Open a free photobucket acount.

Host your pictures there.

Link them in your posts.

It's very easy to do!

I would really like to see the 51R under the Fit's hood!

 

Here is the pic I hope. Mike


http://s1296.photobucket.com/user/wm...g.html?filters[user]=142217438&filters[recent]=1&sort=1&o=2

 

If this does not work I give up. Mike

 

one more time here is the link to the picture of the batt in my 2009 Fit and the link works---still can't figure out why I can not attach pics. I also need to figure out photobucket. Thanks everyone and Happy Holidays. Mike


http://s1296.photobucket.com/user/wm...%20Honda%20Fit

 

If the problem was battery size 100% of fits would have this battery issue. Simple as that.

My Fit did not ever show an issue with its stock battery. It never failed to start the car, it never gave up. The factory wiring is one issue, and so is the drain of the interior auto light whenever you unlock the car or open the door. I have an LED in it, and that thing never truly shuts off. I will close the door and lock the car, and it will still have a faint light showing. When the interior light is in the off position, it does NOT have this faintness to it. it is off. a halogen bulb like the factory will NOT even show a hint of light under 7 or 8 volts. It would be too dim to light up.

Keep in mind, the CRZ and the Insight SHARE THE SAME BATTERY. The hybrid battery pack WILL NOT step in to assist starting UNLESS the main battery voltage is VERY low. I do not know the voltage thresh hold, this is coming from the service manager at a honda dealership in Texas. One that used to be military and is know for being quite honest and upfront with people. It is probably why that particular dealership has a near perfect track record with its customers.

 

NOTE: The original Battery for a Honda Fit 2008 is a 151R and in my opinion it does not have enough capacity for very cold climates having only 340 CCA.

I searched the Internet for hours trying to find an alternative battery that didn’t require a shoehorn. Some people have used the 51R battery with 500 CCA but that is almost 2 inches longer that the original Honda Fit battery and is a VERY tight fit. Too tight in my opinion.

Others have mentioned that a 26R battery can be fit into the available space OK but the battery polarity is reversed so that making the connections is VERY difficult. Need to replace the negative cable, which is easy enough. Then must either splice a piece into the positive cable or get under the car to connect a new one to the starter system. Also need to splice a piece of heavy cable into the jumper cable which leads from the positive terminal’s fused connector to the wiring loom. Not fun and definitely not worth the effort in my opinion.

The AutoCraft Gold Battery, Group Size 121, 600 CCA 121-R battery from Advanced Auto Parts is the same size as the 26R but with the battery polarity the same as the original Honda Fit installed 151R battery. This 121-R battery is an easy replacement and does not require any changes to the Honda Fit’s battery wiring system and the end result appeared to me (as a non-professional) to be both safe and stable. It raises the CCA’s from 340 to 600, which is great on super cold mornings. Don’t forget to try to order the battery online and see if there is a coupon available. That saved me $40, plus reduced the core charge for the battery from $18 to $5. Final cost was $87 plus tax. Awesome.

I did need to make some minor modifications on the Honda Fit’s two-piece battery box. I cut the lips of the bottom portion of the box so that the larger battery could seat correctly. That could cause a corrosion problem if the battery leaks but I chose to accept that risk since I didn’t think that the ½ inch walls of the original battery box would contain much of an acid spill anyway. I also cut the top trim off the upper portion of the box so that it did not interfere with the terminals etc. I purchased an extendible battery tie-down and a pair of 10 inch battery tie down hooks from Advanced Auto Parts and found that I could use the existing rear hook but not the front one. I cut ½ inch off the front hook to avoid too much protrusion.

Note: The car parts salesperson that spoke to indicated that some Honda’s ignition systems become deactivated after the battery has been removed and the car must be towed to the dealer for reactivation. I chose to use a homemade, triple-tap jumper cable to keep the system powered up during the battery swap. I had to be careful not to ground the positive terminal and used a thick plastic bag as a terminal insulator. The only difficulty that I had was in getting the positive battery connection tightened without it slipping up the post. I needed to use one hand and a screwdriver to hold the clip in place, and the other hand to tighten the 10mm nut on the battery post connector. I also had to insulate the other end of the 10mm wrench to avoid shorting it on the chassis.

 

Thanks, very interesting. I'll have to take a look at that battery. I already did mine but good to know in the future. I just had to reset the radio after installing the new battery. Thanks, Mike

 

my 26 battery fit with a bit of massaging to the battery tray. on the positive terminal, remove the small wires from the plastic molded guides and cut those guides so its a flat bottom terminal, and it works 100% easy with the new battery.

Its something you gotta do for the 51r batteries as well

 

Laurence and 13fit, can you please post a picture on how battery looks like installed in your car.

thanks

 

It is not under the hood anymore. Dont think I ever took pictures. But you use the starter harness that clips on that diagonal piece to support the battery on the engine side, and the headlight supports it from that side. front and back, its pretty much wedged into place. I didnt have a tie down even. Plenty of fun on backroads and bumpy roads, never an issue. I stuck a piece of rubber mat between battery and headlight since I did not want a hole rubbed in place.

 

Since I put in the 51r the alarm no longer chirps when setting up or turning off and we have problems with the remote start. Honda put the alarm/remote start in. It is a pursuit alarm/remote start by audiovox. Any ideas what might have caused this? Thanks, Mike

 

I have a 2011 Fit sport. I need a battery, the dealer told me that I am on borrowed time and need new battery now.

