Dual Battery Install-Way Verbose

[YngTLCOwner]

What battary did you end up using Tim?

 

[Cruiserdrew]

Nakman-glad it worked out! Could you detail what exactly fried your Hellroaring unit with the camper battery? Any 12 volt battery should have worked. I'm about to buy another for my FJ60 as I have liked the one in the 80 so much.

For everyone else, after 6 months of intermittant use, the Hellroaring unit is great. It works as advertized with no "issues".

 

[Rich]

I'd expect that shorting out the aux battery resulted in more current passing through the combiner than it could handle. Overload, overheat, burned out.

 

[desertdude]

...and to ad - those terminals on the HR unit are quite close - special attention is needed to keep those from touching.

 

[firetruck41]

Definitely turn that battery around, so the terminals are farther from the hood and better protected. I wish I had a dual bat set up :^(

 

[Beowulf]

[HiJack-on]
Nakman,
There are a couple other non-stock items in your engine bay. What's that do-hickey between the air filter canister and the washer bottle? And what's that between the air filter canister and the engine?
[HiJack-off]

-B-

 

[desertdude]

can I guess? a light and an engine manifold meal cooker

 

[cruiserdan]

He cooks his burritos in that basket.... Note the thermometer as well..

 

[blu 60]

SO, a group 31 Optima fits, that's good news, but does an Odyssey 1700, http://www.odysseybatteries.com/battery/pc1700mjt.htm

Shows to be 1/4" wider than the Optima.

Herman in Houston

 

[Cruiserdrew]

Not sure

On the 1700-Others have said that they do fit. I installed one as a trial at a "truck accessories store" and it did not fit. It is simply too wide. I remember the incident well because I cut the sh*t out of my finger on the body lip just above the battery.

 

[re_guderian]

Everytime I see pics of battery installs without terminal covers I cringe. I cover the negative post in addition to the positive post in order to minimize the possibilty of crowbaring the terminals together with a mishandled tool.

I'm in the middle of installing my Hellroaring unit. Found some military/marine style terminal covers at www.stellmar.com, price was reasonable. They also have some other terminal covers I ordered to cover the connections on the Hellroaring unit itself. I'll post up pics when I get them on.

 

[RavenTai]

Well a 1700 can be installed in an 80 but not drop in, "fit" is a relative term in this case. The install I saw pictures of the sides were drilled to let the hold downs pass through.

Easiest and best IMO is to get group 27 batteries that the tray was designed for.

 

[nakman]

Hijack: Yes, one item is the oven, the other is the oven light. Come on a run with us some time, you'll never go home hungry.

I ended up going with the Exide Select Orbital from Checker in the #1 spot, then put Uncle Ben's old battery is the 2nd tray. And I agree, the terminals on the Helloraring unit are VERY close.. I wish they were further apart.

And to clarify on the short, it didn't have anything to do with the type of battery, just the location of the terminals. I couldn't flip it around and install it the other way because my ground cable was too short, so the positive terminal is the one closest to the fender.

And I agree terminal covers are a good idea, will do that shortly.

 

[Aids10]

Me Likey

 

[MARKTLC80]

Those Blue top Optima's are nice. I had one in the truck same as Drew here, but kept getting this power drain (posted sometime back) my boy had flipped my high/low beam Hella switch and that left my relay on 24/7, also had my CB booster running. By the time I realized what it was, it had already drained the optima dead, I was about to leave out of town, so I threw the trickle 2 amp charger on it. It over charged my second battery (non deep cell as Drew has setup) and when I returned I could smell sulfer in the garage. I figured and have read else where that by using a regular battery and a deep cell is what caused it. So I went to replace my normal battery I had as backup, problem was that big ole optima would not fit in my (where spare tire used to be) battery box. So I ended up buying two new red top's. I'll save that big blue for the boat.

Yomama

My red Optima dose the same thing. Is that normal with optimas??