[JGarrett911]

I think its about time for a new battery in the '98, but i just had one question... how big of a battery can you actually fit down there, and how much of a pain in the ass is it to change??

My car barely wanted to start this morning because it was like 1 degree outside, and i'm going to be very pissed some morning @ 5:45 when my car wont start, so i figured i'd just go buy one now.

 

[btc909]

It's a proprietary sized battery. Pull of the air box & you'll see it down below.

 

[thebulgd]

what the hellO does propietary sized mean?

enquiring minda wanna know

 

[btc909]

Go look at it & then try to find it at your local auto parts store without having to special order it.

 

[JGarrett911]

Wow, i learned a very important lesson this weekend... well, first off, i was stoked when my dad said he had an extra 6year, 1000 CCA battery sitting in the garage that was only a few months old, so i got to use that instead of buyin a new one.
The lesson i learned though, was ALWAYS clean the ****in battery terminals before you put in a new battery. I couldnt find my terminal cleaner anywhere when i put my battery in, so i just skipped it... big ****in mistake... and then i put everything back together only to figure out that it still wouldn't start... so on my lunch hour from work i got to take her all apart again just to clean the connections.

She works now... it was just a ***** to do...

 

[thebulgd]

so basically it means to look at how much room there is then run down to the auto parts house and guess?


sounds like a plan to me

 

[n_koutelas]

Has anyone had their positive terminal corroded right off?

This happened to me on my 2.7L... This was the battery from the factory. It cost me $2.00 CANADIAN for a new universal terminal but it still was a surprise how bad it had corroded...

Just wondering if anyone else experienced this....

 

[1mz-fe]

when i got my new battery my terminals were so sick that both of them disintegrated as i was twisting and turning them to get them off the battery posts.

 

[Wutang15m]

Thats why you should invest in a good battery like the deep cycle ones i have 2 of them.

the good thing about them is that the last longer. they recharge much much quicker. and they dont corrode. its worth it in the long run

 

[Candyman]

OK, now how do you get the air filter box off. I tried this past week when I did an oil change, and I couldn't see how to remove the box. Could see the battery below, couln't get to it though.

 

[JGarrett911]

Getting the airbox off is kind of a *****. the left side of the box just has 2 plastic posts that go into the side of the fender to keep it from going anywhere (they just slide out w/ no screws) and on the right side there is a rubber thing that holds it on. first take off the top of the box and remove the cleaner. Then you should be able to just pull up VERY hard on the right side to pop if off the rubber bushing or whatever the hell it is. I could never get it to come off of that thing (might have been because the rubber didn't like the cold) so i just unbolted the 2 screws that hold the bracket on- just look below the right side of the air box and you will see it - then after itook that off you can twist the airbox out of the way or if you wanted to take it all the way off doing it like that just cut the zip ties that hold the bracket onto some of the hoses.

 

[Candyman]

Thanks JGarrett, I'll have to give it another whirl. I can tell me battery terminals need a good cleaning, there is a bit of corrosion on the positive side.

 

[99300mricva]

I recently changed my battery in my 99 300m. I used an Interstate Megatron model MT-34. It's a little more cranking amps than the factory battery and fits right in (exact same size dimensions)

I pulled the front pass wheel and the fender well access cover to replace. Total time was about 1 hr 12 mins (amount my clock was off). I took my time. Remove the negative cable at the fender jumper cable convience point before doing anything. It's tight in there and you gotta remove the positive terminal and battery bracket, slide out the battery then disconnect the negative cable on the battery. I rested it on top of the brake caliper while I did the negative cable.

It's a lot of trouble for a battery, but a cleaver use of otherwise unusable space..well maybe a supercharger could've fit down there with the battery in the trunk. Hmmm.....