I also posted in the link above, and YES!! a bigger battery fits!! I went with a Diehard Platinum and couldn't be happier!! No more leaving the dome light on before work and coming out to a dead battery....:-(
No real modification required, just a little bending of the battery hold downs and a longer hold down that goes across the top of the battery. Been runnin' strong for, let's see, 4+ years now!! Yea, the Platinum is a bit spendy, but, IMHO, well worth the price.... :razz: :razz:

 

I too would love to see how someone fit a second battery in the engine compartment. I assume these would be wired with some sort of dual battery connecting setup that allows the alternator to charge/maintain both batteries but only the primary battery is used for starting and basic car use and the secondary battery is available for accessories (?)

 

yeah, you can do the solenoid thing to connect both batteries but i didn't. i just kept them separate. solar charge controller for the aux battery. alternator for the starting battery. i did buy some large anderson connectors to connect batteries together if i need to jump myself. sometimes i dont move my car for a month so i can connect the anderson connector to charge the starter battery in those situations. or if i run into a month straight of cloud and rain, i just connect the anderson connector and the alternator can charge the aux battery when i drive. not automatic like the solenoid but i get more control over my system.

 

So theres a bunch of talk about what size battery can fit (which seems to be about as big as you can cram) But there also seems to be no universal sizing number and left combination that holds true between what everyone chooses! I see a lot of 51r, 56DL, plain 34s or 35s and 24F? The R seems to indicate reversed, but what about the other letters on models?

EDIT: http://www.batteryweb.com/bci.cfm this gives a great rundown of what the numbers and letters mean, but they seem to be wrong given peoples mixing of the the L & R models.
For instance Raveboys battery above is a 24F which should be a right hand positive terminal, but instead its shows to be on the left. Unless folks are just posting the wrong model numbers?

In the search for different batteries, on amazon, and autopart stores online, the group 56's seem non existent, and the others vary a ton between manufactures as to what model numbers mean and are available per given battery.

That entirely aside, what is the consensus on what batteries actually WORK the best for acting as a Starting and House battery while running 12v ascs with the car off.
AGM's seem to be the new deep cycle standard vs standard lead batteries and the best starting point?

 

I put a 24F in mine......Positive Post on the Left......

 

Just purchased this Group 35 Bosch AMG battery, a super deal considering the discounts they're offering for a limited time. I will have paid about $145 after tax's and the core return.

https://www.pepboys.com/product/details/838876/01036/

 

Any mods needed to install it? Or did it fit right in?

 

I replaced my battery during the summer with a Costco-Kirkland 51R but as soon as winter came, any day that fell below -20 C...I couldn't start my Element. It would crank but not fire. I returned the battery thinking it was faulty and reinstall the new 51R. As soon as the temp dropped below -20 C, same thing, it wouldn't start. Obviously the Kirkland batteries are not designed for Canadian winters so I returned it then went to Walmart and got a MAXX EverStart 35N (the "N" meaning North or Colder Climates).

All I needed to do to install it was remove the plastic tray, bend out the metal flaps that hold the "J" hooks, and bend one of the "J" hooks near the top where the threads are and bolt it in. It's in there snug and won't be going anywhere.

Now I've had a few -40 and lower days and it fires up like a charm. So upgrading the battery is a great idea.

 

Finally did this using OEM Honda parts following this video. No cutting. I had to bend 1 tab. I used a 1/2" x 6 1/8" x 9" piece of wood to lay flat on the metal battery tray. Drilled 2 holes for the new battery box tabs to fit into.

31512-SDB-A01 Plate, Battery Setting (70D)
31521-SDB-A00 Box, Battery (70D)
31513-T2A-A00 Bolt, Battery Setting (235MM) x 2
94050-06080 Nut, Flange (6MM) x 2
Costco group 35 battery

Thanks for the help everyone!

 

Group 34 Fits!

After the pathetically small OEM-sized group 51 battery failed to start the car on a cold March morning last year (2018), I dropped in an Autocraft (Advance Auto Parts) Platinum AGM Group 34. Went from 500 CCA to 740.

Bigger Battery by Trevor Joiner, on Flickr

 

I think I am going to go with a 24F Interstate from Costco soon.

Here's the question:
24F Standard or 24F AGM?
Ignoring price, what are my pros and cons of one or the other?

Thanks

 

24F Standard or 24F AGM?
Ignoring price, what are my pros and cons of one or the other?

@Legioss Cycle life, mounting options (no spillover like lead acid), and storage longevity are the biggest advantages in my mind. You'll get higher heat resistance as well.

They are obviously more expensive, and the total lifetime is a bit less in average climates. Probably not appreciably, though, and if you live in an extremely hot/cold climate that normally nukes lead acid batteries, its resilience to that might offset or increase the lifespan of it.

If you're going to spend the money to jump up in battery size, I'd say go ahead and go AGM and get the benefits from it.

 

Sorry to revive old thread, would rather not dig through multiple pages of years-old posts..

1. Does anyone have step-by-step instructions (preferably with images) on how to fit a Group 24 (or 35) battery into the existing compartment? I fit a Group 56 battery in last weekend without needing to do any modifications (except getting the adjustable battery hold down), however thinking of going even bigger since I do a bit of cold weather camping. I found a Universal Group 24 Tray that Autozone has, however is there a secure way to attach this to the stock metal tray holder?
2. Also, would there be any long term effects to the stock alternator, or other electrical components, by using a bigger than stock battery?

Thank you, and happy holidays.

 

My pics are post #277, got instructions from the thread, worked well, still working quite well

 

Heads up all, I was able to upgrade to a 24F battery using ONLY this kit from amazon. Less than $10. Amazon.com

I re-used the existing nuts.

