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I've seen the video of the battery replacement in a C2 but wondered if there were any tricks to it. I've got to remove and replace mine and it looks kinda tight. Any ideas without removing the exp tank?
Last edited by inspectorudy; Aug 22, 2021 at 10:57 PM.
Removing the expansion tank is a 5 minute job. Unbolt the straps and tie the tank off with some plastic tubing (a piece from ace hardware was 2 bucks) or a old boot or shoe lace. leave the hose connected. It takes longer to remove and replace the hold down piece. New maint. free battery's have a built in removable handle.
After removing the old battery place the new battery on it's end in the tray and then lay it in position and reconnect it with the hold down and cables.
If you have or can buy an old school strap ,it will allow you to remove the old battery. Replace the exp. tank and your done. About a 1/2 hour job . Battery strap
Last edited by silver837; Aug 23, 2021 at 01:32 AM.
Reason: clarity.
Assuming you have a non-AC car, you have a battery hold-down clamp on the left side with a bolt that holds it in place. You need to remove that first. The bold can be kinda hard to get to, but you can figure that out. The next step is to take the expansion tank straps off and set them aside with the bolts. Have another person "gently hold the expansion tank over far enough for you to grab the battery and slightly roll the battery up towards you on its end and guide it out. You don't have to totally remove the expansion tank, just go slow and easy so as to not put too much stress on your one clamps. If you have the battery protection shield in place, it should come out easily (batter sits on the lip of it and holds it in place). I take it out first and then the battery. Reverse the steps for install. The battery strap is a good idea, but I find that there is less agility in rotating the battery out at the angle you need if you use one. I have one hand under the batter and one on a top corner and just lift it out.
Last edited by Panama 58; Aug 23, 2021 at 07:12 AM.
I used a bungee cord to hold the expansion tank out of the way after taking off the metal straps. I think I read that on here in one of the old posts. The challenging part for me was getting the long bolt up through the heat shield hole so I could tighten it down. I put the four spacers in the corners after I got the shield on.
I also had to get underneath the car and adjust the outboard bolt to be longer. Prior owner didn't use a factory style hold down and had adjusted the bolt to be shorter. It wasn't long enough to go through the hold down so I could tighten it. This was actually the hardest thing for me because I didn't know how to get to the underside of the tray. I removed the splash shield and there it was. Not too difficult after that.
Thank you all for your tips. I figured I could leave the tank in but man, that space is tight! I'll definitely get a sealed battery and with a built-in handle. I do have an old-school strap for the terminals although I have never trusted them except straight up and down. Is there a certain battery that seems to be a better fit than others? If so, I would appreciate the name and size.
It’s not bad getting the battery out after moving the expansion tank and the battery upper bracket even if there’s no handle. Getting it back in is where you’ll need something to help hold it while lowering. My last battery didn’t have a handle so I placed it in several plastic grocery bags and used those handles to lower it in. Bags were easily cut and pulled away afterwards. Dave
As I mentioned in another battery in/out issue, don't over stress the hoses so they don't over stress the heater core nipple connection, and possible break. Dennis
As I mentioned in another battery in/out issue, don't over stress the hoses so they don't over stress the heater core nipple connection, and possible break. Dennis
That is a VERY IMPORTANT POINT!! GO easy with holding the expansion tank back.
Thanks to you all I got it in today. I did push the tank over and lifted the heater hoses up over the manifold and bungee-ed it. You were all correct when you said lifting it out and putting it back was the hard part. I did buy a new battery with a built-in handle and that made a big difference. The one thing that went wrong was me not knowing that the hold-down screw was a "J" hook on the bottom and it fell on the floor because I took the wing nut off. I vinegared the whole thing to neutralize the acid bits and then painted it with truck bed spray. I repainted the hold-down frame after cleaning it up. It looks new and should last a few years. Thanks again!
What has worked for me with changing out the battery on my 65 coupe was to take and lock a vise grip tool on the post (I’m right handed). I then use that as my handle too pull/drag the battery out installing it is the same deal, when I lower it I kind of it swing it in drop it right into the tray.
That's what I put in. I used a 34 battery because it had 600 CCA and that's what my original larger battery had. It also came with a nice flexible handle that was very strong and I was not afraid to turn the battery on its side and lift it into the narrow slot.
Battery removal
Dennis
