DIY: Battery Change on a C4 (1984-1996) Corvette

I always thought European manufacturers had the market cornered when it came to making simple vehicle chores, like changing the oil or replacing a battery, extremely complicated.  To change the battery on my old Ferrari Mondial Cabriolet, I had to remove the entire front end and one of the fenders.  In fact, every time something has been easy on one of our BMW's, I just assume that some engineer probably got fired for making it that way.

Unfortunately, Chevy decided to follow suit with the old C4 Corvettes.  I needed to change the battery and as I looked at it, it wasn't immediately obvious how to do it so I decided I'd add a post just in case anyone wanted to know.

Our Vette is a 1986 Pace Car, but I believe the process will be the same for any C4.

Here you see the problem.  They have wedged the battery into a small opening behind the left front wheel well.  There's obviously no way it comes out without removing either mechanical items or a body panel.  In this case, the answer is the body panel.

Here is the panel that needs to come out.  It is held in place by 2 bolts and 3 screws.  I'm not sure it matters what order you remove them in.

Here are the three screws holding the panel in place on the inner fender well.  They are Torx screws (or star screws if you prefer), but they aren't particularly tight so you can easily get them out with the correct sized allen wrench.  Tip:  If you turn the wheel all the way to the left before starting it's a little easier to get these out.

This bolt on top is pretty straight forward.  I found it easier to remove with a wrench than with a socket.

The bottom bolt is a little trickier.  If you lay down you can get a wrench on it and slowly loosen it.  Tip:  DO NOT remove the bolt!  This one doesn't need to come out, only be loosened.  If you did remove it you would have a tough time getting it back in.  Be careful when removing the panel - it's fiberglass so pay special attention to the tabs.

Once you get the panel off, removal of the battery is just three bolts away.  There is a tie-down bolt that is best removed by using a socket wrench with the right combination of extensions.  You'll see what I mean, but it has to be taller than the battery but shorter then the throttle cable housing above it.  After that, there are two battery connection points (+ and -) and it will just slide right out sideways.  I have a battery cut off switch attached to our car that you probably won't have so ignore that in the pictures.

Bonus Tip:  It seems like common sense, but make sure when you transport batteries - old or new - always have them in a container just in case.  Battery acid can ruin a trunk if it spills somehow.

 

 

When you put the new battery in, make sure it is well secured with the tie down.  These cars can corner at around 1g, and you don't want a battery banging around.  Also, make sure you don't over-tighten the battery connections.  If you strip one it can create some big problems.
 

When you put the panel back on, put all the screws and bolts in place before you tighten them all.  You have to align the panel perfectly before you crank it down.  I would start by tightening the three fender well screws - that will snug the panel up to the door.  Tighten the two bolts once you have your gaps to your satisfaction.  Make sure you check the door gap by opening it carefully the first time.

That's it.  Pretty simple of a job, although unnecessarily complicated to replace a battery in my opinion.