Outer Limits 4x4 Board

After getting stuck out bush with a flat battery once before, I had thrown a spare battery in the car yesterday to go wheelin yesterday.
Today, my daughter whinged about having it under her feet, so I moved it to the very back of the car.

Because of that It rubbed up against the metal back of the seat until the plastic tarp over the battery wore through, then both terminals made contact with the metal back on the seat, and viola!!!! Instant ignition of rear seat corner.

The top right corner of the seat is toast and the car STINKS!!!!!

Looks like a trip to Car-Lovers to steam clean the entire interior might be in order. Any other suggestions on how to remove the smell of burnt upholstery from a car?

So, now to find a new back seat for a GQ along with all the other expenses this car has cost me.

So note to all. If you haven't been able to afford a dual battery - or like me have no space under the bonnet to PUT one - be very careful carrying them in the car, they could mean the end of your fourby for ever is some passer-by doesn't force the sliding window and put the fire out.

I carried one once and got acid everywhere. Not recommended... Under the bonnet or not at all I think.

that will teach ya for not having the little plastic caps on the terminals!!

There are heaps of products you can get for the smell. Look for carpet or upolstery spray and if you don't have room under you bonnet the get a plastic battery box and fit it properly. You have just been let off lightly. What if you had an accident with your daughter in the car and acid spilled everywhere. She could be maimed or blinded by the acid. Not too smart to have an exposed battery inside the vehicle. let alone unsecured.

I actually run a third battery in the cargo area of my 80. I have clamped it down to the floor and placed it in an old tool box which is also clamped to the floor. Then sealed it up as much as possible with silicon and run a breather out the top to outside the car. Has been there for over a year with no dramas as yet. (no where for metal to be touching any terminals)

Yep. Where it had been jammed behind the driver's seat and secured with a tie down point someone kindly placed on the floor there, it wasn't too bad.
It was just being in too much of a rush to move it back to the charger in the garage that was the issue. But it sure was a heads up.

Now, as for mounting a second battery in a car, I thought there were issues with them being too far away and having too much current loss.
Can the gel type or AGM batteries be mounted inside the hollow of a bullbar? My ARB bar looks like it could take a sideways mounted Optima?

But once I rip out this stupid Cyclopac filter the previous owner filled the engine bay with, I'll have the room inside the engine bay anyway, but thought I'd ask.

If it is only for those starts when you have run down the battery then why not get a starter pack. It's portable and much safer. You can even use them to run fridges etc. If you mount a remote batter in the cargo area just make sure you run a decent size cable to the front. A double "O" should be fine. If it wasn't then why are so many guys running their winch batteries under their trays in comp trucks like mine.

By the way. Sorry if it seemed like I was attacking you before. I just don't think some people realise just how bad battery acid can be. It's highly flammable as well.

Didn't see it as an attack, saw it as a legitimate pointing out of unseen dangers. Thanks for the heads up. Even secured behind the drivers the way it had been, if I'd inverted the car in an accident, I'd have had acid down the back of my neck. But it was a real stupid move to put it loose in the back. I should have run it into the garage and plugged back into the charger.

this is why they make those plastic battery containters.

even in the plastic battery box if it is an unsealed battery, the fumes are very explosive.... all you need is a spark etc.

dirtyGQ wrote:even in the plastic battery box if it is an unsealed battery, the fumes are very explosive.... all you need is a spark etc.

this is true, this is why fully sealed batteries were invented

im sure here in NSW its illegal to have a standard battery in where passengers are. only sealed are allowed

I guess the incident is as good a way as any to learn that you should never have a battery loose in a vehicle, and avoid having batteries in the cabin at all... I know you're not the only one who has learned this the hard way.

hdn177 wrote:im sure here in NSW its illegal to have a standard battery in where passengers are. only sealed are allowed

This isnt true, The ADR's do not say anything about it and several european (current model's) have batteries located inside the cabin. Saab's i think?

