Q: What gauge wire would I need to relocate the battery to the trunk?

will a healthy starter run on 24 volts?

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RIP: 80 300SD
RIP: 79 450SEL
2002 E430 4matic (212,000km)
2002 ML500 'sport'

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FACEBOOK: PANZER450

Got,

Why do U want to relocate the battery?

Better look for some welding cable.

24 volts won' hurt the starter as long as U don't crank very long. I once had a battery that switched to 12 volts for the starter (6 volt system) and it never seemed to hurt the starter.


P E H

i relocated a battery to the trunk in a bmw 535, i was able to get the cable from an early 3-series bmw that already had the battery in the trunk, the self serve junk yard considered it a battery cable and charged only $3.00 for it, not bad for 10 feet of heavy guage wire like that with ends.

For the diesel, your going to want at least 1/0 guage wiring. The starter on these cars draws quite a few amps (close to a thousand) and you will need a very low resistance path.

Why do you want to relocate your battery anyway?

Im sure your starter would run fine on 24 volts, I just wonder how long it would last. Normally, you really shouldnt go beyond what starters were built for... especially because they are so expensive and hard to replace.

I'd like to relocate it to the trunk, because I have a rather elaborate idea in mind for a refrigerated intercooler and I could use the space.

As for the 24 volts applied to the starter. ignoring the weight factor I'd like to have a battery for all my accessories, and another one for the starter.

__________________
RIP: 80 300SD
RIP: 79 450SEL
2002 E430 4matic (212,000km)
2002 ML500 'sport'

____________________________
FACEBOOK: PANZER450

An A/C intercooler would quickly be used up and it would only be good for short ~10second bursts before it would need recharging. Using the A/C compressor at the same time would be counter productive since it would steal the 20ish HP you could gain (After IP tuning) from intercooling.

The prototype F150 lightning used the same idea you are thinking about. They went with an air-water intercooler insted.

I once had an Alfa Romeo, a 1963 Guilia Spyder, with a rear-mounted battery. The cable wasn't any heavier than battery cables for a front-mounted battery, as I recall. However, the starter motor for a three-liter diesel will probably pull a lot more current so I'd be prepared to go one or two gauge sizes larger than standard battery cable. I don't think you would need to use 24 Volts for the starter but if you wanted to have more battery capacity for accessories you could always run two batteries in parallel or (better) one BIG battery.

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"Buster" in the '95

Our all-Diesel family
1996 E300D (W210) . .338,000 miles Wife's car
2005 E320 CDI . . 113,000 miles My car
Santa Rosa population 176,762 (2022)
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 627,762
"Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz."
-- Janis Joplin, October 1, 1970

I'd use a seperate pump and evap/condenser system other than the motor driven one, probaby a RV 12 volt air conditioing unit but use smaller evaporator.

__________________
RIP: 80 300SD
RIP: 79 450SEL
2002 E430 4matic (212,000km)
2002 ML500 'sport'

____________________________
FACEBOOK: PANZER450

Even if 24 volts doesn't fry your starter -

How do you intend to charge this system? You'll need a system of relays or heavy dash mounted switches to shut off the 24 volts before you fry your other electrical parts.

A series system, as mentioned, with 12 volts offering a lot of cranking time would be your best bet.

I would get a heavy strap, cable for the ground and an extremely heavy cable (or 2 cables in parallel) to carry all that current 15 feet to the front of the car.

Make sure your alternator can handle the new charging load.

I'll reply with the answer to that after I do some brainstorming..

__________________
RIP: 80 300SD
RIP: 79 450SEL
2002 E430 4matic (212,000km)
2002 ML500 'sport'

____________________________
FACEBOOK: PANZER450

Some guys I've seen at demo derbies run their cars on 24 volt systems. It'll fry your starter if you crank too long, but they sure as heck start the car instantly!

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"spreading a trail of obnoxious where ever we go"
1981 300sd w/ 341,500 miles

http://www.wecrash.com/pics/ddda_banner.gif

Don't know if this relates. On my 1950 Chevy, I did a 12v conversion but left the 6v starter in place. Never had a problem with it. 6v horns were deafening, though.

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1998 E300 +310,000K
1996 E300 +460,000K

just go air/water intercooler, its know to work and isnt that complicated