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- #201
I have a Alpicool fridge I have ran in my camper for about 3 years and loved. I am finally installing a Secop compressor fridge in the camper, so the Alpicool was available and I have grown to hate ice, so I wanted to set the 4runner up with an aux battery electrical system for all the electronics. Someone had given me a mastervolt 40A battery isolator for free, so things were falling into line. With the increased demand of 40A charging an aux battery, the electronic fan, increased lighting, and a winch, I wanted to make sure I wasn't going to burn out an alternator.
I got a Quality Power 160Amp alternator and installed it, as well as ripped out the stock charge wire, starter wire, engine and chassis ground, and replaced them all with 4 gauge. I do wonder how this alt will hold up. It's the same OEM body and definitely has a smaller pulley for higher RPM. It looked like roughly the same windings in there... We will see.
I ran 4 guage through a breaker and to the Mastervolt isolator. Made a bracket that sits it behind the wall panel. Got a 100AH LiFePO4 battery and made a place to secure it next to my spares/toolbox. Put a cheap switch/cig lighter/USB panel on the system and have that powering the fridge, some bed lights, and soundbar in the rear for now. I also pulled the wire for my Ham radio up front back here so I can leave it on when in camp and not worry.
Put the whole auxiliary battery system on a Renogy shunt so I can monitor usage. My bed panels are original 1984 and are threashed, so I wasn't picky about mounting this and the switch panel. I will make some ABS or thin steel ones eventually.
My trusty footlocker from my hooch in Afghanistan is still getting use. Now it's a trunk box for camp gear. Here's the whole setup. I ran the fridge in the Sierra for 3 days straight without starting the truck and used 52% battery. It burns significantly more power, as expected, when running down in the Sacramento valley during summer, but it still good for a couple days before you want to run the engine to charge.
I got a Quality Power 160Amp alternator and installed it, as well as ripped out the stock charge wire, starter wire, engine and chassis ground, and replaced them all with 4 gauge. I do wonder how this alt will hold up. It's the same OEM body and definitely has a smaller pulley for higher RPM. It looked like roughly the same windings in there... We will see.
I ran 4 guage through a breaker and to the Mastervolt isolator. Made a bracket that sits it behind the wall panel. Got a 100AH LiFePO4 battery and made a place to secure it next to my spares/toolbox. Put a cheap switch/cig lighter/USB panel on the system and have that powering the fridge, some bed lights, and soundbar in the rear for now. I also pulled the wire for my Ham radio up front back here so I can leave it on when in camp and not worry.
Put the whole auxiliary battery system on a Renogy shunt so I can monitor usage. My bed panels are original 1984 and are threashed, so I wasn't picky about mounting this and the switch panel. I will make some ABS or thin steel ones eventually.
My trusty footlocker from my hooch in Afghanistan is still getting use. Now it's a trunk box for camp gear. Here's the whole setup. I ran the fridge in the Sierra for 3 days straight without starting the truck and used 52% battery. It burns significantly more power, as expected, when running down in the Sacramento valley during summer, but it still good for a couple days before you want to run the engine to charge.
