over the last couple of weeks i have noticed that my lights were getting a bit dim,car would start ok and sometimes my oil light would stay on..monday morning battery died ,so ive decided i will put a duel battery set-up in. patrol in question is a series iv with abs and stuff everywhere under the bonnet.

what type of setup is recommended and what size/ type of battery can i use.

thanks

ian

I suppose you need to start by asking your self a few questions..

1. Did you want to winch?

2. Do you want to run a fridge while the car is off?

3. What else are you running?

For the battery Isolater im running a 4wd systems one and works really good and is 100 percent sealed also has inbuilt surge protector which is great for 4wds with computers ect in them has a sensor switch that is optional but if used and you run winchs ect helps from over loading your alt when charging hard and also has a inbuilt jump start that is setup on a switch from inside the car lets you jump it if your main battery dies without even getting out, i also hear the Piranna setups a unreal too but i have never used one myself.

Most people fit the second battery in a battery box in the rear behind the rear seat and or draws, u can fit a 12 inch battery in a battery box back there, run some decent cable to it and ull be sweet

In my 1998 TI I had the second Battery in the back and run the cable along the inside of the cab under the foot treads to the Battery box with a TJM IBS dual battery kit and I haven't ever had a problem here are some old pic's as I haven't had the TI for a couple of years now. I'll ad pics later if you want?

Ian is it a diesel or petrol model if it a diesel there is more than enough room under the bonnet for a 100 a/h battery.

Shane

thanks everyone for your comments.

shane ,its a diesel mate .

i would like to set up a winch, fridge and a couple of power sockets in the back

ian

FWIW

I have had a redarc battery isolator solenoid in my truck for about 4 years and it played up about a year ago. it was contacting intermittently for a while so i finally pulled it apart and cleaned the solenoid contacts, all good again. Now I notice that very occasionally it doesnt contact if the truck is stationary but the vibration when moving solves it.

I discussed this with a redarc sales guy at the Sydney camping show recently and he mentioned that the new solenoids monitor the contact resistance and retry if necessary to get a good contact. When I finally get to replace it I think I'll be looking for an electronic unit like dc-dc converter instead.

There are battery trays available for the diesel models that fit between the coolant bottle and the motor. I am running a ctek d250s mounted on the fire wall above the abs setup, tight but it fits. I went this way because I also run solar on the roof and the ctek handled both the solar and the dual battery management, can be had for about $250 on eBay. As far as batteries go at the moment I run a plain old deep cycle, it does the job well for the time being but when it dies I'll be fitting the biggest AGM I can fit.

Shane