Dual Battery Install, Alternator and Alternator Wiring Upgrade

[Ranger4657]

soulda just ran the 0 ga for alt upgrades, when i first built my system i used small wires and by the time i learned about thease upgrades it occured to me to go big or go home, simply because if you ever decide to go to a high output or bigger system/ audio battey it costs less to have already gone the biggest you can go.. the plastic ring around the 95a alt. wont allow for that big of a connection so i just took out the dremel and cut the red shit off to allow for 0 ga wire. never regret it although i still have searious current drawls that i know my alt or bat cant support. and i hate to say it, but riping the old 10 ga wire out was kinda a mistake in two ways, one if you ever sell your truck all your wire investments wil go with it, and two if you wired wrong and it has more restiance you will never be asured by the stock 10 ga wire... but every RVB to his own, congrats on the upgrade!

 

[Ranger#1]

and two if you wired wrong and it has more restiance you will never be assured by the stock 10 ga wire... but every RVB to his own, congrats on the upgrade!

i think 0 is a bit much but 1 would have bin nice i don't quite get what i quoted if its about having my fuses set up the way i did than yea i do get it I'm eventually gonna go up to the 140 ampere and i think the 4 ga will handle it i wanna go bigger but i don't know i think it would be cool to start selling my alt upgrade as a kit i would be really interested in that i think on here i could maby get a few orders i don't know tho i would have to talk to Jim and see if he is cool with that but first i have to get some more knowledge form some masters

calling bob Ayers here's your chance to school a 18 yo

 

[AllanD]

u musta not read the entie thing but i have an 80a breaker on it

a breaker does not prevent the "high" battery from attempting to "charge" the "low" battery

Batteries connected in parallel without isolation MUST be identical or the system will give you nothing but aggrevation.

a battery isolator used DIODES (a sort of electrical check valve)
to prevent the two batteries from draining each other.

the short alternator "Rat tail" (harness) is easily replaceabme with another from a junkyard donor.. just be sure to grab it off a 1993-94 Explorer becasue they used a doubled fuseable link.

frankly a bigger wire to the alternator is a complete waste of effort because the alternator can only produce so much...

Using 2ga wire off the alternator is like using the alaska
pipeline to fill your ranger's gastank.

Using 1ga or #0? that's just nutz.


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[Ranger#1]

a breaker does not prevent the "high" battery from attempting to "charge" the "low" battery

Batteries connected in parallel without isolation MUST be identical or the system will give you nothing but aggrevation.

a battery isolator used DIODES (a sort of electrical check valve)
to prevent the two batteries from draining each other.

the short alternator "Rat tail" (harness) is easily replaceabme with another from a junkyard donor.. just be sure to grab it off a 1993-94 Explorer becasue they used a doubled fuseable link.

frankly a bigger wire to the alternator is a complete waste of effort because the alternator can only produce so much...

Using 2ga wire off the alternator is like using the alaska
pipeline to fill your ranger's gastank.

Using 1ga or #0? that's just nutz.


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yeaaay knowledge thx the breaker is just used to open and close the circuit really most of the time its open and on long trips ill close it so it will charge why is 2 ga overkill can u really flow 60 amps though 10 ga safely and for an extended period of time

 

[Frank The Tank]

On our tractors... if one battery goes bad, "it don't start"........ that's about it. If you wanna get crazy, I'd stick a good spare in a toolbox, and charge it every couple months. Or just buy a Red-Yellow-Top. I have a lot of experience with non-isolated batteries and heartbreak.

BTW-is that emo chick your gf? the others were too depressed to let you photo them?

Frank

 

[Will]

You should definately not use your starting battery to run entertainment loads at the lake. I would definately seperate the batteries into 2 banks with a battery switch ($30) between them.

But you still run the risk of passing out drunk and having someone else flip the switch to the starting battery when the tunes conk out at 3am. So that makes the isolator ($30) an inviting prospect. With the isolator you can put all of the entertainment loads on only the new battery and the starting battery will never see those loads.

The only problem with the isolator is that it has resistance in it and reduces charging voltage by a volt or something. So the best thing is to use a combiner ($60) which connects the batteries together while charging and disconnects them while not charging. This device doesn't have a voltage drop. I would still keep the banks seperate without a switch and also, you must use a deep-cycle battery for the entertainment load. A starting battery has thin plates with lots of area for a brief high current. They won't last more than a dozen or so deep cycles.

 

[Ranger#1]

You should definitely not use your starting battery to run entertainment loads at the lake. I would definitely separate the batteries into 2 banks with a battery switch ($30) between them.

But you still run the risk of passing out drunk and having someone else flip the switch to the starting battery when the tunes conk out at 3am. So that makes the isolator ($30) an inviting prospect. With the isolator you can put all of the entertainment loads on only the new battery and the starting battery will never see those loads.

