Wire routing for trunk battery

[Samckitt]

How/where do you guys run the positive battery wire from the trunk battery to the starter? Do you run it inside the frame, or in the interior of the car? If in the frame, is it in some sort of conduit or just clamps/brackets bolted to the frame & how often?

Thanks for the input,
Scot

[rockdogz]

I ran mine inside the vehicle and to a bulkhead connector from the DSE battery relocation kit:

Inside run
Bulkhead

[rocketrod]

I ran mine the same as rockdogz. If you do it this way also put in a remote starter solenoid so the positive cable is only hot when cranking the engine. I also used the DSE kit, but you can get the remote solenoid, wires, connectors, etc from www.madelectrical.com among other places

[Samckitt]

I agree it is a smarter thing to do is to put the remote solenoid near the battery. Do I then remove or not use the one on the starter itself.

With this remote solenoid I will need another wire to the trunk to trigger the solenoid & another to the battery for the alternator to charge through?

Also with doing this, if the alternator fails, won't the car die? I mean, the way it is wired now, the battery will keep the car running for a little while to get somewhere to fix it. With the solenoid at the battery, & the Alt dies, then there is no power to anything. Is that a correct statement?

Scot

[rocketrod]

I agree it is a smarter thing to do is to put the remote solenoid near the battery. Do I then remove or not use the one on the starter itself.

Basically you remove the starter solenoid wire, install a buss bar between the solenoid post and main lug on the starter. The extra wire you run to trigger the remote solenoid gets spliced into the ignition circuit if I remember correctly.

With this remote solenoid I will need another wire to the trunk to trigger the solenoid & another to the battery for the alternator to charge through?

Correct

Also with doing this, if the alternator fails, won't the car die? I mean, the way it is wired now, the battery will keep the car running for a little while to get somewhere to fix it. With the solenoid at the battery, & the Alt dies, then there is no power to anything. Is that a correct statement?
Scot

Remember a wire will be running from the battery to the alternator and typically you will have other wires connected at this point. I ran the battery, alt., main harness, etc wires to a distribution block. Actually I installed the Mad Electrical New System kit which provides all the parts and instructions. http://www.madelectrical.com/newstuff/

[Damn True]

With the cable resting in the bodywork that way aren't you worried that over time vibration will cause the cable insulation to chafe and ground out the cable?

[black67ls1]

I ran my cables inside the car. I used QuickCar cable. Great stuff, heavy insulation. I think it's unlikely to wear thru with vibration. I used the "grommets" from QuickCar instead of the bulkhead connector from DSE to go through the firewall. I wasn't comfortable with the positive cable so close to ground at the firewall. With the QuickCar grommets there's no break in the cables as they go through the firewall,
hence no drop in voltage and no chance to contact the firewall metal.
I also had an extra grommet that I used to run the positive cable through the body below the rear quarter window.

[Samckitt]

OK I have a question about the battery trunk relocation kit from Madelectrical.com that uses a remote solenoid near the battery.

Here is a paragraph from their website:
The POSITIVE battery cable will be connected to a large stud at one side of the new solenoid, which provides a great place for connecting accessories directly to battery positive power. It's much neater and more reliable to connect wires here than directly to the battery posts, where they are subject to corrosion and look messy. Wires that may be connected here might be; the alternator to battery "charging wire," the dash area "main power-up wire," and wires to relays. (Relays for electric radiator fans, headlights, fuel pumps, and other accessories.)

Now I thought the "hot" post of the starter was only hot when the starter was cranking. Isn't this the only time the solenoid in the trunk is activated? So if the charging wire from the alternator is connected to this post on the starter, then it will not charge because the solenoid is open when the starter is not cranking.

Scot

[Samckitt]

Nevermind I read it again & noticed I missed one little word. "NEW" for new solenoid.
Scot