Is it really easy enough for someone with basic mechnical skills to do?

Basically, you simply loosen the nut on each of the clamps, slide the clamps up and off the terminal, remove the old battery and replace with new one... right?

Is there a proper sequence...like do I first remove the positive clamp, then the negative? What about for the new battery...hook-up positive first? Can I use a regular old metal wrench or do I have to use some sorta wrench with plastic coating? Should I also have some sorta battery grease or something to coat the terminals on the new battery?

Any precautions or preliminary steps to take to ensure a smooth removal of old battery and install of the new one?

Also, what is the "code" for the MINI COOPER (not S) battery... in other words, what are the equivalent battery makes and model/sizes that are simple drop-in replacements for the OEM battery?

Thanks for the help. I know I can do this, just need some basic guidance from a pro...or a shadetree mechanic. :-)

Rock on,

-boognish


PS- lastly, after removing the OEM battery and installing the new, do I have to run the car (in park) for a certain length of time so it relearns idle and all that? With my 1993 Ford Probe, a new battery also meant turning the car on and leaving it run at idle for like 10 minutes with full load (all lights/AC/radio, etc) on... if not, the car would immediately stall at stoplights when in drive...(learned this the hard way...heh). Ford dealer said it removal of the old battery erased its "memory" and it needed to relearn...and to think this was on a '93 car.

 

Are you outside the MINI service plan? If not just have them do it.

 

Remove the negative lead first. I prefer to use a wrench with a rubber grip, but that's principally because I'm deeply paranoid.

Install the new one by attaching the positive first. Beyond that, I'd recommend you pick up a Bentley manual. They're very helpful.

And, no, you won't need to idle the car for any period of time. You'll lose some memory, but principally you should just be amused that the outside temperature reads 7 Farhenheit.

 

You know what, I do have about 10K more miles on my warranty ('03), which will be used up in about 4 months time with the amount of miles I put on per day.

But on the other hand, I'd like to become more self-sufficient when it comes to "basic" upkeep on my MINI. Although the original battery still cranks fine, there will be a day, sooner or later (most likely sooner...as it's nearing 36 months and these OEM batteries don't last too long) that I'll go out to my MINI and it won't start due to a dead battery.

It's just so much simpler to Do-It-Yourself sometimes... if a new battery costs about $50, and it takes 10 minutes to install, that, in my opinion, is a better option than driving (or towing) it 130 miles roundtrip to the dealer for a new battery. It's not so much about the money as it is about time and convenience, plus the security or pride or whatever, in knowing I can do something like this when it happens... I dunno, I just don't think relying on having someone else always do something is a good thing.... I'm not talking engine rebuilds, I'm talking more basic maintenance items such as changing oil, changing battery, and even replacing brake pads... being self-sufficient in these areas seems like it would be satisfying, time-saving and economical. Knowledge--and know-how--is power. Rock on!

-boognish

 

Replacing the batter on the Cooper is quite easy. Although trying to find a similar "aftermarket" battery is a little trickier. I went to O'Reilly's in my little brothers car to the nearest store without the battery. Turns out, there are more than 5 different makes of batteries ranging through the model years, varying between Cooper and the S model. Needless to say I couldn't just pick one out because some are wider, shorter, taller etc.

I drove all the way home, took out the old BMW battery, proceeded back to the store and found out the closest match for my car. They can find the same type of battery better if they have the BMW one to go by (amperage, ohms, and other facts I don't know about). So after a few "visual inspections" of 3 of the 5 batteries side by side (next ot the BMW battery) I found one that looked pretty darn close (only it was a little shorter). This was rectified by a nice cellphone owner's manual underneath (who reads those things anyway?) and I was on my way.

The only difference between my 02 Cooper battery and the new O'Reilly's one was that the BMW battery has a little tube and plastic hose coming out of the top of it for drainage of water I believe? It is not really needed as the new "replacement" battery didn't have this attachment.

I don't think you'll need any special tools to take out the battery. No shielded wrenches are needed. As long as you have a set of tennis shoes on (hell, you probably don't even need those) and you don't stand in water with an aluminum foil hat on and with a lightning rod down your back. Most electricians will unhook the POSITIVE first (or the HOT line) from the power source they are working on, the NEGATIVE side sends out all of the unused voltage to the nearest grounding terminal. In electricity, if you unhook the negative terminal first, where will all of the unused power go to? It could build up on the line and give a little extra shock.

It really doesn't matter which one you unhook first as its not MAJOR electricity you are working with and shouldn't cause any damage to the electrical system at all (I've done it numerous times resetting MTH and having two dead batteries).

P.S. Don't know why I'm replying because the last time I replied to an electrical question Dickdavid quoted me for two years when I said "......and cause a collision of electricity....." :D

 

It was only a year.

Here's the thread:
http://www.metroplexmini.org/forum/s...ead.php?t=6566

Here's the post:
http://www.metroplexmini.org/forum/s...5&postcount=13

 

If you're not sure, might want to just take it to sears where they will
do the swap for free (i think it was free). they will take your battery
as a trade-in too.

 

AutoZone will also swap it for you. And they sell Optimas.

 

Autozone has better prices on Optimas than Sears too!
i didn't know they do a free swap.

 

I'm not sure about the Cooper battery, but on the S, there's supposedly a small pyrotechnic charge attached to the positive lead that can be set off by carelessly removing the wire.