Battery removal

[ducksface]

https://www.thorforums.com/forums/sh...8&postcount=73

Post 73 in my signature thread shows what to do to repair the panel you must remove.

When I did this it wasn't because I needed access. I did it at home, at my leisure, so I wouldn't have to try to be doing it while parked in a Wal-Mart parking lot in Aunt Mama KY(that's in Uncle Daddy county).

[alajeu]

Originally Posted by Bill Johnson

Can't change a battery, who pushes the brake and gas pedal down for them when they are driving. Does this happen at a certain age like 70, does this mean in a few months all my capabilities are going to disappear and I'll need to take it in for everything. Who will move my seat back and forth for me and turn the key to start it. My wife will have another 8 months to help me and then she will be 70 what will I do after that?

Snarky at best.

[bevedfelker]

I'm not going to defend Thor on the placement of the chassis battery in the Axis/Vegas (at least the early ones -- but there wasn't a single engineer or technician that said,

"Hey Charlie -- is cutting a hole in the top of the dashboard a good idea to change the chassis battery. And taking out those 12 screws to get the desk off and then open that hole in the dash a good idea to check the level of the water in that same battery."

[exit55]

Why do they always install a battery that you are supposed to check the water level since it is soooo much trouble to get to. Why not a maintenance free battery?

[Timothys rover]

Take a pix of cables B-4 removing.

[Jinx]

I was primes to go thru the hoops when I took a peek under the "hood" instead, and looks like the previous owner made it much more accessible by moving the hoses that are making access so hard and tied them up so my guy (yes, I hired one) got in there easily. j

[Mo_Mike]

Originally Posted by Bill in Redlands

Back on topic - I recently replaced mine. The difficulty in lifting the battery out was that it had to be rotated around obstructing hoses as it was being lifted. I bought a battery lift strap and it made it much easier to lift out. I think it would be pretty difficult if you lift the battery without a handle or strap.

I suggest replacing it with a battery that has a handle built in. I opted for a high-quality AGM battery. The battery I chose required that I reverse the cables. The + was on the opposite end but there was sufficient slack in the cabling to do that.

Care to share what battery strap you used? I have been pondering a couple of lifts on Amazon, just thought I would get which one worked well for someone else...

[galOnTheGo]

ditto sedcom and duckface. I cut out the hole in prep for our journey, and when time came to replace battery, it was rather easy. cutting the hole and adding oil via this access is the only way I would put oil in the engine, very easy this way.

[Jimbo56]

Originally Posted by sforl

ducksface, If this is the only way to the battery why doesn’t Thor make it accessible?
Why put it on the owners to have to jump through all those hoops or hire someone to cut through the panels and etc when they could have easily done that during the build! It seems as though they give some things little to no thought!
Of course I will hire it out! I’m a woman with no means or brawn to do the job! It’s just another expense the price of which could have have been lessened if they had dealt with at the factory.

Go to Autozone. They’ll remove & install free with battery purchase.

[chunker21]

Originally Posted by Jimbo56

Go to Autozone. They’ll remove & install free with battery purchase.

I'm sure that Autozone and the other auto parts dealers have restrictions on what battery they will install and what procedures they will do. The use of chainsaw, wrecking bar, saws, are not tools normally found in a parts dealer nor would I want them to do it. Sad and incompetent that a manufacturer builds something that normal servicing procedures can not be readily performed. Even more disturbing is a forum cheering section that thinks this is normal and acceptable and derides posters who comment or complain.

With the next RV purchase, hopefully these new thor owners will take their experiences into consideration when considering that next purchase and remember the sloppy and negligent factory product.

[Jimbo56]

Originally Posted by chunker21

I'm sure that Autozone and the other auto parts dealers have restrictions on what battery they will install and what procedures they will do. The use of chainsaw, wrecking bar, saws, are not tools normally found in a parts dealer nor would I want them to do it. Sad and incompetent that a manufacturer builds something that normal servicing procedures can not be readily performed. Even more disturbing is a forum cheering section that thinks this is normal and acceptable and derides posters who comment or complain.

With the next RV purchase, hopefully these new thor owners will take their experiences into consideration when considering that next purchase and remember the sloppy and negligent factory product.

Not cheering! Just making a suggestion to the lady that didnt think she could do it. Try Autozone. Doesn’t hurt to ask. Might have a nice guy behind the counter willing to give it a go.

Also not deriding a poster. I also have lost some blood in my modification attempts (thanks Duck & Halfprice). But I also have found that complaining on this forum tends to invite sarcasm.

[chunker21]

Originally Posted by Jimbo56

Not cheering! Just making a suggestion to the lady that didnt think she could do it. Try Autozone. Doesn’t hurt to ask. Might have a nice guy behind the counter willing to give it a go.

Also not deriding a poster. I also have lost some blood in my modification attempts (thanks Duck & Halfprice). But I also have found that complaining on this forum tends to invite sarcasm.

Not aimed at you be any means. When I have bought any RV, I have looked at owner servicing items and can I see and doing it. If destructive tools were required for normal servicing I would not buy it. Period. Battery servicing and replacing is normal servicing and there are some here who make those deriding comment to someone who raises the issue of factory incompetence. Not you but some here.

[ducksface]

Others here have told of the battery being r&r'd through the driver side fenderwell. Done for free at a battery place.
There is a nice write-up of the procedure somewhere on this forum.

Personally I can find something else to admonish designers about other than a once every five year thing.

How is it I might be the only person to never have had to add water to a vehicle start battery in 30 years?

[Bill in Redlands]

Originally Posted by Mo_Mike

Care to share what battery strap you used? I have been pondering a couple of lifts on Amazon, just thought I would get which one worked well for someone else...

I ordered the Uriah Products UV001970 17-1/2", Vinyl Battery Carrier Strap on Amazon. I have used it since to carry my son's battery to a charger. One caution, make sure the grip connections are fully in place and keep tension on the strap while using it. Otherwise, they could slide off.

[dkoldman]

Originally Posted by exit55

Why do they always install a battery that you are supposed to check the water level since it is soooo much trouble to get to. Why not a maintenance free battery?

Exactly.

I have often said, it ought to be illegal for any RV MFG to install FLA batteries for House Batteries. I am good with FLA for Chassis but I agree with you it should be Maintenance free.

In my case my batteries are easy access any it only took 30 minutes to replace to AGM.

[SummerShandy]

Depending on the year of your rig or whoever last replaced the battery, you've got 5 - 7 years to decide on how to tackle it. Much less than oil changes.

[TheGoodLife]

Originally Posted by Lt Keefer

Chevy has a lot of them in the backseat as well. My old Cobalt's was back there as was the battery in all my 60's vintage bugs. But in no other vehicle I have owned was a saw part of the tools list for replacing a battery.

Chrysler, in their 2011-2014 200 model, placed the battery inside the left fender well so that the left front tire had to be removed, followed by numerous plastic push pins holding the inner fender well in place in order to access the battery. We had such a Chrysler 200.