How long before battery issue?
- Thread starter AaronLG
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panda24619
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just keep the engine running when the lights are on. i took a picture with all my lights on and the battery almost died. so dont think about it. or you can just let it kill the battery. and hook up a battery charger. solar or portable and let it sit for a few hours. then you should be good. get a volt meter and keep an eye on the battery too. just some hints. but i do recommend just keeping the truck on or just use the lights when needed.
KWT2000
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add a 2nd battery and make it a deep cycle with battery saver kit that way it only pulls off of the deep cycle and doesn't effect the car battery, and when you running the alt will charge them both but only one at a time
panda24619
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back to that. i wanna run dual batts. but dont want to get the kit. is there a wiring diagram some where? cause i want to put the 2nd battery under the body in the back. or put it in my drug holder latch. haha
KWT2000
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just run it in series with you original battery positive to positive and negitive to negitive and thats it... it will but more strain on the alt. thou
GAINMOB
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just buy some latterns or other lighting sources...buy a portable generator...power strip and gas...take your lamps and plug them in...
walnuts4x4
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I would only leave them on for a few minutes... because draining your battery and then using the alt to recharge it can put a lot of strain on the alt.... better to buy a coleman lantern that runs off propane and use the attachment for a 20lbs bbq tank.... can run lantern for days that way
GAINMOB
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make a fire...just take all the precaustions for distance...shielding...extinguishing...remember smokey the bear...ONLY YOU CAN PREVENT A FOREST FIRE!!!
All it takes is one match......
panda24619
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its summer. most places dont allow fires during the dry season. thats why i go to the desert. during the winter of course. haha
Thermo
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You can do this, but I personally do not recommend it. While logic says that you will get twice the length of time, you actually only get about 1.5 times (if not slightly less) before starting to cause damage to a battery (assuming you are sticking with starting batteries).
If you are wanting to go with running lights on your truck, then a dual battery setup is the way to go using a battery isolator. Then you keep the truck on the primary battery (standard starting battery) and you place your aux lights on the secondary battery (deep cycle battery). This way, you can run the lights until the battery is dead and then still be able to start up the truck with no issues. Sure, you can use a solenoid (ie, high current relay) to separate the batteries, but I have found that guys will either accidentally leave the batteries tied together and kill both of their batteries or they will end up at the desired place and still have a dead secondary battery. The battery isolator essentially makes it idiot proof as it does everything automatically.
Panda, if you are looking at doing a dual battery setup, talk to me. LIke I have mentioned above, going with a battery isolator is key. The other modification that you will need to do is to move the tan wire off of the starter solenoid and move it over to the primary battery. This will provide the input to the alternator field to allow the alternator to function properly.
If you get a battery isolator, you will see 3 large posts on top. One of them will be labeled "Input" or "IN". This is where the wire from the alternator needs to be attached. The other 2 posts will be labeled either "Primary" or "1" and the other post "Secondary" or "2". You want your starting battery (what powers the main stuff of the truck like the computers, starter, etc) to be off of the primary battery. Most isolators make sure that the primary battery gets all the power it needs and then sends the rest of the needed power over to the secondary battery.
I can go into long discussions about this. The setup is pretty straight forward. Normally the "hard" part for most is creating a bracket to mount the two batteries in. But, in your case, if you are mounting it in the rear, it makes things easier. Just keep in mind that the battery in the back is your secondary battery and to wire it accordingly. I would also recommend running atleast a 4 gauge wire between the isolator and the secondary positive post to handle the large current load and distance. Seeing up to 100 amps going to the secondary battery when it is fully discharged is not going to be uncommon.
panda24619
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so i CAN run the 2nd to the rear. and ive found some kits that use 1 gauge or 0 gauge cables. but would i also need a better/bigger alt?
KWT2000
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yes you can, jc whitney and summit racing have battery relocation kits which come with the wiring and all..
if you use a battery saver kit your stock alt will be fine other wise a bigger one will be in order
if you use a battery saver kit your stock alt will be fine other wise a bigger one will be in order
panda24619
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all right cool then ill do that. thanks for all this. wasnt sure if i could do a relocation kit with a 2nd battery. now i know. thanks.
Thermo
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Panda, as long as your lights are not flashing/dimming now with your current setup, you should be good with the dual battery setup. If your lights are flashing, send me the info on what you have and I will calculate out the size alternator you need at a minimum.
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