The only safe way to have a battery inside a 4by is to mount an AGM battery inside a decent battery box and have everything securely mounted.

the new commodore has a battery in the boot ,think it is a sealed type.

An auto trimmer will be able to fix that seat no dramas...saves you buying a new one for something that can be fixed!

chimpboy wrote:I guess the incident is as good a way as any to learn that you should never have a battery loose in a vehicle, and avoid having batteries in the cabin at all... I know you're not the only one who has learned this the hard way.

Too right...in fact you would be surprised as to the amount of vehicles we do random roadworthy checks on that have the battery not secure in the engine bay. The leads and the battery weight are the only thing keeping the battery in place. Very easy for the battery to short in a roll over.

With the amount of plastic in cars today there seem to be a lot of cars that burn.

why do you have no room under bonnet for a second battery, GQ's have shit loads of room

bogged wrote:why do you have no room under bonnet for a second battery, GQ's have shit loads of room

Ever seen the size of a cyclopac filter?
I'll throw a photo of my engine bay up tomorrow when I get the chance.
I'd have to replumb one hell of a lot of fuel system stuff to be able to fit it next to the cyclopac some moron stuck in there.
I'll be going back to a standard air filter the moment I can source the parts from a wrecker.
Not the least of reasons is because that same cyclopac, during recent engine work, revealed to us that the car dealer who'd installed the snorkel, has simply stuck the black plastic thing on the outside as a cosmetic, and has not in anyway plumbed it into the cyclopac because it appears to have been too difficult. So it's bodgied up to look like it's connected. You had to actually remove the whole assembly to find out it isn't. All this time I've been doing river crossings assuming the snorkel was doing something, when in fact it just sits there looking pretty.

Feel like taking the recent engine rebuild receipts to the dealer and telling him the rebuild was required after a river crossing with his dodgy snorkel, and yes, I will take a cheque.

bogged wrote:why do you have no room under bonnet for a second battery, GQ's have shit loads of room

Ezookiel wrote:But once I rip out this stupid Cyclopac filter the previous owner filled the engine bay with, I'll have the room inside the engine bay anyway, but thought I'd ask.

cos of the cyclopac filter

superzuki wrote:

bogged wrote:why do you have no room under bonnet for a second battery, GQ's have shit loads of room

Ezookiel wrote:But once I rip out this stupid Cyclopac filter the previous owner filled the engine bay with, I'll have the room inside the engine bay anyway, but thought I'd ask.

cos of the cyclopac filter

but what is one? Fucked if I know what it is or why its there

I see your problem and agree, one of these under a GQ bonnet would definately restrict room for a second battery.

RAY185 wrote:I see your problem and agree, one of these under a GQ bonnet would definately restrict room for a second battery.

Gee, that one's almost as big as the one in my car

One cyclopac airfilter, and associated plumbing, for a GQ to occupy most of second battery area.


One larger, better lit photo, of the entire engine bay.

Apart from replumbing all the fuel lines over at the filter top right.
Or ditching the ridiculous filter. Wherelse would I fit a battery big enough to be worth putting in?

Ditch that thing and get a proper air filter that sits over the engine

OK, well, battery box is out of the question. The largest size is about half the size of the battery - I did say it was a big mother.

It won't be travelling in the car again, that's for sure.

Now on to some wreckers to source a gq filter box and associated bits and pieces, so I can ditch this stupid filter, connect the snorkel properly, and put in the second battery.

And I just gave the whole car, roof-lining and all, a thorough steam cleaning, so should have solved the smell problem.

normal GQ airbox goes where that Luxons crossover pipe is.

you may get a good precleaner box from a gQ Diesel, or gU 4.2 diesel that fits behind the headlight.... Denco and DTS do an airbox that goes across the car at the back of the engine instead of along the rocker cover like OEM GQ filter box.

were you up at the old quary yesterday by any chance? we were running around doing some two wheel driveing in a hilux