So I went to remove my battery today because I am doing a couple things and there is a block on the side of it. I began to unscrew the bolt and it just snapped off. The tray is rusted and what not. But now I have nothing to hold the damn battery down tight?? Any suggestions on what or how I even fix this?

This is the part that was on the passenger side of the battery, kind of like a "wedge"..



Can see the bottom of the broken bolt:





Thanks,
-Nigel

 

bungee :)

 

I havent had that block in my truck in over 6 years. Even went through a pretty major front end collision and the battery didnt move. Hell at the moment i am missing the back side of my tray, as i cut it off to fit my 1000cca marine battery. =p

 

So I guess the next question I have is how do I secure the battery?? How are you securing your battery?

When you go over bumps or stuff how the battery not come up and lift off and or spill acid everywhere...

This concerns me a bit, any ideas to secure it? Would a bungee really work or is that asking for trouble?

Thanks,
-Nigel

 

GOING OUTSIDE TO TAKE A PIC OF MINE. SAME THING HAPPENED TO ME

 

 

You could even go to a junk yard and get the terminal protectors that gp over the terminals so in case it decides to jump up and hit the hood you don't arc the **** out of it.

 

The screw should thread into a j-clip style nut on the bottom of the tray. Id remove the tray and cut that j clip off and replace the bolt and j-clip. Why is everyone so afraid to fix something correctly?

 

take whats left of that bolt and go to lowes and match it up and buy one. thats what i did, and had no problemes after that

 

Where are they at this is what I am looking at...






Thanks,
-Nigel

 

Why do you feel you need 1000cca's? What size battery did you put in? A size 49 or 93!?!?!??

My bolt snapped years ago. I'd fix it the way you're describing if it were possible. At least on mine, it's a welded on square block with threads on it...no j-nut/clip. Also, at least on my '01, my '07, and every other 98+ Ranger I've looked at, the battery tray is spot welded to the truck.

Explorer trays are bolt-in and accept a 65 whereas 98+ (I believe) Ranger trays are all spot welded in and accept a 58.

Hi Nigel. I'm in a similar situation as you. My bolt snapped years ago...but while my tray is not as ugly as yours is, there are ways to fix it. Ford and GM are about the only companies out there that hold their batteries down like our Rangers. All the others use threaded rods and a bracket.

Any auto parts store should have the threaded rods as well as the top bracket. There's usually different lengths of rods and widths of brackets, so get what fits best for your battery. Drill some holes in the battery tray over hangs(top and bottom of your quoted pic above), latch the rods into those, tighten 'em down snug. Not too tight. Done.

It's just one way to fix the problem.

Clicky link.....#00678 looks nice: http://www.dekabatteries.com/assets/...Connectors.pdf

 

same thing just happened to me. I drilled and retapped mine, good as new.

 

You could go to LMC Truck but the tray is $75. Whatever you do or what tray you get I would paint it very well. I wonder if bed liner would work...hmmm. They do make a matt for the battery to sit on that absorbs acid but I have never tried them.

 

Most auto parts stores sell universal battery hold-downs for less than $10. In PA, you don't pass safety inspection without the battery being secured somehow (no bungee cords allowed). Drill a couple 1/4 inch holes in the existing tray, use the j-bolts (cut to fit) and wingnuts, and you're good to go.

If your tray is rotted, you can often use a piece of wood under the battery to keep it stable, or you might need to have new metal welded in if the rot's too bad.

Also, a couple of pennies are a good idea with any battery. Put a couple on top of the battery (where they won't slide around), and a couple under it. The battery acid will attack the softer copper and leave the steel alone. VERY cheap solution.

 

Some Ospho will turn that rusted tray back to metal...... then just paint over it.