The previous owner of my recently acquired Mk 2.5 (or their garage) have put a type 63 battery in it. To get it to fit they have cut the back off the battery tray and ground off the outboard bracket on the retaining bar, which is also bent to accommodate the extra height of the battery.
I know the Panasonic batteries can last almost forever - the one in my other 5 has been in for at least 10 years - but they are very expensive. Is there a kit to properly fit a different battery as I can’t see one anywhere except for the Mk 1?
any battery you fit should have a vent tube on it to vent the fumes down the stock runner vent pipes
The battery in it has vents but only 1 connected! Battery has died through lack of use and no conditioning charger in the past. I’ve just recently got the car so it’s one of the very few things to sort out.
Halfords do one straight fit £75.
No vents on the hcb 053…the fumes corrode the boot
The Panasonic is not particularly “designed for the Mx5”, Mazda fitted it as part of their weight saving efforts at the launch of the Mk2 - the battery well bracket has designed in holes for different battery sizes .
The main pro of the OEM is that it can be fitted without any mods to the mounting. The cons are
a) the cost of £140, compared to an own brand 063 for about £40
b) the charge capacity of only 32Ah, compared to 44Ah from an 063
You can buy a “Drivetec” 063 from GSF Parts for just over £40 . It has a vent hole (the other vent hole is blocked but the plug can be removed for cars that have twin vent systems and you can buy a vent tube adaptor with tube for about £3 off e-Bay,. You don’t need two vents and the single tube will connect to the vent in the battery well. I only suggest GSF because they seem to be doing good prices at the moment and have a lot of stores, but Euro Car Parts also have a lot of stores.
If the retaining rod has already had the L-shape bracket removed, then the main item of work has been done and I would recommend a piece of hard foam rubber between the rod and the top of the battery to prevent abrasion , plus a cut-to-shape piece of rubber car mat on the floor of the spare wheel well, rather than the tray as that was only fitted to aid production line assembly (the OEM battery has no handle) and if the side is missing the holes for the assembly hooks have probably gone too! A piece of rubber mat cushions the battery and reduces the risk of acid vapour settling on the floor,
Thanks Sunlight. For a battery I can’t really justify £140 just for the sake of originality so I’ll go for the 063. As you said GSF are pretty cheap at present.