 

Heads up all, I was able to upgrade to a 24F battery using ONLY this kit from amazon. Less than $10. Amazon.com

I re-used the existing nuts.

Thanks for the link @Edziu. Did you have to drill holes to securely attach the plastic base to the metal mounting tray (see video below)?

 

Check the date of this posting. It's old... practically ancient history in Internet time. Anyway, today's (early 2008 ) Optima is apparently not of the same quality as four years ago, although the packaging is the same. Accordingly, all of the below is caveat emptor.

I just put in an Optima "blue top" (marine spec) deep-cycle battery, in Group Size 31:

This battery is slightly wider, slightly taller, and about 3 inches longer than stock. It's rated 900 CCA (cold cranking amps), vs. 410 for stock, and 80 Amp-Hours, vs 45. It was not necessary to use the "blue top", but I wanted the extra terminals for other projects. The "yellow top" Optima D31A is the same battery.

Notes:

1) The stock battery cover and tray/heat shield are removed.

2) You'll probably notice that the big plastic box to the right is missing in my photo (that's the intake resonator). The new battery is a tight fit with the resonator, but it will fit if you unclip the cable clamp from the bottom left of the battery tray.

3) The "blue top" negative (-) terminal was too far back. I had to re-route ground cabling and move some clamps to get it to work with the stock ground harness. This particular wiring is very simple (it's just 4 AWG) and could be duplicated.

3a) This is not a problem with the "yellow top" D31 - terminals are in the right places.

4) There is no holddown clamp in the photo. The stock clamps are about 1/8" too short and the bar is too narrow. A trip to AutoZone is in order for generic replacements. Do not drive your E without the battery clamped-down!

5) A "regular" Group Size 31 battery may not fit. Optimas are usually physically smaller than their spec.

6) At 60 pounds, this battery is double the weight of the OEM battery.

I bought the battery through Remy Battery - Buy Batteries, Chargers, Cable, Connectors for $139 plus $16 shipping. This was by nearly $40 the best price I could find anywhere for this size, which is the largest single-unit battery Optima makes.

Never had ANY luck with Optima batteries.....They are also manufactured to "maintain" enough voltage so when checked, even after leaving you stranded, test AOK at the store where purchased. That effectively prevents one from utilizing their warranty.
Never again.

 

Just wondering if anyone else has successfully used the Camco 55394 Battery Tray to fit a 24F battery like @Edziu did.

If so, could they post some pictures of how it connects/sits down on the Element metal tray & tabs?

 

I would like to see some pictures of that myself, definitely want to do this larger battery mod as well

 

Unsure how to search through 324 posts in this thread...but did everyone also replace the ground cable assembly with a larger one, when you replaced with larger 24F battery?

This is presumably to allow more stable current, etc.

 

Unsure how to search through 324 posts in this thread...but did everyone also replace the ground cable assembly with a larger one, when you replaced with larger 24F battery?

This is presumably to allow more stable current, etc.

I did not replace my ground cable on my 2003 MT because I felt that I couldn't reach the lower connection point well enough to install the new one.
My existing cable isn't too bad, but it definitely isn't factory new.
A larger ground cable won't 'stabilize' the current or the voltage but a newer, less corroded one would presumably last longer than an existing factory one - and there's nothing wrong with that.
I'd love to see some guidance on how to reach all the way down there to remove the old and then install a new cable.

 

Is there any potential for harm or negatives (besides the cost) to the other electrical components (starter, alternator) by upgrading to the larger battery (24F)?

I just want to make sure I'm not creating more issues by doing the battery upgrade.

Thank you.

 

I got a size 35 Kirkland Signature lead acid car battery with the sticker 12/15. So Dec 2015 manufacture date. Can't remember when I actually bought it from Costco. So probably close to Dec 2015. But it died today. Volts is just over 9v now.

I've needed a boost 2 or 3 times from accessories being left on. One time we ran it down when the alternator died. Just recently, we let the car sit for 1 month and the OBDII bluetooth dongle ran it down till it needed a boost. It boosted fine yesterday but completely gave up the ghost today.

Roughly 9 years from a Costco Kirkland size 35 battery. And that's with heatwaves and very cold winters. So all-in-all a good buy from Costco. I suppose the size 35 upgrade helped extend the lifespan a lot.

We bought another one today fort $179 plus tax (CAD dollars).

Thought someone might want to know in case they are considering an upgrade and also wondering about Costco Kirkland brand batteries.

 

the OBDII bluetooth dongle ran it down till it needed a boost

Even without the dongle you may have had an issue. There's a low parasitic draw from the 'normal' electronics. I don't drive much these days and if I don't use the car for a month the draw from the computer (which is on the order of tens of milliamps) will cause a low battery condition. I keep a 'battery tender' on it now.

 

OK - I caved and upgraded to a Energizer 24F AGM from Costco. With a few tweaks it fit fine. I bought a 1/2cm thick plastic cutting board that I will put under the tie bar to make the pressure even.

 

OK - I caved and upgraded to a Energizer 24F AGM from Costco. With a few tweaks it fit fine. I bought a 1/2cm thick plastic cutting board that I will put under the tie bar to make the pressure even.

View attachment 228771

Do you find it starts faster?

 

If you dont have a bunch of accessories (audio amps and so on) its probably not a big deal. I could see it helping if you lived where it gets really cold in winter but other than that the 51R should be enough. Its not going to hurt anything as 12v is 12v regardless of size .

 

I live in frigid cold Canada and never had at starting problem in the winter with a 51R