Quintessintial battery for 1998 E36 convertible

[Manticore]

Greetings,

I've searched this forum for guidance on batteries for our cars. I have yet to find a consensus on a sealed battery that "just works" in an E36 convertible. There have been many brands/models bandied about for e36s in general, but I'm looking for something specific to the 'vert. Needs to be sealed - no vent tube. My battery just died.

Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

[JDStrickland]

No vent tube? My car has a vent tube. I put a Duralast Gold in. The issue is that you need a battery that will tolerate the vibrations, venting is not what you are worried about.

[Left Coast]

Optima red top in my 98 323

[flyfishvt]

The previous owner of my 328 vert bought a super cheap Walmart battery a few weeks before I bought the car. It was only about 2/3 the size of the correct battery but it's still going strong 5 years later. I'm not a battery snob like I used to be. From my experience the only difference between a $75 battery and a $150 one is the warranty. I bought a BOSCH battery for my m3 2 years ago. Normally retails for about $125. 3 year replacement warranty. That very expensive battery died after 2 years.

Just my 2 cents

[M3rocket]

I agree with this guy's write-up:
http://chrisparente.com/2012/10/02/e...y-replacement/

[Left Coast]

Got my red top on amazon for half price at a auto parts store.

[Manticore]

Thanks for the replies. Sorry I didn’t reply sooner - been dealing with a spouse fresh out of knee replacement surgery. Anyway –

It’s not that I’m too much “concerned” about the vent tube – I just want a sealed battery, if I can get one.
Taking into account hype and marketing, some AGMbatteries seem better equipped to handle the vibration concerns for batteries in our cars. That, plus finding a sealed design that will fit the car, reduces thepossibility for 2 potential issues.

However, there seem to be zero options available in either BCI 92 size (vert OEM), or even the next closest size – BCI 40R. The closest size that is AGM/sealed is BCI 94R. Length is perfect (315mm), width is perfect (175mm), but height is taller by 15mm (190mm vs 175mm).

So my next question is simple. Has anyone (besides LeftCoast) put in a battery taller than stock into the car, without clearance issues?

And, Left Coast, since the Optima Redtop is even tallerthan a 94R battery, have you had any clearance issues with the stock battery cover and your Redtop? If not, it would appear we have more fitting options for the car.

That’s all I’m looking for.
Thanks

[Left Coast]

Thanks for the replies. Sorry I didn’t reply sooner - been dealing with a spouse fresh out of knee replacement surgery. Anyway –

It’s not that I’m too much “concerned” about the vent tube – I just want a sealed battery, if I can get one.
Taking into account hype and marketing, some AGMbatteries seem better equipped to handle the vibration concerns for batteries in our cars. That, plus finding a sealed design that will fit the car, reduces thepossibility for 2 potential issues.

However, there seem to be zero options available in either BCI 92 size (vert OEM), or even the next closest size – BCI 40R. The closest size that is AGM/sealed is BCI 94R. Length is perfect (315mm), width is perfect (175mm), but height is taller by 15mm (190mm vs 175mm).

So my next question is simple. Has anyone (besides LeftCoast) put in a battery taller than stock into the car, without clearance issues?

And, Left Coast, since the Optima Redtop is even tallerthan a 94R battery, have you had any clearance issues with the stock battery cover and your Redtop? If not, it would appear we have more fitting options for the car.

That’s all I’m looking for.
Thanks

No issues at all cover and carpet fit over nicely. I will post a pic tomorrow.

[Manticore]

No issues at all cover and carpet fit over nicely. I will post a pic tomorrow.

Thank you! A picture would be perfect. Looking forward to it.

[Left Coast]

Was busy today i will take one in the morning.

[Left Coast]

This is how the red top sits in my vert.
WP_20160515_19_14_33_Pro.jpgWP_20160515_19_14_28_Pro.jpg

[Manticore]

Looks great! Thanks for your input and the photos. You said there are no clearance issues with the battery cover and the carpet. That gives E36 vert owners several more choices in batteries.

Thanks for your input and help. I'll sort through the available options, and see which one I like the most.

[galuple]

For what it's worth, I've got a 94R in mine, but the previous owner lost the battery cover so I just flop the carpet on top of it

[trayson]

Looks great! Thanks for your input and the photos. You said there are no clearance issues with the battery cover and the carpet. That gives E36 vert owners several more choices in batteries.

Thanks for your input and help. I'll sort through the available options, and see which one I like the most.

If you look at his pictures, it's obvious he's NOT using the OEM battery cover. he removed the cover and is just covering the battery terminals with bare carpet. I don't think this is the solution you're looking for.

I have an optima in mine, but I had to fabricate a different tie down option because the OEM tiedown won't hold an optima. I used J hooks and a traditional hold down crossbar. I put my plastic cover over the top of my optima. it sticks up higher than the surrounding rest of the trunk, but I'm okay with it. Mine's all custom anyway.



Here's an old picture where you can kinda see that the battery cover sits as high as the top of the false floor in the trunk. I've since changed my trunk setup and removed that amp, and put my spare tire back in and have a pair of Precision Power Phantom class D amps mounted on the back of the sub enclosure. They are way more efficient and I can now have a spare again. I can still fit my wind deflector in my trunk also.

[Manticore]

If you look at his pictures, it's obvious he's NOT using the OEM battery cover. he removed the cover and is just covering the battery terminals with bare carpet. I don't think this is the solution you're looking for.

Thanks trayson. Yep, it's safe to say I'm not looking to lay bare carpet over the battery terminals. Looks like I'll just have to try a 94R battery, and see what I need to do to get it to fit.

Appreciate the help.

P.S. Nice looking installation you've got there!

[Baby ///M3]

If it helps, I have a Duralast Gold 92-DLG battery on my M3 for the past three years and have been very happy with it.

It withstood vibration issues (my M3 makes 450hp) from the powertrain and powered the huge Brax amps in the trunk just fine. I think the key is to make sure that you either drive the car on the highway for at least 30 minutes once per month or maintain the charge of the battery by using a battery conditioner.

I don't drive my M3 very frequently, so the battery is hooked up to a battery conditioner most of the time:



Try not to let the battery drain too many times before you charge it again. A battery literally blew up in the trunk of my old E36 325is because I let it drain and tried to charge it too many times.

Jon

[myblackcar]

I have an Optima 75/25 in my vert. I used a velcro strap (same one for the tension strap fix) and strapped the battery down onto the tray. The stock cover fits over the battery compartment.