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02-19-2009, 10:24 PM | #1 |
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Light weight Braille battery swap DIY
Harold at HP Autowerks supplied me with this great, small, light weight battery, so I and decided to give it a shot today ...
DO IT AT YOUR OWN RISK. I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANYTHING THAT MIGHT HAPPEN TO YOU OR YOUR VEHICLE. You can get your Braille Battery here: http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=233196 You need these tools: 10 mm socket 13 mm socket Torque wrench + extensions Magnet pen Small flat head screwdriver Rubber gloves 1. Your battery will be in the trunk on the RT side 2. Uninstall the black bracket on top of the battery first ( 2x10mm bolts) one here and one here 3. Disconnect the Negative (-) terminal first (10mm socket ) make sure to put the Negative (-) terminal away from the battery so it will not be touching anything. 4. Then you can disconnect the top box with the fuses (optional, but it makes it much easier to remove the battery) - 13mm socket Press on the two metal tabs on the sides and pull it out ... You need to play with it a little ... 5. Now you can disconnect the MAIN Positive (+) terminal - 10mm socket Now move the Positive (+) to the side and secure it there by using a zip tie 6. There is a little rubber tube on the LT side of the battery that have something to do with the acid going into/out of the battery. Use rubber gloves to disconnect it. Just pull it to the side and it should pop out right away. Don't worry, nothing is going to leak out from that tube. It is just a precaution to use a rubber gloves. 7. Now you need to look at the RT side on the battery and you will find metal bracket kind of deep inside. Use 10mm socket to remove it. Use a magnet pen to pull it out 8. Now you is the hardest part. Use two little handles on the battery and put it out. It is pretty heavy, so you might want to ask somebody to help you with that. 9. Now you can clean that empty area and put the New Braille battery. 10. Adjust it so it won't move and use that metal bracket to tight it down. You will have to move that metal bracket to the LT. 11. Install the MAIN Positive (+) first, then Negative (-), then the box with the fuses on top of the battery and screw it back to where it was before Install the factory black bracket back if you want. It is optional but I decided to put it back. Start you car and make sure everything works ! You are done ! Stock - 58lb Braille -21lb Weight savings - 37lb A few pics Stock vs Braille I hope it helps Last edited by doba_s; 02-20-2009 at 10:22 AM.. |
02-20-2009, 01:35 AM | #3 |
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You dropped about almost 2/3 of the weight but also 2/3 of the electrical capacity (from 90A/h to 31A/h). Careful when loading up on electrical accessories.
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02-20-2009, 07:22 AM | #4 |
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03-22-2009, 03:08 PM | #6 |
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awesome
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04-03-2009, 02:09 AM | #7 |
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Finally went for this mod. Good DIY it helped me. A couple of additional comments:
P.S. doba_s: In your last picture, install complete, it appears that your negative terminal binder is on only about 1/2 way! Last edited by swamp2; 04-03-2009 at 02:36 AM.. Reason: Added P.S. |
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04-03-2009, 08:20 AM | #8 | |
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Which holder did you get? The Braille or the HPAutowerks one?
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04-03-2009, 10:04 AM | #9 | |
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Harold sent me the battery with two positive terminals and that is why my negative in the picture is 1/2 down ... (+) and (-) are different in size. Later on he sent me the correct one and everything fits perfect ! |
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04-03-2009, 11:14 AM | #10 |
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Cool. You'll like it. Nice mod IMO. I got the HP holder, simple, stout and anodized/machined aluminum. It could be lighter out of a fiber reinfornced plastic or delrin or something like that but it is a very nice part.
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04-03-2009, 05:14 PM | #12 |
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04-03-2009, 10:04 PM | #13 |
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04-04-2009, 02:20 AM | #16 |
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No. They made it heavy so you can park, stop, listen to the radio with the lights on for 30 minutes when it is -10 °F and then crank her right up. These batteries won't do that. However, the reason it is in the rear left of the car is for F/R weight balance. If BMW could find a battery that did the former with the wieght of the Braille it would be much cheaper and would be OEM.
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04-06-2009, 02:58 AM | #17 |
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04-06-2009, 01:00 PM | #18 |
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04-16-2009, 08:22 PM | #19 |
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Please think carefully about changing out to smaller capacity battery on E9x M3
because... S65 engine DISCONNECTS alternator while full throttle... Which means the engine only runs on battery power on full throttle. I am sure alternator will kick in when it is under the required power to run the motor...but then what's the point of having lighter batt? I honestly do NOT know how long will this Braille battery will stand, but I would be very careful switching into smaller capacity than stock just because of above reason. |
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04-18-2009, 01:59 AM | #22 | |
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