I need suggestions on great to excellent battery holders. The battery is smaller than the tray and will move causing loose conection on the top cable terminals. Any Suggestions? Other than purchasing a bigger battery . Thank You For your suggestions
There should be a clamp that bolts the battery down in the tray as shown in this picture. Don’t you have one?
http://www.jeep4x4center.com/battery-trays-cables-clamps/TJ-Battery-Tray-bb-v2.jpg
Zip ties are my plan b. you can string a few together if needed. Plan a take the battery back and and get the right size.
@Patty2013
How old is that battery?
If it’s more than 3 or 4 years old, I would go ahead and buy the correct size battery for your Jeep, and the hold down while you’re at it
Please tell us the model year and engine. Then I will try to tell you exactly what you need to buy
My recommendation is to get the right battery for the application. When you bought a battery, you should have gotten one that was the right size.
In lieu of getting the proper battery, I recommend ratcheting straps designed to hold something that weighs as much as the battery in question. However, this is a hack solution for a hack problem. The only real solution is to get a battery that is the right size and use the stock hardware to secure it.
I used this product
http://www.erico.com/products/PerforatedPipeStraps.asp
to secure batteries that didn’t match the dimensions of the original. Drilling the tray was often necessary to install carriage bolts from the bottom and through the strapping. If done neatly and the new hardware painted with a corrosion protection paint it looks quite professional and seemed to work well over the years.
I too would get the correct battery, but if you prefer not to any parts store will have a selection of generic battery hold down straps and clamps. Stop by your local parts store.
It’s very important the battery is securely mounted, especially in a vehicle like a jeep…If it can move, it WILL move and destroy itself in the process…I’ve seen them bounce out of their trays and fall into the fan causing all kinds of damage…
Over the years a great many cars have been factory equipped with batteries that did not fit the tray.
Are there any car companies that still supply OEM batteries that don’t fit the tray? If I opened the hood and saw that, I’d buy a different car, not just because of that, but because of what it indicates about their attention to detail.
The battery group number that matches the vehicle is suppose to assure a good fit. A proper fit though does not mean that it fits the tray exactly. Many cars I have owned tend to a have slightly bigger tray. That is good for down the road clearance during replacement and any slight dimensional changes in batteries. But they all should have clamps that are adjustable enough to make it secure. I would check the match of group number first, then go from there. There may be a more adjustable clamp, shimming strategy or as stated, a way you can drill holes in the tray (or remove battery and look for additional holes) to help adjust what you have. Rest assured…there is a way and @Caddyman is correct…get it fixed to be sure.
I have seen a lot of batteries that were smaller than the tray. My answer has always been a simple block of wood cut to fit between the battery and the edges of the tray, then clamp down securely. Cheap and effective.
If I remember right, my Buicks had that wedge shaped hold down that clamped onto the bottom of the battery. It would be pretty tough to fit a different battery in there and clamp it down. I have replaced the battery tray before so they can be removed and modified to use a different clamping system but will take some work and handyman talents.
I’ll go a little off topic here . . .
Years ago, I needed a group 25 battery for a Toyota.
I got one at NAPA, because it scored well in the consumer reports battery ratings
The darn thing didn’t quite fit right, and it was loose, no matter what I did.
I put my old battery back in, went back to NAPA and told them I needed a refund, because the battery didn’t fit properly.
They told me to come back later, because they didn’t have the cash to give me the refund!
I grabbed some lunch nearby, and got my money about an hour later.
LOL
My point is quite simple . . . every once in awhile a battery won’t fit correctly, even though it is the correct group number
I’ve used those sort of rubbery pipe-covering things you put over your home’s water pipes to prevent them from freezing to help my car battery fit better. They are inexpensive, you can fold them this way and that, cut them into any shape you like, they work pretty good as flexible spacers if you can somehow get them to stay in place between the battery and something that doesn’t move. I still use the traditional threaded battery clamp-rod that you tighten with a nut to hold the battery tightly in place.
@Db4690
That’s because you have one of those dreadfully ambiguous Toyotas. I’ve had 8 so I know your curse.
@dagosa
Lately, my battery “solution” has been to get them from Costco, when possible. So far, they’ve fit quite nicely.
I believe the Costco batteries are made by Johnson Controls. I suspect the NAPA batteries were made by somebody else.
It seems to me that if the battery is wallowing around then whoever installed the battery made a mistake, accidental or intentional, by omitting the holddown for whatever reason.
If the cables are coming loose then that’s going to be a problem with potential voltage spikes or worse if the battery positive terminal makes contact with the bottom of the hood after a pothole or bump.
“I believe the Costco batteries are made by Johnson Controls”
Yes, unless Costco recently changed their supplier, their Kirkland brand batteries are made by Johnson Controls, and these are surely the best buy in car batteries for those who are willing and able to do their own installation.
@db4690
My 4Runner is ten years old with it’s original battery. I suspect I will soon be taking your good advice to avoid problems. The problem is, I have this fetish that if the car turns over easily when it’s minus twenty, why change the battery. BYW, I never trusted those " somebody else" either. @VDCdriver did you just make db4690 advice obsolete ?