Changed the battery in my FF, pics | FerrariChat

Changed the battery in my FF, pics

Discussion in 'FF/Lusso' started by vegasviper, Sep 4, 2018.

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  1. vegasviper

    vegasviper Karting
    Rossa Subscribed

    Dec 22, 2005
    195
    Las Vegas,NV
    Image Unavailable, Please Login Old battery in the car, battery cover off. The trim piece had to come off as well, there isn't much room in there to get the battery out.

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    Old Battery (the red one) side by side with the new battery(Interstate MTX-49-H8). The angle of this pictures makes the batteries look different sizes, but they are exactly the same dimension.The silver heat insulation is from the factory. First time for me seeing a battery wrapped in heat insulation.
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    Shot of the hole where the battery sits. Very tight squeeze.
    Tools used: 10 MM socket, 13 mm socket, Phillips head screwdriver and an allen wrench (i didn't note the size of it). Total time, about 45 mins. Battery was $300
     
  2. otakki

    otakki Formula 3

    Mar 24, 2016
    1,623
    Thanks for the pics! So it should be an easy install if the trim piece is taken off, right? I guess one just need to leave the door open, or leave one window rolled down, disconnect everything to the battery, and reconnect everything in reverse, right? Do you start by taking off the negative, or the positive?
     
  3. vegasviper

    vegasviper Karting
    Rossa Subscribed

    Dec 22, 2005
    195
    Las Vegas,NV

    You're welcome! Getting the battery out was the most difficult part of the whole operation. It is heavy and half of the battery sits undertake cowl area.
    Yes pretty much disconnect everything and go in reverse. I disconnected the positive first, the battery was dead so it didn't matter much, but general practice is to disconnect the negative cable first.
     
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  4. Solid State

    Solid State F1 Veteran
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Feb 4, 2014
    9,582
    Full Name:
    Maximus Decimus Meridius
    Thanks for helping others with your post! Couple issues here. Your heat shield looks pretty beat up. Did you remove the battery with the heat shield attached or just the battery by itself leaving the heat shield in the car? What about on the re-install - shield on battery or shield in car then battery? Were you able to get the battery out with that negative terminal cable attached (as it appears) or did you have to remove it first? Also was the cable on or off for on the new battery during the reinstall? Many thanks for your response.

    May seem like a lot of questions but I am doing this now on my F12. It appears to be much harder on the F12. The negative terminal of the battery does has a not quick release cable as you show. It is a hard clamp bolted to the terminal that runs to the center tire down clamp and also fans into the main wiring harness which cannot be disconnected on the harness side. Also has wires tie-wrapped to it. Over half the battery is under the firewall cowl. The battery will not come out without removal of that cable from the negative terminal because there is not enough room to raise the battery (hits the cowl when raising the battery).

    Also the F12 has a 400mm Vapor Breather Tube that connects to a pressed bushing at the bottom rear of the heat shield making it nearly impossible to remove the battery with the shield. It took me two hours to remove my Ferrari branded OEM battery because the bushing interferes with the battery mount so it wont slide. I have the Vapor Tube on order as mine actually did not come with one from the factory even though its in the parts diagram and in stock. This is NOT an easy repair on the F12 at all but I'm sure it will get better the next time as always. I am thinking of posting the process as you did if there was enough interest. Thank you again for helping. Seems anyone SHOULD be able to change their own battery. I'm on day two due to waiting for parts!
     
  5. ryalex

    ryalex Two Time F1 World Champ
    Consultant Owner

    Aug 6, 2003
    24,957
    Las Vegas, NV
    Full Name:
    Ryan Alexander
    Reminds me of the Audi battery, even though it's in the trunk they wedge it under a side of the fender that makes it very difficult to pull out [without standing in the trunk].

    Saw you this morning on Charleston.
     
