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New battery doesn't fit?

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NE2015Rav4

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
This is my first time replacing a car battery. I watched a few youtube videos before taking out the screws :)

Being a newbie, I optimized the time by returning the old battery at the same time I bought the new one, without checking whether they are identical in size. The height of the new battery is right for a 35 but that height measures all the way to the top plastic extrusion, which is a bit higher than the front and back rim where the bracket is mounted.

The new battery is an Interstate size 35 from Costco. The bracket toward the front is about 1 cm higher than the mounting hole. I moved the plastic tray a bit on the bottom just in case I misfit it. The two plastic buttons below the bottom tray fit with the metal groove down below. I am clueless how the 1cm gap came about. There is no easy way to "bend" that steel bracket down so the short front screw can reach the hole on the frame.

I hope I miss something obvious that you would share with me so I can mount this battery properly.

Thanks in advance.
 
#3 ·
Not sure if your generation but I did exactly as you did with my 2010 and an Interstate from Costco and it fit very well. I’m trying to remember if I made an adjustment on the rod or not to fit across the top of the new battery. Leave the bracket off until daylight, take a better picture for us to see.
 
#6 · (Edited)
From the picture if your issue is the front bolt not long enough then I think you need to loosen the top nut on the rear bolt until the bracket tilts down to engage the front bolt. I am saying the same thing as Relayman As I read your other post if you do as I said then the bracket doesn't lay flat on the battery? If that is the case then the battery is tilted up in the front and not sitting in the tray right.
 
#7 · (Edited)
I have a Group Size 24F on my car. Costco carry only popular sizes and may not have the correct sizing. I remember buying a battery at Costco for a Camry and the height was too high. I had to put a 1/4 inch plastic spacer bar to bring the height higher so the clamp bar will make contact with the battery.
 
#9 ·
Take it back to costco to make sure you have the right size. If you do , you should be able to bend and adjust the rod , loosen and tighten the nuts to make it work.
 
#10 ·
The label says that this is an Interstate battery; The correct battery for this generation RAV4 is 24F. Interstate makes 24F; Can you return the battery to Costco and get the correct size? Otherwise perhaps you can devise a plastic spacer to deal with the gap between the brace and the battery?
 
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#11 ·
I bet Costco does not have Group Size 24F which is the correct size. The Group 35 height is too tall by 1/4 inch. It does not surprise me that Costco does not have the exact size since they don't have all the battery sizes so they just estimate the next closest size. Just return the battery if you don't want to make any modification to the install like adding a wood/plastic spacer. I can imagine that there are thousands of people having the same issue with batteries not fitting from Costco.
 
Discussion starter · #13 ·
24F and 35 have the same height. I was thinking I might have moved the bottom plastic tray when took out the old battery but there isn't seem to be a way to lower the tray further.

How high is your factory or current battery from the bottom tray to the front rim?

Mine is 20.5cm
 
#14 · (Edited)
I think you can try putting that bracket on but don't tighten one side up completely. Just tighten it just a bit on each side. What you appear to be doing is tightening it all the way on one side which does not allow enough slack for the other side. Once you have both bolts on then tighten it evenly on both side.

The Group 35 and 24F height difference is 1/8 inch. So you may need to add a 1 or 2 large washer to compensate the difference.

BCI Battery Group Size Chart

Knowing exact BCI group battery size helps finding new battery replacement, however, knowing just BCI group size is often not enough. Other information include battery purpose and chemistry, cell type, number, type and orientation of battery terminals ...
www.batteryequivalents.com www.batteryequivalents.com
 
#15 ·
I was actually at Costco last week looking at the selection of batteries as I thought my recently failed alternator compromised my battery. I saw that 24F was what's recommended for the size that I would have needed for my 08 Rav4. They are about $129 plus tax. My battery is still good though.
You should be able to make that battery work. If not , take it back to Coscto and ask some questions to their automotive dept.
 
Discussion starter · #16 ·
There are two charts on that BCI link. The first chart shows they are the same height. The second shows the 24F is 4mm higher than the 35. Right now, the 35 is already too high so replacing it with a 24F probably won't help.

I checked a few places including the dealership - all recommended the 35 for this year as a perfect fit. I wonder if there is variation in the 35 because the height is measured all the way to the top, not to the rim. The rim height is important because that is where the bracket rest during the mount.

As to trying to lock it down a bit at a time from each side, when the bracket (front and back) rest leveled on the battery rims, the front is just too high, the original screw is not long enough to reach the hole.

I can get a longer screw and add couple hex nuts as spacer to pop up the front. ( Tried that yesterday but got the wrong coarse screw from home Depot and couldn't find fine threaded screw with that size locally so have to order online and wait)

In the meanwhile, I hope I have overlooked something obvious because the 35 is supposed to fit perfectly, which it clearly isn't unless I didn't put the battery in correctly.
 
#17 ·
Moved to correct 4.4 forum
 
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#18 ·
When I was replacing the OEM 24F battery in my '11 RAV4 I measured the old one and checked the measurements of the same size batteries I was considering. There are some differences between batteries which are labeled as the same size from different brands, even those which are made by the same manufacturer such as Johnson Controls.
 
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Discussion starter · #19 ·
I suspected variations on height to rim because the group size define the height to the top opening(where you can add liquid to the battery), not to the rim.

The OEM battery didn't have a strap like the Costco one does. In order to put the strap mount in, the top of the battery is probably reinforced because it now carries the weight of the whole battery if you lift it with the strap. With the OEM, you usually lift it from the bottom. That is my guess though until I can confirm the height of an OEM battery from the bottom to the rim.
 
#20 ·
Couple things:
1. Costco does sell the 24F (their code for it is 28...?...)
2. The bar to the front crossmember can be bent slightly to meet the crossmember.
3. The bigger concern is whether the terminals are coming close to contact with the hood when it’s closed.

My Costco battery fit just fine today when I installed it at lunch (my OEM battery died while in the body shop for three weeks). For reference, I can measure my OEM battery for height and post later.
 
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