When Big Three Upgrade leave original wiring?

blake · Post by **blake** » Sat Nov 22, 2008 4:01 pm

I was wondering when i do my big three upgrade,do i leave the factory wires that are there and sorta piggyback the new 0 gauge or do i replace the factory wires all together with the new 0 gauge?

Post by **stipud** » Sat Nov 22, 2008 4:04 pm

I leave the factory wiring in place so that you can roll it back if necessary. I also use different battery terminals... if the stock uses side terminals, I use top for audio... or vice versa.

Post by **Wakeup** » Sat Nov 22, 2008 4:22 pm

What He ^^^ said.

blake · Post by **blake** » Sat Nov 22, 2008 4:26 pm

My battery only has top terminals.I contacted Optima Batteries any they said they don't make a specific battery for my vehicle.I would need to find which model"would fit."

Post by **Wakeup** » Sat Nov 22, 2008 4:27 pm

What kind of car do you have?!
There are other battery manufacturers...
Kinetic is one of the more familiar ones....
Aside from Optima.

444 FED · Post by **444 FED** » Sat Nov 22, 2008 4:45 pm

I almost always leave the original wiring. The only time I will swap it out is when I can easily remove the main starter feed (not really part of the big 3 but a good idea), or the ground to the engine would get in the way and easily removable I will sometimes remove it. Most of the time though i just leave them.

blake · Post by **blake** » Sat Nov 22, 2008 4:48 pm

I have an 07 Mercury Milan with the original battery.I figured if i do the big 3 upgrade,i might as well replace the original battery with something a lil better.

fordtough1 · Post by **fordtough1** » Sat Nov 22, 2008 6:12 pm

A friend of mine did this on a Ford Fusion (same car, different badge) and he had a hell of a time finding an aftermarket battery that would fit, in fact I'm not sure he ever did. I think height was the major issue....

When I did mine on the Taurus I had to rewire the factory stuff as well because Ford in their infinite wisdom uses a reverse terminal battery in these. I couldn't find a reverse dual terminal battery anywhere, and the factory cables won't reach on a standard terminal battery.

Goddamn Fords

blake · Post by **blake** » Sat Nov 22, 2008 6:42 pm

Well i found a battery that will fit and work.Here it is
http://www.odysseybatteries.com/battery/pc1200mjt.htm
You can also get it from Summit Racing.

Mackenzie · Post by **Mackenzie** » Sat Nov 22, 2008 10:55 pm

fordtough1 wrote:A friend of mine did this on a Ford Fusion (same car, different badge) and he had a hell of a time finding an aftermarket battery that would fit, in fact I'm not sure he ever did. I think height was the major issue....

When I did mine on the Taurus I had to rewire the factory stuff as well because Ford in their infinite wisdom uses a reverse terminal battery in these. I couldn't find a reverse dual terminal battery anywhere, and the factory cables won't reach on a standard terminal battery.

Goddamn Fords

Fords are generally the easiest cars to work on. Another reason why I love working on mine. Door panels off in 30 seconds, deck out in 5.

But yes I will admit, taurus's are a pain to work on.

fordtough1 · Post by **fordtough1** » Sun Nov 23, 2008 4:44 am

Mackenzie wrote:
fordtough1 wrote:A friend of mine did this on a Ford Fusion (same car, different badge) and he had a hell of a time finding an aftermarket battery that would fit, in fact I'm not sure he ever did. I think height was the major issue....

When I did mine on the Taurus I had to rewire the factory stuff as well because Ford in their infinite wisdom uses a reverse terminal battery in these. I couldn't find a reverse dual terminal battery anywhere, and the factory cables won't reach on a standard terminal battery.

Goddamn Fords
Fords are generally the easiest cars to work on. Another reason why I love working on mine. Door panels off in 30 seconds, deck out in 5. But yes I will admit, taurus's are a pain to work on.

You don't have to tell me bro, It's what I do every day all day

Trust me, when you work on them for a living, they all become pieces of shit

blake · Post by **blake** » Sun Nov 23, 2008 5:52 am

Anyone know how good these Odyssey batteries are?

trl2112 · Post by **trl2112** » Sun Nov 23, 2008 9:02 am

blake wrote:Anyone know how good these Odyssey batteries are?

I have this in my Seadoo:

http://www.odysseybatteries.com/battery/pc625.htm

They are too be the best for this application. I have never had a trouble in 3 + years, others are replacing their's every season or two.

blake · Post by **blake** » Sun Nov 23, 2008 1:36 pm

Great..Odyssey battery it is!

blake · Post by **blake** » Sun Nov 30, 2008 6:50 am

Do you guys put an in-line fuse on the upgraded alt to battery wire?If so what size fuse should i use?If i'm thinking correctly,i will end up with either two fuseable links,One on the alt to battery wire and another from the battery to amps distro. block or a dual 1/0 awg in with a dual 1/0 awg out.Am i correct?

dwnrodeo · Post by **dwnrodeo** » Sun Nov 30, 2008 9:25 am

I would recommend fusing the wire from the alt to the battery just as an extra precaution. I did this to mine and I believe I used a fuse rated at what my amps were running at (can't remember at the moment). Then fused between the battery and amps.

Post by **mr tibbs** » Sun Nov 30, 2008 10:52 am

Yes, fuse the batt to alt wire. The size of the fuse depends on how many amps your alt puts out and the length of the wire. Also, remember guys that you are fusing the wire, not the amps with this fuse. You are trying to safeguard the wire from burning up under the hood in case there is a spike in voltage.

blake · Post by **blake** » Sun Nov 30, 2008 4:08 pm

My alternator is an 150 amp alternator so i would just need a 150 amp fuse holder.Gotcha thanks.As far as connectors,do you guys prefer crimp terminals or set screw?I see Knukonceptz carries both.

dwnrodeo · Post by **dwnrodeo** » Sun Nov 30, 2008 5:24 pm

The terminals all depend on your preference, just remember though, crimping 1/0 gauge terminals can be tricky without the right tools. I used a bench top vise and it worked fine.