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  6. vegasviper

    vegasviper Karting
    Rossa Subscribed

    Dec 22, 2005
    195
    Las Vegas,NV

    The heat shield is unbuttoned (see the snaps on lower left part of the battery) and the top is folded back, I left it like this in an attempt to show that the ferrari stock battery and the Interstate were dimensionally the same. I removed the battery still wrapped in the heat shield, I'm not sure if it was possible any other way, space is at a premium in the battery compartment. On the re-install, I wrapped the battery in the heat shield, put the negative cable on both before install. As for the negative cable when I removed the battery, yes the portion of the negative cable system that is on the battery was on the battery when I removed it.

    I haven't seen an F12 battery, but yes it sounds like a more involved process!.
     
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  7. Alexfor8

    Alexfor8 Rookie

    Aug 14, 2018
    38
    Full Name:
    ALEXANDER FOREST
    I am interested, if you can please post your process. I think I will need to do this in the near future.
     
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  8. otakki

    otakki Formula 3

    Mar 24, 2016
    1,623
    I would also love to see some pics of the process for the F12...wow, sounds like a nightmare.
     
  9. otakki

    otakki Formula 3

    Mar 24, 2016
    1,623
    After everything is attached, do you just follow those pages in the manual on what to do after re-attaching power to the battery?...Locking/unlocking door and trunk with key, raising windows up, letting the car sit in position II for # minutes before starting the engine for the first time, etc. Any pitfalls or things to watch out for this part?

    I have that same interstate MTX49 H8 coming and will be tackling this sometimes next week.
     
  10. vegasviper

    vegasviper Karting
    Rossa Subscribed

    Dec 22, 2005
    195
    Las Vegas,NV

    no pitfalls that i encountered.
     
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  11. otakki

    otakki Formula 3

    Mar 24, 2016
    1,623
    First, hats off to those of you who were able do replace the battery in 30-45 minutes, as mentioned on another thread...must be superhuman with arms the size of my thighs!

    Okay, so I'll document my own experience here so I can review it in the future if I choose to do it again, or have it here for those planning to do the same. Yes, I did the same on the FF this past weekend, and managed to put everything back together. It was a really painful experience, especially with the battery installation part. At one point, I was thinking of leaving out the heat shield and have it reinstalled the next time at the dealer. It took me nearly 4 hours, with more than 90% of the time spent on battery removal and reinstalling. The bulk of that time was obviously spent with the reinstalling.

    As mentioned above, there is that pressed bushing which might have gotten caught in the cross beam of the battery tray and prevented the negative end of the battery from sliding back in, or maybe the heat shield material just wouldn't slide...I was not sure. Finally I was able to get the battery in by putting the heat shield in first and unbuttoned the top front button, then in goes the battery. In the future, I would unbutton the bottom front button as well because it took me lots of time and effort but in vain trying to pull the front side of the heat shield back up, only to hear the front button snapped open followed by the shield coming up into position. The button that attaches to the side of the heat shield from the top cover of the heat shield was left undone because there was just no way for me to wiggle my finger in there to snap it back on (I figure there is no harm if leaving it undone). I just can't imagine what it would be like if more than half of the battery is under the firewall cowl of the F12, and without the quick release on the negative terminal to have it off before pulling out the battery.

    Well, it was quite an experience and my right pectoral muscle is still sore so I'm not working out much at my Bowflex this week. I'm just glad it's over without the car needing to be flat bedded 350 miles to the nearest dealership...and without injuring my back. Yes, I'm sure it will be easier next time. I wonder why the plastic cowl was not designed to provide a bigger opening, or maybe Ferrari realized afterward that a heat shield would be needed. Without that heat shield, it would have been much, much easier because the battery can just slide into position.

    Oh, and I noticed the old battery is that red top Odyssey Extreme...that must be Ferrari's oem battery. It was manufactured way after the production date for the car. So it was definitely replaced a few years ago, not with a quality aftermarket one, ie Interstate or DieHard, but again with another inferior oem battery at the dealership. What's up with Ferrari's affinity for the Odyssey brand? Is it good for something else before I call Interstate to pick it up? Meanwhile, it's on a battery trickle charger...maybe it's good to have around for charging cell phones and other things if there is a power outage.

    BTW, what's the purpose of the vapor breathing tube? What's the reason for having one in the F12 but not on the FF?
     
