Modifying MC8 Battery compartment to hold house batteries too

[lv2rescue]

Hey,
has anyone modified the existing MC8 engine battery compartment to house both engine batteries and house batteries? It appears by my measurements, if I remove the duct work from the factory air and heat that I will end up with a rectangular compartment that is just about perfect for 2- 8D's on an upper shelf with a slide out, and a lower shelf with 4 golf cart batteries also on a slide out. I don't think this sheet metal is structural, but I am not 100% sure what is behind the duct work. Anyone tried this? What do you think?
Thanks in advance.

[wvanative]

Boy I have not seen it done in any conversions but it sounds like a great idea, and would free up space that usually would be used to store house batteries.

[Tom Y]

I don't have an 8, I have a 5C. And I moved my batteries but I took the roll out trays and cut them apart. I added 3or so inches and now each one will hold 3  group 31 batteries.  Tom Y

[captain ron]

Dallas is removing bus batteries from a MCI 8 and putting in engine compartment then trying to modify that area to hold an AC unit and genset. You can remove all panels in that bay you want to as they are not structural. The fuel tank also shares that bay.

[jjrbus]

If you are not keeping the bus air. You do not need to keep the 2 8-d's. You can change over to group 31 batterys. Now as long as you are changeing over to group 31's you can move them to the engine compartment. This will give you a much shorter run from the batteries to the starter. Or put the 8D's in the battery compartment and have tons of room for the house battery's!
                                                  HTH Jim

[lv2rescue]

I have done some preliminary measurements of the compartment and it looks like it will work. I just need to find a new spot for the engine battery shut-off switch. I currently have the house batteries in the engine compartment and the engine heat is just killing them. I am also concerned about the long term effects of increased corrosion to the rear compartment area. I am hoping that keeping them cool will help their longevity and also save some space for something else. I like having the 8D's as starter batteries for those cold start morniings where I need as many cranking amps as I can get. If it sounds viable I will start working on measuring twice to cut once and take some photos to help someone else do the same thing.

[JackConrad]

    We replaced our bus batteries with 2 group 31s and relocated them to the engine compartment (just inside the passenger side door of the engine compartment).  We removed the fiber glass duct that connects the blower compartment to the floor opening as well as the partition that separates the batteries from the rest of the compartment.  We added vents in the floor and made this our LP compartment. Looking into this compartment, to the right of the compartment is the fuel tank. Behind the compartment is the AC evaporator, heater core, and blower motor/fans. As was mentioned none of thsse walls are structural.  Jack

[DrivingMissLazy]

I currently have the house batteries in the engine compartment and the engine heat is just killing them.

How do you determine something like this? For as many years as most of us can remember the automotive battery has lived in the engine compartment of the the automobile which should be in the same temperature range as the engine compartment of a bus and I have not seen any race to move them back under the floorboard like they were many years ago.
Richard

[niles500]

lv2 - in most cases Group 31's will have more CCA's than 8D's - FWIW

[Melbo]

I took out all the sheet metal and made the battery compartment go all the way through to the plywood panel that is behind where the condenser was. I put in a slide out tray and moved the shut off switch to the first bay wall. I have a total of ten batteries in the space I created some for starting some for the house some for the genset starting. The only thing I might have changed is to get a heavier duty tray to hold all the weight. I had to be creative with the cables so the tray and battery (and battery monitor) connections work their way in and out with out needing to be disconnected.

Melbo

[jjrbus]

Richard, you took the words out of my mouth.

[captain ron]

Richard, you took the words out of my mouth.

It must of been while you were kissing me.

[Busted Knuckle]

Richard, you took the words out of my mouth.

It must of been while you were kissing me.

I ain't even gonna ask who was kissing who or where they were kissing!

[Tony LEE]

For as many years as most of us can remember the automotive battery has lived in the engine compartment of the the automobile which should be in the same temperature range as the engine compartment of a bus and I have not seen any race to move them back under the floorboard like they were many years ago.

Many modern vehicles have shrouded batteries with air ducts feeding cool air from the front of the vehicle so obviously heat must be of some concern. The standard auto charging system tends to undercharge the starting batteries anyway so heat is less likely to be a problem than with house batteries.

Another factor is the risk of overcharging a hot battery from a non-temperature compensated battery charger. With some types of batteries, high battery temperatures combined with high charging currents can supposedly result in a runaway effect.

[jjrbus]

 

Many modern vehicles have shrouded batteries with air ducts feeding cool air from the front of the vehicle so obviously heat must be of some concern.

 My bus may or may not be a modern vehicle, depending on your point of view. It does have a two great big blowers to force heat out of the injun compartment.