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Replacing The Battery In A Diablo
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The 450+ HP engine of a Diablo
is requires a good battery to crank the car. It is quite common in a
failing battery to still have strong lights, radio etc. and yet the battery
cannot even get the starter to crank the engine once. A good battery is essential.
Replacing a Diablo battery is not as simple as replacing the battery on your typical US car. This is because Lamborghini placed the battery low to the ground in front of the left rear wheel in a Diablo. This article describes the process in switching an old battery with a new one. I use Optima Redtop batteries. They are more expensive but are very reliable, maintenance free, hold a charge well and have extra power to delivery crank amps to the starter motor. The latter becomes real important in cold weather when the EMF voltage of a lead acid battery may be only 8-9 volts. The Redtop Optima is rated at 980 CCA see fig 6 below. The pictures below outline the process. |
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| Fig 1. Left wheel removed. Battery is behind wheel front cover. | Fig 2. Cover removed. Oil cooler and battery visible. | |
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| Fig 3. Old battery removed. | Fig 4. Optima Red Top battery from factory. | |
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| Fig 5. New battery installed. | Fig 5. Battery Specs.. | |
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| Fig 6. Put back wheel cover. |
| The above pictures should be self explanatory. Make sure the bracket on the floor of the battery compartment (Fig 5), is tight and that the battery cannot move around. One other thing to watch out for. When you disconnect an old battery the alarm may go off. It appears to have some stored power even when the battery is not connected. To stop it put the key in the car ignition. Fortunately the radio etc. does not need to be reprogrammed. The car clock will however need to be updated to the correct time. |