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  12. jinver

    jinver Rookie

    Jun 3, 2016
    5
    Calgary Canada
    Thanks for posting about this. I have just had to change the battery in my 2014 FF. It had clearly not been removed yet. The information posted above was very helpful. I did have a few issues that I thought I should share with others:

    1. When removing the the large cover that goes down the side of the car there is 1 clip that is attached to the fender. To remove it use the same 4mm allen wrench as the screws in the top but if you just think is stuck a bit you will likely break the plastic clip that is formed on the cover like I did:(.

    2. The battery is really difficult to lift up. I used a Fram Filter Wrench to lift the front end of the battery up and out the front end. This made lifting it up and out of the hole it is down in much easier than if I had to lift it by finger power only.

    3. There is a screw sticking out of the engine frame that is a real PIA. It digs into the heat shield and makes a difficult job that much more difficult.

    My Interstate battery is due in at the AutoValue tomorrow. I hope install is not to miserable but I am dreading the heat shield and the screw:eek:.

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  13. Eric360

    Eric360 Formula 3
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    Jan 11, 2010
    1,425
    San Francisco, CA
    Full Name:
    Eric
    Getting the battery out and back in is a PITA. I gave up. Spent $400 at the dealer and they also checked reset and checked the charging system. Ferrari roadside paid for the flatbed. So it wasn't so bad.
     
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  14. otakki

    otakki Formula 3

    Mar 24, 2016
    1,623
    Hopefully the install went okay for you. The install was a much bigger PITA than the removal. It was a combination of: small space at the rear + the heat shield + that ridiculous pressed bottom bushing...all made it so difficult. After a few more installs with all the associated maneuverings, I'm sure not much of the shiny foils would be left on the heat shields.
     
  15. jinver

    jinver Rookie

    Jun 3, 2016
    5
    Calgary Canada
    Install was actually much easier than I thought it was going to be. Likely because I knew where all the hang up points were. Install was only 30-45 minutes which beat the 45 min -1 hour it took to remove it.

    I bought the C-TEC 7002 charger and took the advice of FC and looked at kumari.net for info on making the plug for the charger. Making the connecting cable was fairly quick and easy thanks to the great write up on Warren's site and his willingness to document it so well for us. I was surprised when the parts for the plug arrived at my house the day after I ordered them from Digikey. I live in Calgary, Canada and nothing arrives the next day out of the USA without a bunch of extra costs and time for Customs. What a nice surprise.

    This was definitely the most complicated battery change I've ever done. But I like this kind of stuff. For those of us who like to tinker with our cars it's not that big of a deal. Not much else I think I would be willing to take on with this complicated car.
     

    Attached Files:

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  16. ANOpax

    ANOpax Formula 3

    Jul 1, 2015
    1,124
    The Netherlands
    Okay, so I've been mentally prepared for this day but I think my battery is on its way out. The last couple of times I've started the car following a period of inactivity (4 weeks) I've had a 'electrical system fault - go to dealer' message. The second time it happened, the windows dropped and the parking sensors came on as the starter motor cranked the engine. The car has been on the tender all this time and my CTEK bluetooth battery voltage monitor is reading 100%.

    I've let the car run for a minute, shut down and restarted successfully without any errors. I'm guessing that cranking an engine which has been standing for a while requires more power than a recently run engine which has freshly pumped oil to the moving parts. As a result, I presume that what I'm seeing is a voltage drop on startup. I have a Sealey BT102 conductance based CCA tester at home so will run a CCA test on the battery before doing anything drastic.

    As a side note, I see that my battery is AGM but my car is a 2011 model and I'm not sure the Ferrari OEM chargers from that era are suitable for AGM batteries. I've ordered the CTEK MXS 5.0 which can handle AGM.

    Now for my question. I asked the dealership which battery brand they recommend as a replacement and their answer is that they only use Ferrari OE batteries. They claim that using third party brands can also create electric fault problems. I'm planning to use a Varta G14 Silver Dynamic AGM battery which is 167EUR vs the 500EUR price for an OE battery of questionable longevity.