I found this site while looking for batteries on the web. I was just going to buy a battery and replace it. However after reading about the 151 battery I think it would be both cost effective and safer to replace the EOM battery with a 51r.

How difficult is it to replace the battery with the 51r. I read that I will need to remove the battery tray. Is that just a matter of removing some screws? I am not any kind of mechanic. Also if the tray is removed how is the battery held in place? I don't want to buy a 51r and then find I don't have the ability to handle the adjustments needed to reconfigure with the larger battery.

Thank you for any help you can provide.

 

The posted photos show that a 51R Optima Yellow top will fit in a 2013 FIT. It will fit in a 2013 FIT with no modifications to the bracket, or to the car in general. The optima battery is precisely 5" wide by 9-1/4" long, which gives you about about 1/4" clearance in each side of the battery.
It is necessary to rotate the main connection to the starter 90 degrees; from the left side of the battery, to the back of the battery. You will need to "MacGyver" together an 8 gage wire with connectors on both ends to link the re-positioned starter wire to the battery wire assembly. The battery wire assembly is re-positioned from the top of the battery to directly behind the battery.

Total parts needed:
one - 8 gage wire (U- shaped) with connectors on each end.
one - 8 mm nut and bolt (to attach the u shaped wire). If you like inches instead of mm you can possibly use a 5/16 nut and bolt?
one - 51R Optima Yellow top battery

The hardest part is to make the U-shaped connector. I had some left over 8 gage wire in the garage. The connectors were 4 gage connectors that I bent with a hammer to fit the 8 gage wires. the connectors are soldered to the wire, to make sure that the connection is perfect.

Moved two things. Moved the battery wire assembly back two inches, and rotated the starter cable 90 degrees to the back of the battery.

 

Hey Fit owners, my 2008 had the battery replaced after 4 years (03 of 2012) and it is about due now (12 of 2016). I had replaced it with the 51R, it is a clean install once you remove the battery tray, albeit a tight fit. The air box brushes against the battery at times but has caused no issues or damage to it or the battery. I had been on holiday and using the hatch as a dog house so the lamp had been on a lot. The lamp is actually an LED type I installed along time ago. after a few days of not starting the engine, the battery didn't have enough to even crank but it did push start easily.

 

Came for the battery info, stayed for the childish bickering.

 

Kudos on the 121R battery. I to have spent a lot of time searching for a bigger battery to fit into my 2008 Fit Sport. I did replace the 151R battery back some years ago with a 51R and I wound up removing the battery plastic tray thingy and bolted things into place. It is a tight fit but after many years of driving nothing was damaged. Now it is time to install a 121R. The biggest issue I see is that is wider by almost two inches but I have a plan to get it installed in a proper fashion. Length is not a problem as it could have been with the old 151R.
I bought a Deka Battery Tray and a Deka Battery Hold-Down they are made by the East Penn Company that also happens to be one the oldest battery companies around and they were the ones that built my new 121R Battery 72 month warranty and 24 month free replacement.
The battery tray is polypropylene and will require some cutting down to enable it to fit where the original one was. I'll try to post some pics when I get done.
Okay, I found that the rear (close to the firewall) "J" bolt is longer than the Front one. When using the aftermarket hold down I found that if I swapped the J-bolts from front to back, they would be long enough.
Now there is plenty of room around the battery.
Make sure on the firewall side that the J-bolt faces away from the battery.
On the front side I placed the hook on the outside of the battery tray. Worked out very well... snow not withstanding.

 

uh, I'm confused. Regarding the first generation Fit, why would you not go with another 51R battery? all you have to do is remove the tray (which in your case, you've already done) and it fits fine. Seems like you are doing a whole lot more just to get this 121 in your car and I don't understand the advantages.

 

I like to be different? Realistically the 121R has more capacity, depending on brand somewhere between 50 to 100 cold cranking amps (CCA) more. I haven't begun the install yet seeing as it is a cold day and I am not too motivated but I do have the parts. Strangely, the 121R was less expensive than the 51R
It could be for the same reason I put a lawn tractor battery in my Honda GoldWing 1100. When it is cold and you have few if any options to get started, it is nice to know you have that reserve capacity.

 

<121-R battery from Advanced Auto Parts is the same size as the 26R but with the battery polarity the same as the original Honda Fit installed 151R battery. >

I just came back from the auto store. The 121R, 26R 51R all have the same configuration of the terminals. The R means reverse. I also saw the 51 and the 26 without the R, which have the polarity opposite. Why are people finding different polarities for 26R and 121R?

 

Some variants of the 26 battery (26 70) has the terminals fixed in the center of the battery, so it may be a stretch for the cables to reach.

As a FYI: I did not use any tray at all in the installation of the 121R, just an aftermarket hold down. After discovering that the "J Bolts" from the factory on my 2008 Fit were of different lengths, I had to swap them around to get that hold down to work, along with a washer or two.

Just a heads up when placing the rear J Bolt, be sure to have the hook end pointed away from the battery.

I get the feeling that 2009 & up Honda Fit's may have a different tray space? I'm not sure ...
Here is a link to most BCI battery types and their respective specifications
BatteryWeb, Inc. - BCI Group Numbers, Dimensional Specifications, Polarity and Terminals
Note that the 151 is not listed !