Hey folks:

These side mounted battery terminals are going to be the death of me. I went out to start the car this morning and it turned over a couple times but wouldn't start. I think I have corroded battery terminals (again).

So, I'm going to see if I can replace the battery this afternoon, although I've never actually done that on a Corvette. Are there any tricks to getting to the security bolt that holds the battery in place underneath? What size socket is that?

Thanks.

 

No trick to it

Can't remember the sizes but they are straight out of the toolbox. No special sizes.
Use an extension to the ratchet when you take out the main fixing bolt

When you put the new one back in there's a lip on the battery tray. Make sure you get the tounge on the base of the battery into the lip and the bracket will tighten down OK.

 

 

Do yourself a favor - make SURE there has not been any 'acid' spill remaining in/on/near the battery tray.

It would be beneficial (regardless of if you can 'see' acid residue) to throughly clean the tray and surrounding area with Arm&Hammer.

Clean the battery cable connectors - a battery terminal cleaning kit will facilitate that activity.

 

Thanks for the tip AC54ME. Because battery acid can be such a problem, I'm going to locate an Optima Red Top and go with that, even if it's side mounted. The Red Tops, to my understanding, don't have a bath of acid that can facilitate the corrosion problem that's become quite an issue with my car.

Thanks.

 

It's a 10mm socket to get the battery hold down loose. When you take the battery out, it's a good idea to hook up another one with jumper cables to the positive terminal attached to the fuse box and negative somewhere on the block.

Take the extra time to remove the four bolts holding the tray in place. remove the tray an inspect underneath for any damage.

When you put your new battery in and hook the cables to it, coat the terminals andany metal parts that will touch with dialectric grease. You can also hook everything up tight and spray the terminal and cable where they connect with terminal protectant. This will prevent corrosion. I am also assuming your battery cables have the rubber insulator around the connector. The greas would be the best option for this.

Good luck

 

Great advice.

 

Success! Taking the battery out was real easy...I couldn't find a 10mm socket, so I used a pair of pliers long enough to turn the hold-down bolt. The battery slipped out easily. I went up to Advance and picked up an Optima Red Top. The battery itself is a little smaller than the original battery (and my replacement), but it came with a little red plastic case that I sat down on the bottom of the battery tray, then placed the battery within the case. It's still not quite as tight as before, but it's pretty secure.

I went to start it up...first try - bingo! Even on a good charge with my older two batteries, the engine would crank real quick a couple times before starting. With the Red Top, there was MAYBE a half a crank and then it started right up like it was brand new. So far, I'm very impressed with the Red Top.

If I knew the hold-down bolt was so accessible, I wouldn't have been nearly as worried. For some reason, I got it into my head that the bolt was actually UNDER the battery itself, requiring me to find it almost blindly.

Here are some pictures that I took of the battery after installation:

http://vettepics.stevesdomain.net/optima/

Thanks folks.

 

Interesting pictures ... it doesn't look like my Optima, which I purchased about 6 months ago. I suppose they changed the appearance.

 

I have the same optima battery. you don't need the tray. It's originally for protecting the top posts during shipping and for raising hte battery so tightening with the clamp that goes over the top is easier. If it fits go with it... but not needed. Did you spend the extra buck for dialectric grease?

 

Without the tray, the battery didn't fit -- it was too small. The Red Top tray, although it still doesn't completely fill the black battery tray, still provides some extra support that I thought it needed. It did make it much more difficult to get the battery terminals to connect to the side posts, however.

No, I didn't think to pick up some dialectric grease. I did, however, clean the corrosion off of the terminals real well before screwing them back into the Red Top.

Thanks.

 

they just discused that at are club meeting to watch the acid, it drains back towards the firewall. the acid will eat through your wiring harness and pod sensors. check it out and good luck.