auxiliary battery
Submitted: Monday, May 24, 2004 at 19:19
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Member - Trevor
Any help on this one will be appreciated.
Last year I fitted an auxiliary battery into the 4WD.
The only place I could find was up under the rear guard where there was enough room to fit a smallish deep cycle battery.
I don’t know what size it was and it didn’t last very long.
I have now got to the stage of replacing said dead battery which was used to run the cooler, a fluorescent light and a transfer fuel pump.
When I started investigating the alternatives last years auto electrician now tells me I need a battery the same construction as the main battery which is one of things you pay a fortune for and can’t add any electrolyte.
The next guy tells me I need a battery the same size as the original which is huge and impractical due to limited space.
The charger system is some fancy thing which is supposed to balance everything and not foul up the fuel injection.
Can I fit a battery in the limited space and install a switch so that the system only works when it is under load?
Any solutions would be worth a go.
I am sure some one else out there must have had a similar problem so if you can help I would really appreciate it.
Regards,
Trev
Reply By: Rosco - Bris. - Monday, May 24, 2004 at 20:05
Monday, May 24, 2004 at 20:05
G'Day Trev
Been down a similar road it would seem. When I set up our rig with dual batts recently, it was pointed out by a number of batt smart ppls that you are best with 2 similar type batteries.
In my case ... similar to yours the OE batt was of the gel sealed type. True .. very exxy but in my case it was the best option in any event ....
1. Safety ... both are in the passenger compartment .. under herself's butt.
2. By the time I'd fitted both the bludgers in, there was little room left for a dead budgie, so the last thing I needed was to
check the electrolyte level on a weekly basis. Cram in and forget about 'em 'til they die.
So, in answer to your 2nd question I'd have to say no ... based on my similar experience.
Cheers
AnswerID:
59954
Follow Up By: Rosco - Bris. - Tuesday, May 25, 2004 at 08:11
Tuesday, May 25, 2004 at 08:11
P.S. Beware of a manual switch if your rig has a black box.
One spike and you've blown the ECU.
FollowupID:
321619
Reply By: -OzyGuy- - Tuesday, May 25, 2004 at 15:48
Tuesday, May 25, 2004 at 15:48
Use a Deep Cycle battery because they are what run best with the fridge IFF you are using the fridge for more than a few days at a time.. with decent cable the battery can be placed in the back of the vehicle in a decent battery box.
Only use a Cranking battery if it is recharged daily or every second day max.
Use absolute minium of 6mm wire, bigger the better, to eliminate voltage drop to basicly zero.
Use either a 3 position manual switch eg, Off, One or Both batteries connected, go 4 position if desired, and have it wired under the dash where you can change them over as required while driving and connect a battery voltage guage to the second battery to see when it requires charging, OR find out what brand of Isolator you have, it may be fancy and also fantastic.
AnswerID:
60084
Reply By: Member - Jeff M (WA) - Tuesday, May 25, 2004 at 16:46
Tuesday, May 25, 2004 at 16:46
I have a 17 plate cranking battery as a starter and a 4 plate deep cycle as an aux. I eliminate overcharge problems by running all my accesories off the deep cycle all the time. ie Radio, internal lights, CD/MP3 plater, laptop, GPS etc etc.
Works a treat, have a digital volt meter on dash that is switchable between the two bateries, keeps me aware of charge rates and levels and they work great. With the deep cycles, I always give it a good long charge overnight with a 240v car charger before we go away, it'll sit at 13v at rest that way, until the cooler starts sucking it dry anyway! ;-) Gives me about 0.5 of a volt more, which is a fair bit if I give it a 10 hour charge before we leave. While driving around town it sits at
13.8v-14v even at idle within 10 minutes of stopping it's dropped back to about 13v.
I use a jaycar electronic battery isolater kit, cost about $60 for the kit which you build youself. Easy to install, no switchs to worry about, it takes care of everything for you, trickle charges, priorities starter charging etc etc.
AnswerID:
60089