YFCvii

Power User
Beta
Oct 10, 2016
7,263
11,481
VetteCoins
814
Looking for great ideas/tools for easier lifting of the C7 Battery out of the tight cubby.
Trying to avoid the scratched/bruised knuckles that I got from wrestling out the
2016 battery as I gotta do our 2017 C7 before storage.
Thought I might as well post the question to see how others get this task accomplished.

Might do this as a simple photo thread for anyone thinking of replacing their C7 battery themselves
mainly just for knowing as a few things need to be removed/detached/reinstalled in the process.
There are a couple of things not shown on u-tube videos that can break if one is not careful.
 
Last edited:
Saw one in a friend's shop ... had no idea where to get one ... thank you.

I asked a weekend High School Student working at Canadian Tire about them
and I got the look of being from another planet ... geez. Didn't think of searching
CT online - just came here for this easy find.
Obviously the bin @ CT was empty where I went ... so now I know ... again Thx :thumbs:

download.png
 
Bought the Canadian Tire Battery carrying strap and it did the trick today 😁👍🏻

So might as well post my photos for those less inclined to do this for themselves.
Just for illustrating that it is not too hard to do. Seasoned DIY'ers can just ignore this thread.

You will need 10mm and 13mm sockets and and extender will come in handy so that the wrench
will not to create a contact for both terminals at the same time.
A plastic pry bar is helpful for lifting the carpet. A straight-slot screwdriver is needed.
 
Last edited:
Using the plastic (blue) pry tool (in photo) carefully lift the carpet and try not to kink the backing too badly and it will crack.

sidenote:
Why GM has this junk backing on these pricey cars is a crime ... especially for this task. I can only imagine how the
quick-to-get'er-dun GM service tech would not give a crap about the integrity of the backing.

sidenote:
Yes you see that I do have the GM tow bar in its place on the battery cover. Managed to find one for each of my C7s.

868D73BA-4D54-49CF-B802-DF21D8954AE3.jpeg
 
Last edited:
the bottom red cable needs detaching with a 13mm socket

the "L shape" part has two 13mm nuts that will need removing / loosening so that the "L shape" part can be moved to the side.

there are two 10mm nuts on each post to loosen in order to lift the post clamps off each post.

there is two 10mm nuts to remove the battery hold-down piece

2F70973D-7E7B-421B-B5C2-5D27BD1AEB76.jpeg
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 12cents
The over-flow tube needs to be carefully wiggled out & detached from the negative side of the battery.
This will be a piece that will easily break so be patiently careful for its removal.

C8BBC927-C557-4A9F-B390-D73706CADDEB.jpeg

A602D349-0CC2-45E8-9536-4A909A59F0BB.jpeg
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 12cents
Removed the 13mm nut from the red cable (at the bottom of the photo) and move the cable aside.

Removed the 13mm nut from the "L" shape piece nearest the positive terminal.

99E9510A-E857-4652-B469-02C34AEAADB7.jpeg
 
Last edited:
Loosen the "L" shape piece 13mm nut furthest from the positive terminal until you can lift
the other end off the positive clamp (shown)

BCDE6EE5-9FFF-4C38-8CD1-7DCD70A3440B.jpeg
 
Last edited:
Carefully use a straight slot screwdriver and you can pop off the top assembly off the battery.
Again be patient as to not break this plastic part. It will easily lift off once done correctly.

5BF3CE7E-EF58-4C33-9E6A-4730385A6939.jpeg
 
Last edited:
The top assembly can now be moved slightly to the left side of this photo as a few wires are still attached to it.

Use a 10mm socket to detach the negative terminal post clamp and move the black cable to the side.

Make sure the black cable does not pop back for it to reconnect to the negative terminal.

D2A78BCE-E6CE-48F8-9D61-076904A87410.jpeg
 
Last edited:
Two 10mm nuts can now be removed so the battery hold-down piece can be detached and placed to the side.
Again, plastic parts so be patient.

07C7869E-54FF-4722-BB94-C6497A0D78FF.jpeg
 
Last edited:
Carefully lift the battery out of the tight-for-large-hands cavity.

First time I did this, it was only a few days for the knuckles to start healing.

This is where I used the Canadian Tire Battery Carrying strap on the Second C7 - much easier & no injury.
I placed the strap on each terminal and lifted it up until I could reach in to help support and lift
the battery with the other hand. I would not advise to use the strap only for lifting - just in case
the battery escapes the device while lifting.

1BC06065-385B-43C0-9EF4-E432F4AF0D6D.jpeg
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: turbozig
Intermission ... to show the original battery that came with our 2017 C7 (on the Left)
and the replacement battery of which we had two choices. Chose the replacement
option with the higher Cold Cramp Amp (CCA) which has about a $280'ish MSRP cost.
I was able to negotiate a much lesser cost by a little more than 20%.

8EAC72EA-B4B1-459D-A7D3-17056019F82F.jpeg
 
Last edited:
Carefully place the replacement battery back into the cubby.
I did not use the battery carry strap as it would scratch/compromise the terminals
This is a new battery so I did not want to bear all the weight on the two terminals
by using the strap. So care must be taken not to pinch cables and other parts.
Reinstalled with a couple of fingers getting pinched - all good - I will heal.


D4A74AEF-BAF1-4C77-8457-2E855EDBE58F.jpeg
 
Last edited:

Users who are viewing this thread