    Has anyone experienced problems caused by using a non-OE battery and had to go back to using OE batteries?
     
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  17. gilly6993

    gilly6993 Formula 3

    Aug 20, 2009
    2,475
    Longmeadow, MA
    Full Name:
    Eric
    I’m in the process of getting a new battery for my Lusso. MMC says they replace all V12 batteries with Interstate...


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  18. ANOpax

    ANOpax Formula 3

    Jul 1, 2015
    1,124
    The Netherlands
    I ran the CCA test

    :eek: 287

    I’m amazed the car starts at all.

    Time to order a new battery. It’ll be a Varta AGM.
     
  19. otakki

    otakki Formula 3

    Mar 24, 2016
    1,623
    Good choice on going with a quality aftermarket battery. I would advise anyone to not putting in another sub-par OEM battery, aka Odyssey. I haven't heard of anyone having any problems after putting in a good aftermarket battery. On the other hand, problems persist even with a new OEM battery.
     
  20. Nospinzone

    Nospinzone F1 Veteran

    Jul 1, 2013
    7,346
    Weston, MA
    Full Name:
    Paul
    Which is their way of saying that Ferrari buys its batteries from an established battery manufacturer and by putting the Ferrari logo on the battery they can quadruple the price. At least in the US there are only a handful of battery manufacturers, Ferrari has to buy theirs from one of them.
     
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  21. Solid State

    Solid State F1 Veteran
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Feb 4, 2014
    9,582
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    Maximus Decimus Meridius
    In the US, appropriate batteries are designated by type (usually wet-cell lead-acid or AGM), then by standard size, and then by all the power and reserve specs as well as HELE compliance. There are actually many replacements available in the US to choose from that fit perfectly and exceed OEM performance and ultimately last longer. My research indicates that some of these are or may in-fact be generic label versions of recommended European name brands. I do not know why this is the OEM supplier:


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    when this is sometimes under $200 with coupon, available at your local auto store, HELE rated, AGM, warranted and at the top of the list in quality and performance:

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  22. ANOpax

    ANOpax Formula 3

    Jul 1, 2015
    1,124
    The Netherlands
    Well, today was the day.

    Old battery out and new one in. New battery tested before going in. Healthy CCA coming off that one.
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    I was on track for a 1hr time to change but then I simply could not get the battery clamp back down properly. I checked the pre-removal photos and I could see a lot of thread from the clamp bars showing but there wasn’t enough thread to engage with the new battery.
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    I even thought that maybe the new battery was a different size and was contemplating reinstalling the clamp without the foldover piece of heatshield.

    However, I measured both batteries and they are the same size. They even look the same in a side by side.

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    I partially removed the battery to check for any heat shield material caught under it and reseated it. No joy.

    I shifted it about in case the heat shield material needed to seat properly into the cradle (it has deformed over the years to match the shape of the cutouts in the cradle). Nada.

    At this point I was stumped. I had a final check to see if there was an obstruction underneath and realised by feeling down the front of the battery shield that the shield material was sitting on top of the front lip of the cradle. A good lift and shove towards the back of the engine bay had the battery drop a good half inch and I was able to do up the clamp with ease and with plenty of thread showing on the retaining rods.

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    I haven’t figured out how old the removed battery was but it has come up better on the CCA test than last time around. It’s notable that the tender took nearly a week of charging for the red charge light to extinguish.

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    Still, the new battery is clearly in much better shape than the old one.
     
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  23. ewright

    ewright Formula Junior
    Rossa Subscribed

    Nov 17, 2003
    598
    If any of those who have replaced an F12 battery would be kind enough to post pictures of the process, I would be grateful.
     
  24. ANOpax

    ANOpax Formula 3

    Jul 1, 2015
    1,124
    The Netherlands
    I found the date code of the FIAMM that came out of the car. 2015 on a 2011MY car so probably the second battery. Given that first OEM battery lasted 4 years, it seems that pulling the second one after another 4 years is about right.

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  25. Bamsefar

    Bamsefar Formula Junior

    Nov 26, 2012
    523

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