The only problem with the isolator is that it has resistance in it and reduces charging voltage by a volt or something. So the best thing is to use a combiner ($60) which connects the batteries together while charging and disconnects them while not charging. This device doesn't have a voltage drop. I would still keep the banks separate without a switch and also, you must use a deep-cycle battery for the entertainment load. A starting battery has thin plates with lots of area for a brief high current. They won't last more than a dozen or so deep cycles.

1 i don't use the cranking bat for a replacement deep cycle i understand your point there
2 i don't drink lol
3 a batt switch would be ideal because i could just switch on batt #2 A DEP CYCLE but space is kinda limited sooo the best place would be under the hood next the fender but lol there's just not enough room and i would use a perko brand one they seem alot firmer and better than any other i have used and some models come with a key smart thinking lol=]
4 iv never quite known how thees isolators work i under stand the concept of a diode its like a check valve but how should i mach the size of one to my needs and how are they wired
5 a separator seems like a cool toy to have but you could do the same thing with a switch correct

 

[Will]

4- The alternator output which charges the battery goes to the isolator and then a seperate charging wire from the isolator goes to each battery. Nowhere else in the vehicle should the battery positives connect--each battery has it's own circuits. The exception could be a heavy switch between them to allow the house battery to jump the starting battery in an emergency. I wouldn't bother though. It works just like you said--the alternator output goes splits off through two diodes check-valves--one to each battery. The electricity to that battery can't come back through. There is no need to match the isolator except to make sure it is rated for at least your alternator output. a 100amp isolator would be suitable.

5- That's like saying you don't need a smoke alarm because if you smell smoke, you just run out of the house. Leaving control of the battery charging up to a human brain is a risk. If the batteries are there to do different jobs--one is a deep-cycle for house loads and one is a starting battery--that switch is a weak link in the system. If they are doing the same job--you need more current for starting a diesel engine or operating a winch--then they should just be parallelled without a switch.

The normal use of the switch is to hook all of the house loads (a fused power strip or circut panel) to one battery seperately from the switch--in your case, whatever things you will have on when the engine is turned off. The switch controls which battery is connected to the vehicle wiring. If A is the starting battery and B is the house battery while you were running the engine you would have the switch on Both to charge both batteries. When you got to the lake, you would turn the switch to anything but Both to make sure the starting battery wasn't draining into the house battery while it powered your entertainment circuits. OFF would mean the truck couldn't be started. The only advantage to the switch is that you can start the truck off the house battery. This can also be done if you add an On/Off battery switch between the positive terminals through 00 wire. With only an isolator you might need only a #10 charging wire running back to it, and then back from it to your panel.

 

[Ranger#1]

aparently lol i kno it sucks lol

 

[COPPERHEAD85]

I have used the set up with an isolator for a couple of years with no problem,in the process of upgrading it now.

 

[AllanD]

Typical Diodes have a Voltage drop of about 1.2Volts and thus so do the isolators.


however if you shop for a better isolator, one labeled as a Schottky Diode Isolator
(named for the Schottky Diodes used) they will typically have a voltage drop of ~0.4V

Schottky Isolators can often be found in junkyard ambulances to isolate their batteries.
and as ambulances typically have high output alternators....

Anyone looking for a three bolt mount Leese-Neville 200amp alternator?

It will not mount to a 4.0 unless you neglect to install BOTH the passenger side valve cover and rocker shaft

It would mount nicely on the drivers side mount used on later ('92-ish up) 2.3 engines.

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[COPPERHEAD85]

^^^ Thats why I'm replacing the one I have now.It's a 80amp I believe(auto zone).Going to a 140 amp made by Quickcable its a Schottky(or GM style).Theres a write up I started a little while ago in the electrical forums.Haven't had time to finish it,dads been in the hospital.

 

[Ranger#1]

im thinking about taking out my breaker for my aux batt and puttin in a ford style starter relay in its place and rinning a swich up to the dash and so on for my my main batt so its easy to turn it on and off also what kind of draw am i looking at to keep the relay collapsed and then running the breaker for my alt

 

[High Desert Ranger]

im thinking about taking out my breaker for my aux batt and puttin in a ford style starter relay in its place and rinning a swich up to the dash and so on for my my main batt so its easy to turn it on and off also what kind of draw am i looking at to keep the relay collapsed and then running the breaker for my alt

You could be slick and wire in a ON-OFF-ON switch with ON on circuit going to the RUN position of the ignition switch and leave the switch in that position normally, and the other side to the spare battery for in time when the main battery is dead.

 

[Ranger#1]

i thaught about that too but then u couldent use both at all times