ARB Refrigerator wiring in a 200-series

[rhllc]

Just wondering if anyone had any hints for wiring in a always on circuit directly from the battery for an ARB fridge in a 200-Series. Using fuses and appropriately gauged wire of course.

Is there a convenient place to run wires from the battery through the firewall?

Is there good route for a pair of reasonable gauge wires through the interior from the firewall without having to pull every trim panel?

Thanks,

-Rick

 

[ethernectar]

Just ran mine through the gasket in the firewall, then down along the floor sills. Shoved it under the rear side compartment paneling. Same with the HAM antenna cable.

 

[Cruiserdrew]

If you only plan the 1 circuit, then a 10 gauge marine duplex wire will work perfectly. 30 amp fuse at the battery, of course. The fridge by itself is a very small load, so with 10 gauge, your voltage drop should be pretty small.

The better way to do this would be an 8 ga. (or 6 ga) duplex wire feeding a fuse panel inside your 200, then run the fridge circuit from there. You can fuse the 8 gauge with a 60 amp fuse at the battery.

The door sills I think will have an existing plastic channel. There should be enough room to get your wire in there.

That will leave you a bunch of other circuits which you will want eventually for camp lighting, charging, etc.

 

[rhllc]

Thanks for the responses. I'm looking into the 10 gauge down the floor sill approach.

 

[BulletHead]

Why not use the cig. outlet in the rear?

I'm assuming not because that outlet is not powered ON if vehicle is off?

 

[hankinid]

Why not use the cig. outlet in the rear?

I'm assuming not because that outlet is not powered ON if vehicle is off?

That's one reason.

The others are wire gauge going to the outlet in the rear and fusing. Beyond that, cig-lighter type connectors, even good stuff like Blue Sea or Hella, are rated for 10A max. The reefer needs it's own dedicated circuit.

Steve

 

[Cruiserdrew]

The cig lighter makes a poor and high resistance contact. I've see them heat up enough to partially melt the socket.

Plus with the small wiring, you get a significant voltage drop. Newer fridges in particular do not like that.

 

[Romer]

My build thread shows how I ran the wiring. I have drawers, but it would be easy for you to put the socket in the plastic over the wheels in back. I used 10 gauge wire and ran it through the grommet on the passenger side firewall. There is an example pic in the FAQ as well

Romer's 200 Build Thread

 

[1toy]

minimum 10 gauge wire. And be sure to get a good ground! scrape some paint if need be.

 

[BulletHead]

What's the typical current draw at steady-state for these modular fridges?

 

[Cruiserdrew]

What's the typical current draw at steady-state for these modular fridges?

3-5 amps when running, typical duty cycle is about 30% unless its really hot.

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

I have been using Toyota factory outlet refeed with larger wire #10 for years, fused at 10A. Frig running amperage <5 is well within the capabilities of the factory outlet if you are melting it you have other problems.
When running larger wire I would definitely not fuse the wire in excess of the the outlet rated capacity. Blue Sea is the only outlet I found with a 15A rating and most factory outlet are rated at 10A.

 

[Cruiserdrew]

Even better to eliminate the fridge plug entirely. They just rattle out and fail at the worst possible time. Much better to use a power pole type hook up and not worry about the ampacity of an outdated fixture like fridge plug.

 

[rhllc]

Thanks for all the suggestions. Running 10 gauge in the wiring channel on the drivers side wasn't too much work. Took a while to remove all the trim, but once it was out of the way things went easily. For now I just left the wires coming out through one of the holes left by the 3rd row seat removal. I added Powerpole connectors. At some point I may install a Powerpole outlet in the side panel. Will depend on how much I use the ARB in the Land Cruiser.

I'm a big Powerpole fan. My fridge plug had already been converted.

I've had problems with voltage drop out of the cigarette lighter on other vehicles. Voltage drop is not an issue with 10 gauge and both +/- wired directly to the battery. (I fused both...)

Until I get a 2nd battery I don't plan on running the fridge for extended periods with the engine off. But I was annoyed it was turning off and on with the ignition.

I probably should start thinking about installing a Ham radio....

-Rick

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Which plug is your ARB using?

ARB (direct fridge Ie post Engel rebadge) initially used a Hella plug with a red cigarette lighter/12V adapter. The Hella was better than the standard 12v but could still wiggle loose, get pulled out, etc. More recently they moved to the Posi-fit connector, which is the same style used by Engel for many years. It's a two prong plug that screws snug into receptacle, zero ability to wiggle loose and a great connection.

Retrofitting to an earlier fridge is as easy as buying a cord. They still include a 12v outlet adapter. The new ARB fridge harness kits come with this style receptacle and spare receptacles are also available.

 

[mark71]

Great info for us fridge newbies. Thanx.

 

[surfingpl]

I looked at this thread before I started my wiring, and want to add a couple images that might be helpful.