Battery box cover fasteners

[OLdchuck]

Maybe a stupid question but why bother with the cover? On my two other vehicles I keep the covers off to make it easier to use tender and get to battery if needed. One of my cars has a complete engine cover and I hated to take on and off as feared the tabs would eventually break so just removed and stored it. Is there any reason to have the cover on other than to give you issues?

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[Torched10]

Maybe a stupid question but why bother with the cover? On my two other vehicles I keep the covers off to make it easier to use tender and get to battery if needed. One of my cars has a complete engine cover and I hated to take on and off as feared the tabs would eventually break so just removed and stored it. Is there any reason to have the cover on other than to give you issues?

Batteries don't like heat.
The cover keeps the battery from getting warm from the engine bay heat.

 

[OLdchuck]

Does that plastic cover really insulate that much?
Not trying to give you a hard time but it seems like a thin plastic cover would not do that much.
I realize that one of my cars is a mid engine so it would not matter for a front battery. The other I figure the full engine cover would also act to hold the engine heat in but I guess you have a point in the Mustang. I have heard they build up a lot of heat and perhaps a heat escape vent might be useful.

 

[m3incorp]

I'm guessing the battery in my Fusion must not mind the heat, since it didn't come with a cover . I have a feeling the cover is an "appearance" item that arrived with all the other plastic covers that have become the norm.

 

[OLdchuck]

James, I am thinking like you. Nowadays, it is fashionable not to have a view of the engine. Being old school I find that annoying as I like to do a "look and see" every few days and want everything in clear view. Also, most all the modern clips etc. are very brittle and cost far more than you would expect to replace. Plastic is everywhere under the hoods.
Don't get me started on the composite oil pan and plastic drain plug....

 

[Elp_jc]

Maybe a stupid question but why bother with the cover?

It does help a little with the heat, and the engine bay looks much better as well, so a double-win in my book. I just installed an Optimate pigtail, so no need to remove the cover to charge the battery. I'll snap a pic for you and attach it later today.

 

[OLdchuck]

JC,
I have an Optima pigtail for my chargers and yes it would be a solution to charging with the cover on.
You could also go to a better battery like the Odyssey Performance 96R as the thin plate Odysseys handle high heat much better than traditional wet cells so although above 200F for long periods can cause discharge in all batteries the Performance and Extreme series Odysseys do fare far better. They are also far superior to the standard Ford Mustang battery. Know the price is not cheap at $260 but given what most spend on mods, not that much..
Or you could use the pig tail and take the chances with the plastic cover keeping the battery cool.

 

[ORRadtech]

So, this is what I've come up with for a more permanent solution

The jack nut should tighten down unobtrusively, I'd paint them to match whatever they mount in and the thumb screw should screw down flat, hold the cover and still be easy to remove in a hurry if need be.
The tinkerer in me wants to try to see how it works but the realist in me says it doesn't really accomplish anything because I'm pretty sure I'd just drop the thumb screws.
I guess that for now I'll just stay with the plastic push clips - until they push me off.
As to the cover itself, I'd suspect that it's mostly for aesthetics. But I will say that when I replaced my battery it looked clean and new. No corrosion or build up on the terminals or battery so, perhaps, it's also meant to keep it from the elements?

 

[Serenity24]

I actually just replaced mine today. I bought my vert used and they were missing. I got 3 of them that are supposedly genuine ford parts and I only paid $9 for them on ebay free shipping. I even got a receipt that looked like it came from a Ford parts dealer. I wish I still had it but I got these in about 3 weeks ago and I threw away the packaging. Barely got to putting them on today as its been at the dealer for a few weeks . They seem to work fine. Im pretty sure I saw cheaper on ebay but when I saw that they were from the US and supposedly genuine I figured $9 with free shipping was a decent deal. Its one of those things that I put on and will end up forgetting about.

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