Hey 12V gurus! Need some input and advice from y’all. I’m very new to automotive wiring so apologies for any poor explanations.
Here’s what I have, installed by PO in a 2003 100 series:
1. 100Ah deep cycle Group 31 AGM Dual Purpose battery by X2Power (this one). This is one and only battery.
2. What appears to be 10 gauge (though I don’t have a device to measure) wire off a Slee battery terminal wired to a accessory fuse block via the passenger gutter. It has a 15 amp inline fuse right at the battery. Ground wire runs back along the same pathway.
3. In the rear quarter panel the wire goes through a Blue sea on/off switch then into a 4 fuse block which then sends power to a volt meter, a USB port, and an Anderson PowerPole. The wiring of the switch panel is higher gauge (10 or 12 is my best guess), but the PowerPole itself is smaller gauge albeit a very short run from the fuse block.
4. Edgestar FP630 running off the PowerPole fixture. The manual for the fridge states it pulls 65W.
The problem I am currently having started during a cross country road trip through the south (hot) where we’d wake up to the fridge temp in the 40s and the compressor shut off even though the truck ran all day and battery reads 12.4-12.6V depending on how long it has been sitting. (Just learned about AGM batteries not fully charging by an alternator so “smart” battery charger will be arriving soon). With the key off as soon as the fridge compressor kicks on the voltage at the battery drops ~0.2-0.3V (~12.3V), but there is a drop of 0.8-1V from that reading to the voltage at the panel making it register 11.2-11.5V. Measuring the voltage at the back of the power cable as it plugs into the fridge can read as low as 10.4V causing it to shut itself off to save the battery.
I understand that there is voltage drop from the connectors and wiring, so my plan is to re-wire it to solve these issues. I am thinking of:
1. Removing the switch since it utilizes spade connectors that I am not a fan of and adds additional wiring that is probably not necessary.
2. Replacing the main power wire with a larger gauge (more on this later).
3. Attach the main power supply wire directly to the fuse panel with a quality ring terminal.
4. Purchase a 100-140W portable solar kit to be able to have the truck sit for more than 1-2 nights or even indefinitely in the right circumstances. Gotta love the cold nights in Colorado!
Should this solve my issues? Would just getting the battery charger and getting it good and topped off before heading out in the bush fix it all? This problem wasn’t present before, developed after owning the truck a few years, so does the battery need replaced? EDIT - Or maybe there’s an issue with the fridge causing it to pull more amps than it should?
At risk of packing too much into one thread, I also want to “future proof” any wiring that I place so want to think about the final goal for the 12V in the truck. Ultimately having a large Ah (100+) LiFePO4 battery in the rear to run the fridge and any scene lighting I might want to add with an isolator/charge controller to the starter and an easy way to hook up the solar would be ideal. So last question to that end: could an 8 awg wire serve to link the starter battery to a LiFePO4 house battery in the rear using a charge controller like those made by Redarc/Victron/etc? Or does that have to be the big honkin 1 or 0 battery cable? As in could I utilize the wire providing power to my switch panel as the connector in a future dual battery system?
Sorry for the novel! Appreciate any input even basics since I’m a newb.
Here’s what I have, installed by PO in a 2003 100 series:
1. 100Ah deep cycle Group 31 AGM Dual Purpose battery by X2Power (this one). This is one and only battery.
2. What appears to be 10 gauge (though I don’t have a device to measure) wire off a Slee battery terminal wired to a accessory fuse block via the passenger gutter. It has a 15 amp inline fuse right at the battery. Ground wire runs back along the same pathway.
3. In the rear quarter panel the wire goes through a Blue sea on/off switch then into a 4 fuse block which then sends power to a volt meter, a USB port, and an Anderson PowerPole. The wiring of the switch panel is higher gauge (10 or 12 is my best guess), but the PowerPole itself is smaller gauge albeit a very short run from the fuse block.
4. Edgestar FP630 running off the PowerPole fixture. The manual for the fridge states it pulls 65W.
The problem I am currently having started during a cross country road trip through the south (hot) where we’d wake up to the fridge temp in the 40s and the compressor shut off even though the truck ran all day and battery reads 12.4-12.6V depending on how long it has been sitting. (Just learned about AGM batteries not fully charging by an alternator so “smart” battery charger will be arriving soon). With the key off as soon as the fridge compressor kicks on the voltage at the battery drops ~0.2-0.3V (~12.3V), but there is a drop of 0.8-1V from that reading to the voltage at the panel making it register 11.2-11.5V. Measuring the voltage at the back of the power cable as it plugs into the fridge can read as low as 10.4V causing it to shut itself off to save the battery.
I understand that there is voltage drop from the connectors and wiring, so my plan is to re-wire it to solve these issues. I am thinking of:
1. Removing the switch since it utilizes spade connectors that I am not a fan of and adds additional wiring that is probably not necessary.
2. Replacing the main power wire with a larger gauge (more on this later).
3. Attach the main power supply wire directly to the fuse panel with a quality ring terminal.
4. Purchase a 100-140W portable solar kit to be able to have the truck sit for more than 1-2 nights or even indefinitely in the right circumstances. Gotta love the cold nights in Colorado!
Should this solve my issues? Would just getting the battery charger and getting it good and topped off before heading out in the bush fix it all? This problem wasn’t present before, developed after owning the truck a few years, so does the battery need replaced? EDIT - Or maybe there’s an issue with the fridge causing it to pull more amps than it should?
At risk of packing too much into one thread, I also want to “future proof” any wiring that I place so want to think about the final goal for the 12V in the truck. Ultimately having a large Ah (100+) LiFePO4 battery in the rear to run the fridge and any scene lighting I might want to add with an isolator/charge controller to the starter and an easy way to hook up the solar would be ideal. So last question to that end: could an 8 awg wire serve to link the starter battery to a LiFePO4 house battery in the rear using a charge controller like those made by Redarc/Victron/etc? Or does that have to be the big honkin 1 or 0 battery cable? As in could I utilize the wire providing power to my switch panel as the connector in a future dual battery system?
Sorry for the novel! Appreciate any input even basics since I’m a newb.
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