So it came time to do a battery replacement. The old battery would take a jump, but would no longer hold a good charge. I duly checked this site and confirmed with a couple of auto parts stores and got the same info: my Mondial t took a 34R (reverse post) battery. I found a local Batteries Plus that confirmed the battery size and offered to include the installation as part of the deal. Too good to pass up, I told them you have to pull a wheel and take out a panel to access the battery. That wasn't an issue for the salesperson. So for less than $200, I went ahead. The battery was not in stock. While I waited for the battery arrival, I got a call from the store and said they couldn't do the install because they didn't have a jack. No problem, I told them I would bring a jack. Then a day prior to the appointment, they said they didn't want the liability of torqueing the wheel back on. I told them not only would I torque the wheel, I would bring my own torque wrench. But apparently, they either didn't want the liability or didn't want to bother with the install. So I got my money back and picked up another battery to do it myself. Yesterday was a nice day, so after doing errands in the morning, I went ahead. As you know, getting to the battery is not all that hard, just a little PITA (unless you have a lift, then it is a breeze). When I got to the battery, things were so tight on the battery cables, I could not use a socket (except for the hold down clamp). So I had to slide in a small box end wrench and slowly loosen the clamps (yes, I turned the power off first!). When I looked at the battery during removal, it seemed a little smaller than the 34R I had next to me. And I noticed the cables were opposite of the 34R (negative was towards the center of the car). So I pulled the battery and of course, it was NOT a 34R. Turned out to be a little smaller Group 47/H5. Went back to the local auto parts store and swapped it out. Even exchange. Prior to install, I noticed both cables were easily long enough to reach the other side, so I don't know if a previous owner had made a change. But I got the new battery back in, and had enough room to turn the positive clamp so I could fit a small socket over it. The negative didn't seem to want to turn (and it was hard to use two hands on the ground), so I used the small 10mm wrench. Turned the power back on, and the car started right up!!! While going through its 10 minute ECU relearn cycle, I put the hold down clamp back in (10mm) and put the screws back into the panel. I then reinstalled the wheel and torqued to 80 ft./lb. Did take the car for a nice ride, car seemed very happy! Took 1.5 hours including going back to the store to swap battery. On a lift, it would be 30 minutes. Hoping this helps someone else out when (not if) it comes time to replace the battery. Regards, Jerry
I respect your planned course of action but I would let Battery Plus swap the battery in my Ferrari just as much as I would allow Jiffy Lube to do an oil change - that means ZERO chance. They can take cell pics of the car all day long if they want to but not come near it with anything that even remotely resembles a wrench or a screwdriver.
The SPC figure can also help you confirm which battery post should be where (not only do they get messed up left-right, but also front-back during replacements). Your SPC figure shows the stock battery is a Group 47-like (with the terminal areas recessed down from the top, terminals towards the rear of the car, and negative terminal towards the center of the car), but AFAIK the terminals on a Group 34R are the same as a Group 47 -- so could be that you initially wrongly got a Group 34 (even if they called it a Group 34R). Here's the SPC figure for your model: Image Unavailable, Please Login TR use the same stock battery, but many of us have changed to a 34R battery because it is slightly larger with a bigger capacity (which is, maybe, more important on a larger engine -- and the mounting area isn't as cramped as on your model). I'm sure the Designers were already concerned about the TR weight so opted for the smaller Group 47-like stock size more for the less weight reason rather than for best starting reasons.
I agree on JL, but a battery change, on a scale of 1 to 10 (with the factory shut off switch) is about a 2. And I was going to be outside watching. So without a lift, I was willing to give them a shot. But it worked out anyway. @Steve M: Funny, the auto parts store (Batteries Plus )showed a 34R, which is what I have seen on this site. Advance Auto didn't show anything for the car. So bringing in the old one to match up was easiest. I was passing on my experience for someone else who is looking to do this. I think I could have fit a 34 (no R) although not sure about the hold down clamp, but the cables were so tight and used to being the way they were, I didn't want to have to do it twice. A prior owner had added a jump post for the positive side on the panel opposite the headlight and in front of the coolant catch tank, so it is crowded. 650 CCA seemed big enough to me for the 3.4L, she turns over very easily (I also have the Bosch relay setup to take the load off the starter circuit). Thanks for the diagram. Regards, Jerry
gsfent, NOW I am getting interested. Is this a product improvement that was standard from a certain year onwards or something highly recomendable to retrofit ?? Best, Mondi Cab 1992 t Cab.
No disagreement at all -- Group 47 should be fine for your model. The ONLY specification that I've ever found for this battery's physical size in the F documentation is in the TR WSM which calls it "L3" -- which seems to be equivalent to today's H6 (but "equivalent" isn't always identical as a lot of battery manufacturers also say an H6 is the same as a Group 48). The main difference in size just seems to be the length of the battery from looking around on the internet: Size - length (mm) x width (mm) x height (mm) 47 - 230 x 175 x 190 H6 (L3?) - 278 x 175 x 190 98R - 283 x 175 x 190 48 - 306 x 175 x 192
Upgrade. Search "WR-1" and perhaps add "Bosch relay". It is a $10-15 kit, I know it has been discussed on Fchat many times. Very worthwhile investment. At least on Mondial's I remember people installing in the right rear wheel well for access. I didn't like it being exposed to the elements, so I had mine installed on the board in the trunk (out of the elements) with the rest of the electrics. Regards, Jerry
Steve I looked at H6 in the store. It seemed larger in both width and length and was heavier. Closer in size to the Group 34 from a quick observation. Regards, Jerry
