Easy mod to allow larger battery mounting!

So I got sidetracked with a little mini-project today that seems to work so well that I figured I should post it for everyone to explore on their own if desired...

I tossed around the idea of a dual-battery setup for my 2012 for a long time. Obviously a very attractive option and having a backup battery is ideal. But the dual-battery setups out there are pricey (around $500 just for the bracket!) and require quite an extensive slice and dice of the entire plastic battery/fusebox area. So... for now, I just wanted to be able to install a much larger battery with a bigger reserve capacity.

The stock battery tray is actually quite a bit bigger than the battery, but the EVAP purge solenoid (that funny valve-looking thing between the battery and the fuse box) is in the way of any 'bigger battery' mod. So, I decided to move it! Which ended up being way, way simpler than you'd think!!

I apologize in advance for not yet finishing the pics, but I wanted to get some up here for all to see. If anyone can take a pick of the solenoid in its factory location and add it to the thread, please do! I somehow forgot the starting pic

From the measurements I've taken, this will allow a commercial GROUP 31 size battery to fit! I have personally chosen a Odyssey 31M-PC2150, which is one of the largest they make. It also has dual terminals so you can use a pair strictly for your winch wiring, if desired. I have ordered the battery and will update the pics as I finish the last few details.

Hope this helps some out there that want a battery upgrade without necessarily wanting the cost or complexity of the aftermarket dual battery setups. For me, this is at least a substantial upgrade for now. I still may explore a dual battery setup later, but I like this option for now :thumb:
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So in this pic, you see that the two hard plastic lines that go to the solenoid are just extensions that attach to the main lines on the far side (closer to the engine valve cover) of the fuse box. Interestingly, the connectors on the end of the main lines are the same sizes as the ones on the end of the extension pieces. There is a small U-shaped plastic clip that you slide out on each connector to release the connection. Use a really small screwdriver (or 2) and be careful because they are kinda brittle. In my hand are the two white connectors that originally went to the valve in the stock location.



This is the extension line and solenoid/valve, removed.




Here is the valve, and you can see the soon-to-be-used white connectors on the far side of the battery and fuse box.




The next step is to rotate the lower connector 90 degrees, so it faces upward, like the original setup.




Now, locate the black plastic clip that is on the far side of the fuse box. This needs to be removed to allow the two hard lines to be spaced a little further apart. Again, a small screwdriver will release the clips. This one is pretty tough, though. If you break it, no big deal. It wasn't re-used on mine.




The clip, after removed.




So now we reattach the valve to the hard lines WITHOUT the extension piece. They lines just slide over the connectors on the valve, and then you push the small plastic clips back you removed earlier back into place to lock the lines.




Here is the approximate new location that we are going to mount the valve. Looks kinda OEM!




So, now, if you removed the battery, you will see this small approx 1"x2" plastic piece in the bottom of the battery tray. It pulls right out. It seems that mopar may use this tray with bigger batteries in some applications and this plastic piece just acts like a small bumper for our smaller battery.




Here's the piece, removed.




Another pic of the battery box with the piece removed, and notice all of that ROOM without the Evap Solenoid in the way!!




This is what it looks like towards the back of the box.




The last minor thing to do to give us a full 13" of width and allow a Group 31 battery is to shave off about 0.5" of this plastic edge near the firewall.





I have a few last pics to take tomorrow with the piece shaved off the back. The Group 31 commercial-size battery is the same approx 6.75" width as our stock one, so the factory battery hold-down clamp should still work. The height is approx 2 inches taller and should clear the hood with no issues at all. I will post the final mod pics tomorrow, and the installed battery pic once it arrives.

Comments are welcome.

Very interesting. ...looks good so far.

Thank u for sharing. I always thought about this and rather a larger batt than dual but my Batt faces other day. Long side is against firewall. Is this BC I have a 2010?

Also if u get a bigger Batt, could it have any adverse effects on the electrical system? Such as too many amps?

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JKFlyer said:

Thank u for sharing. I always thought about this and rather a larger batt than dual but my Batt faces other day. Long side is against firewall. Is this BC I have a 2010?

Also if u get a bigger Batt, could it have any adverse effects on the electrical system? Such as too many amps?

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Click to expand...

Oops...yes. This is only for the 2012+ JKs with the Pentastar. Sorry...I should have clarified that

And the bigger battery question...No. Voltage is same and even if a battery says it can deliver xxx amps, accessories DRAW the same amount of current regardless of the size of the battery. So you gain longer accessory use when the vehicle isn't running.

Thanks. Will await your write-ups for 07-10

Haha. I'll figure something out when my current batt dies

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JKFlyer said:

Thanks. Will await your write-ups for 07-10

Haha. I'll figure something out when my current batt dies

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Click to expand...

I'd need a donor vehicle to do that. Oh, and some donor free time!

Just a couple extra pics...

Also, the exact battery part number I ordered is 31-PC2150MJT-H Evidently the dual terminal model I mentioned earlier was an old part number. This one is the same battery but with an additional metal jacket around the case for heat protection.
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Here is a little bracket that just fit perfectly. It's just a $2 L-bracket I had left over from a bookcase project. The width of the bracket slides perfectly in the slot on the back of the valve!! It was originally longer in both directioin, so I cut, ground the edges, and painted it. The holes were already drilled in it. If you go to Lowe's and take your valve in with you, you can easily match it up and find the right size.



Slide the bracket in the slot...



...until it reaches the top cap on the valve.



This is where I attached it to the edge of the battery box.



You can see here that there is already an empty hole drilled in the battery box that lines up well with one of the holes on the bracket! How convenient!



Here it is bolted securely... I used a few cable ties to be sure the valve couldn't come off the bracket, even though it would be unlikely.



