Following on from a question on gel v wet batteries I have managed to get a battery to allow us to get back to the UK for our MoT next Tuesday.
But now a big problem, the space available to get the battery through the engine cover is inadequate with either the radiator in situ or the RH engine cover hinge support bracket remaining bonded to the body.
It is possible to get the battery through the opening on the RH side if it can be dragged across the top of the header tank (the header tank and side tank below it would have to support 27 kgs of moving battery) but not happy to do that. Looking at the radiator and a drawing of it the header tank is an integral part of the radiator side tank, the side tank is connected to the alloy rad core and it all sits in 2 pins at the base.
I think getting the old battery out and the new in can easily damage the radiator if not removed, removing the hinge support bracket looks easier and modern fixatives are probably as strong if not as rigid to re-bong it, but this does feel as though it's extreme just to change a battery.
Have I missed something here, how do others change this battery?
It's an early 2006 (model range 2000 - 2006) B680 on a 416 CDI Mercedes Sprinter base
Thanks for any help, ideas very gratefully received