

[drowned12]

^^ No excuse!!