And one a little closer up...




When you see it all together it's pretty cool to see how much room you end up with for your new 'oversized' battery! More pics to come...

Oh, and don't forget to reconnect the electrical plug on the valve, as seen in the last few pics.

It fits!

I just did a really fast test fit. Unfortunately, the Odyssey distributor sent me the wrong battery (diffferent terminals) so I didn't finish the mounting yet, but I did do a quick test fit!!

Pics tell it all! First two roughly show how much bigger this battery is. Second two pics show the fitment. Looks like it was MEANT to be there, huh??! :yup: Whatcha think??

Oh, and BTW, that is a HEAVY B**** to gently lift in there!! OMG!! I had to sit on my fender (thank god for steel fenders that tie into the inner body structure!!) just to even get the battery close to in place.

Looks good.

Looks good indeed. What's the price on that battery? Same or less expensive than a dual battery setup?

10frank9 said:

Looks good indeed. What's the price on that battery? Same or less expensive than a dual battery setup?

Click to expand...

You can hunt it down for around $325 to your door if you look around. I've heard that Odyssey makes the DieHard Platinum AGMs (unconfirmed), which are a bit less (but not available in this big Group 31 size).

So, yes...much cheaper than a dual battery. If you get really good batteries, looking at $300 each, then the isolators/electronics ($50-250, varies on features), then the mount setup ($150-500). And the two batteries that you are fitting in the stock location are MUCH smaller than this beast. Not to mention the slice-and-dice you have to do on the huge plastic factory battery box/fuse box holder/ fender liner mounting thingy.

I recognize that you don't get the isolation of a second battery to keep you from being stranded if you drain your main battery. But I think this is at least a noteworthy upgrade in reserve capacity, ability to run a HUGE winch (this battery has a massive continuous amperage output rating), and longevity.

Thanks for the info. :thumb:

Very useful project. It looks like a great option if you don't want duals. For what it's worth, I was talking to my local Sears mechanic and he said he used to work manufacturing batteries for Sears. According to this guy, Platinums are not rebranded Odyssey batteries. He seemed to know his batteries, but he certainly could have been full of it.

Sharkey said:

Very useful project. It looks like a great option if you don't want duals. For what it's worth, I was talking to my local Sears mechanic and he said he used to work manufacturing batteries for Sears. According to this guy, Platinums are not rebranded Odyssey batteries. He seemed to know his batteries, but he certainly could have been full of it.

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Good to know!

Majik said:

I'd need a donor vehicle to do that. Oh, and some donor free time!

Click to expand...

I think I might know of someone... :thumbup:

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Sharkey said:

Very useful project. It looks like a great option if you don't want duals. For what it's worth, I was talking to my local Sears mechanic and he said he used to work manufacturing batteries for Sears. According to this guy, Platinums are not rebranded Odyssey batteries. He seemed to know his batteries, but he certainly could have been full of it.

Click to expand...

Eddie mentioned in one of his write-ups that they were re-branded Odyssey Extreme batteries.

If you look at the specs (and pictures) of each size/style of Diehard Platinums compared to the Odyssey Extreme batteries they are identical with the exception of coloring and labels. After researching for two months, I picked up a Diehard Platinum 34M Marine battery from Sears about a month ago because it was in stock and about $60 cheaper than the nearest vendor that sold Odyssey batteries. I asked the guys working in the Sears Automotive shop (4 of them were in there) if they knew if these batteries were re-branded Odyssey batteries and none of them had heard of the Odyssey brand. That left me with the same opinion of those "techs" that I had years ago. They are sales men not technicians, maybe the mechanics know better.

Here are some pics of the batteries and their specs to compare from the Sears and Odyssey websites:


So far I've been very happy with my Diehard Platinum and it was nice to save $60 in the process.

BTW, the 31M is normally $290 at Sears, and it's on sale right now for $276 with a core. On a side note, I have no affiliation with Sears, I just like to get the good product at the best price and I thought others would be interested.

-Matt

Straight from the source….

I just went thru the whole Odyssey vs Diehard battery bit myself a few months back. Long story short I had one of my Odysseys batteries go bad on my dual setup and prior to just heading straight to Sears to buy the cheaper Diehard Platinums to replace the Odysseys which I heard on all the forums was the same battery, I decided it might be worth a shot seeking a warranty from Odyssey on the failed battery. Because I thought it would be a shot in the dark that they would actually warranty the battery I decided to ask the tech about all the hoopla I had heard about the Diehard Platinum battery being a rebranded Odyssey. I was told that the hoopla was partially correct, they are the same, but it is not a rebranded Odyssey as they don't make the battery. Enersys is the manufacture and Sears contracts Enersys to make the Platinum battery which yes is exactly the same as the Odyssey aside from case color and stickers. Anyway Odyssey decided they were not only going to warranty the bad battery but they warrantied both for me as it is important to start with matched batteries in any dual battery system. Score for me…..not sure Sears would have done that for me, so that might be a consideration in everyones decision to buy the less expensive Diehard Platinum or the Odyssey if you are doing a dual system.

Wow...this is a great option if it's true!! My sears didn't even list a group 31 as available.... I specifically checked Maybe it's worth a second look!! I think I will call odyssey and flat out ask them!!

So I did a little research on my own. Enersys, who makes Odyssey's batteries, makes the Sears platinum batteries. They can't/won't confirm whether or not they are 'identical', but the specs on Sears' website, right down to the CCA, reserve capacity, mention of being '99.999% pure virgin lead plates', and exact same weight make me think that they are in fact identical. You are right, BTW, that they do carry a group 31 size. It just only appears in the Marine section, not the car battery section. The marine version gets you the dual terminals, which is really nice!!

I think we have a winner!!