Battery Tray Support

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KingKrab65
Posts: 162
Joined: Wed May 24, 2017 7:25 am
Location: Charlotte, NC

Battery Tray Support

Post by KingKrab65 »

I noticed recently that the battery in my car was just sitting on the tray. There was no top support bracket to hold it down, just the tray underneath. Unable to find a support bracket at the salvage yard, I ordered on online with the j-bar. I was unable to install the j-bar as there was nothing underneath it to hook it up to. It appears that I am missing the battery tray support that goes underneath the tray. (Pontiac Vibe Battery-Tray Support 88970967)
Does anyone know if the Matrix and/or Corolla battery tray support will fit the Vibe? They look very similar but it is tough to tell from the diagram. There are several Corollas in the salvage yard near where I work and was wondering about fit before I wasted a lunch hour to go get one.

Has anyone had a similar issue?

Thanks for your help!
2003 Base Vibe
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joatmon
Posts: 10018
Joined: Fri Mar 21, 2003 5:19 am
Location: SMC MD

Re: Battery Tray Support

Post by joatmon »

Before you order any more parts, compare your 03 Vibe to this pic of my 03 vibe taken from the front of the vehicle. I have the battery and the plastic battery tray removed to show what's underneath
jbarhole.jpg
jbarhole.jpg (78.96 KiB) Viewed 1916 times
Notice that the hole where the J-bar hooks on to is actually part of the motor mount (well, technically a transaxle mount) under the air filter box. The bar goes down between the air filter box and that horizontal cable bundle

The battery tray support is fairly minimal, however, if your car doesn't have one, the battery would fall to where it would hang from the cables

Here's another pic, taken from the side
jbarhole2.jpg
jbarhole2.jpg (41.17 KiB) Viewed 1916 times
That hole for the jbar is apparently non-intuitive, as I and a number of other people had significant trouble finding it, so if its there and you didn't notice it, don't feel bad, sucker got me and bunch of others too.

And yes, my engine compartment is not clean. I used to clean and shine things in there, but apparently not for a long time.
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KingKrab65
Posts: 162
Joined: Wed May 24, 2017 7:25 am
Location: Charlotte, NC

Re: Battery Tray Support

Post by KingKrab65 »

Thanks for responding and with pictures! That helps alot.

When I put the new battery hold down bracket on and tightened it up to the frame, it was approximately 1-1.5" taller than the top of the battery. I looked down behind the battery for a place to put the j-hook and didn't see anything there. I ended up putting the j-hook on the motor / trans axle mount, like you have suggested, as it seemed like the only place I could use. Unfortunately, when I tighten the nut all the way down on the j-hook, I still have that 1-1.5" gap between the battery hold bracket and the top of the battery. The battery and the tray underneath will slide around unless I put a piece of wood on top of the battery. Looks kind of nasty and not sure what it does to the structure of the battery long term.

I will pull the battery and tray out tonight and double check for the battery tray support.

Thanks again for responding and for including the pictures. (BTW - You engine bay is too bad at all. I have seen a LOT of engine bays that were dirtier than yours is over the years. ;) )
2003 Base Vibe
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joatmon
Posts: 10018
Joined: Fri Mar 21, 2003 5:19 am
Location: SMC MD

Re: Battery Tray Support

Post by joatmon »

How tall is your battery, and can you tell what type (size) it is?

If I remember right, Vibes came with a type 35 battery, which according to this chart should be 8.9 inches tall. viewtopic.php?f=20&t=44122 is about possibly replacing the type 35 with a type 24f, the 24f'S tend to have more CCA, and that chart says a 24F is also 8.9 inches tall.

If the battery is a different (shorter) type, probably ok to use some spacer such as a block of wood between the battery and the hold down bracket, as long as you only tighten it up to be snug, and don't overly torque it down. If the battery is the right height and somehow the jbar is too long, perhaps use an old socket or some such thing as a spacer between the hold down bracket and the nut on the J bar. Maybe drill a hole through a dozen or so pennies and use them as washers.
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KingKrab65
Posts: 162
Joined: Wed May 24, 2017 7:25 am
Location: Charlotte, NC

Re: Battery Tray Support

Post by KingKrab65 »

Despite the rain last night, I was able to check and I do have an existing battery tray support underneath the battery. Thank you for the picture as the diagram image does differ from the real thing ("Your results may vary" I guess is the operative phrase there).

I believe that your train of thought about the actual battery size may be the right one. I have a Autocraft 26R-2 battery that came with my car. https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/aut ... fragment-2

Not including the the terminals, the battery housing is approximately 6 15/16" in height. Measuring from the bottom of the angle irons on the hold down bar, it is approximately 8" to the tray. That would make the 1" difference between the two that I have been experiencing. The Autocraft site says that the battery does work for my Vibe but it is not one of the two you mentioned that are the regular ones.

I will keep the wood piece on the battery and just snug it down rather the (probably) over tighten that I have now. I thought about bringing the j-hook in and see if the machine shop can add a few more grooves to it. The issue with that though, is where it the hold down bar attaches to the radiator support. It comes right off of the radiator support in a 90 degree angle. I have already bent the hold down bar to try and make it fit the battery currently in there. Only the back angle iron comes close to actually touching the battery but only if I over tighten the nut on the j-hook.

Thank you so very much for for all of your time and help and pictures.
2003 Base Vibe
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