battery relocation?

[jackdaniels]

so i am curious where to run the battery wires for a battery relocation? i am wanting to relocate it to the rear cargo area close to the pass. side close to the rear seat. have any of you done this? where do you safely run the wires?

not really a relocation, i wanna add another battery for amp's. so one in the stock location and one behind the rear seat.

[5-90]

Putting the second battery on the pax side makes sense - it will make it easier to run the power lead to it.

Ideally, you'll run the front-to-back power lead down the pax side under the doorsill trim - since it's an open channel under the trim (the same channel on the driver's side is filled with the front-to-back lighting harness.)

You'll need some variety of isolator to keep the two batteries from "fighting" each other (especially when not charging!) - this can be done with either a solenoid or a solid-state isolator.

How large does the feeder lead need to be? Depends on what you're working with.

As far as grounding the battery, you can drop a ground to the chassis at a convenient spot, as long as it's covered well. Clean about a postage stamp down to bare metal, apply corrosion inhibitor, and use a sheetmetal or tapping screw in the centre of the cleared patch to attach.

If you give with more specific information, I can give you more specific tips. If you want more than just design help, hit me backchannel...

[privatejoker]

Just make sure you grommet any holes you make. I never ran any sort of isolator when I ran 4 batteries. They will achieve their own equilibrium and act like one large battery.

[jmaxj]

I never ran any sort of isolator when I ran 4 batteries. They will achieve their own equilibrium and act like one large battery.

:gag:

[jackdaniels]

ya im trying to find the best way to run it with the best quality 1/0.

[DanMan2k06]

They will achieve their own equilibrium and act like one large battery.

Mmmmmm ouch. Or they'll just fist fight each other until they're both completely dead. Electricity has some rules that can't be broken. Unless you buy an isolator ;)

[lefty84]

There is a really good ground spot behind the cubby panel.

[4.3LXJ]

I have done it with dual batteries. First, you need spiral wound batteries like an Optima so you won't have to deal with acid fumes in the pass. area. Second as mentioned use grommets or wrap in heater hose where the cables go through metal. Third, use heavy cable. I used "0" gauge copper. I ran them on the inside frame rail, but will be changing them to the outside frame rail. Too much heat from the cat.

[jackdaniels]

ya im ordering 50 feet of rockford 1/0 soon. it would be nice alongside the frame rail but murphys law sucks, and i also wanna keep it as far away from audio wires as possible. im gonna keep thinkin.

[SC Rednek]

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=990465

Here's an old thread of mine. I used 2 gauge wire from Home Depot, crimped as best I could and then soldered the ends on. I ran the wire down directly under the battery, and then along the inside of the frame rail and up into the engine compartment (frame ground to the pinch seam right under it). I've never noticed any acid fumes with a standard battery. And not only will the batteries fight each other some without isolation, but the way I built it if I leave my headlights on or something, I have a completely isolated battery to restart from, or connect them together for more power. Just be real certain about the amperage ratings of all the switches, wires, and everything on your jeep before you install anything.

I've been running this setup for well over a year with no serious problems.

I can take some pictures tomorrow night if there's anything particular you want to see.