Stupid battery questions

[browntown]

This is going to sound stupid, but I thought I'd ask.

Is the positive battery cable the long black one that runs the length of the car, and the negative is the short red one grounded to the rear fender. Right? These are negative ground cars aren't they? Just didn't seem right that positive was black and negative was red. To further confuse me, this is the realoem diagram, and if you notice the positive terminal is oriented towards the rear of the car making you think the short red wire is the positive cable.

see:


Another question. My old eta had a big square reservoir for a battery expansion tank. These new fangled I engines have this little plastic doohickey for an expansion tank. Mine was flopping around under the battery tray without being hooked up to anything. How does it mount? Which outlet does the hose from the battery attach to, and how does the "tank" mount to the rubber grommet that is in the bottom of the picture that allows venting to under the car? Anyone know the p/n for the grommet? Mine is torn up and I can't find it on realoem.

[M5wanaB]

yea the big wire bolted to the chassis, is the chassis ground (NEGATIVE) The Other wire going to the Engine bay is the Supply (POSITIVE). as for the other, I have no clue, I just run a line out the bottom, let it leak out if it wants to. Never seen an expansion tank.

[ak96ss]

Actually, the RealOEM diagram shows the battery as it sits in the car, if you were standing behind the passenger rear corner, and the positive terminal is the one on the right, with the cover (number 10 in the diagram) over it.

The black cable is positive, the red (brown, actually) cable going to the body is ground.

I don't have an expansion tank either, just a vent line leading to the outside.

EDIT: fixed it, meant to say the one on the right, I'm apparently dyslexic and didn't even know it.

[browntown]

Actually, the RealOEM diagram shows the battery as it sits in the car, if you were standing behind the passenger rear corner, and the positive terminal is the one on the left, with the cover (number 10 in the diagram) over it.

That doesn't make any sense. If the black cable is positive, then the positive terminal should be the one pointing towards the front of the car. where the cable is, and the negative should point to the rear since that's where the body ground is.

[jlevie]

The positive battery terminal is towards the front of the car and connects to the black cable.

[whiltebeitel]

Who has part #13?

[browntown]

The positive battery terminal is towards the front of the car and connects to the black cable.

cool, I was damn near positive of all of this, till my friend started putting doubt in me with the black cable and the negative looking orangish, then the realoem picture started me thinking. Got scared. Thanks.

[HST]

I have never seen that expansion tank. What is it for?

[browntown]

condenses the acid water that evaporates out of your battery, so it can drip onto the ground out the hole in the bottom of your car.

[Cephas]

Really old bump...anyone know how this mini expansion tank is supposed to mount up?

[101]

The tank fits under the plastic battery tray.

There's a little protrusion on the bottom of the tank that fits into a rubber grommet on the sheet metal floor of the battery box. We're assuming you still have any sheet metal in that location as that is the first spot most of these cars start rusting. The tension of the rubber grommet on the plastic tank keeps it in place.

Once the tank is in place, the plastic battery tray goes back over it. I think that is a single bolt that holds the tray.