Dual Battery 4.8...Need your views please.

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vanhack
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Dual Battery 4.8...Need your views please.

Post by vanhack »

So I have got myself a fridge now and ordered my dual battery system. I am still struggling with the location of the 2nd battery. We have available here in Dubai Optima yellow tops as a deep cycle battery. Other makes and brands are rarely seen in deep cycle.

My 4.8 being a LHD with ABS and a diff locker has some major limitations on placement of the battery.

I looked at the under the car on the chassis rail idea, but I have read only 1 person has tried this, and don't know any feedback of the issues or there were none.

I have seen in Dubai from the aussie site that a 4.8 owner without difflock mounted behind the air cleaner and firewall. Just concerned with temperature damage from the exhaust manifold, also consider that our summer temps are 40-44 celcius from 10:30am to 3:30am for 3 straight months. So we have huge issue with temps.

Other option was to mount in between front chassis rails, where a winch would mount....and I don't plan on winch as I don't see the benefit in this terrain as I prefer to recover with another car, or a little digging, or get a mate with a winch!

Last option would be at the back of the car, but I really don't want to loose any space, as I like to travel with family who wants to take loads of stuff.

I did get diagrams from cedric, and the space between body floor and chassis rail bottom is limited, maybe placing the battery on the side would work....but would love to know others experience before heading this way, although access is easy, in the shade and no hacking of items to make space in the engine bay.
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Re: Dual Battery 4.8...Need your views please.

Post by JoshJ »

This was also a problem for me cause their is no room in the engine bay on the 3.0D for the battery. I read all the posts on this forum and desided to install it in the car behind my fridge. Mine is in a box and removable. I had huge isseus with installing the battery in the car, but its been over a year now and I have had no isseus. :mytwocents:
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Re: Dual Battery 4.8...Need your views please.

Post by Peter Connan »

I had a long hard look at fitting batteries under the car, and as far as I am concerned there just isn't enough space available. Even for mounting two 80AH on their sides.
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Re: Dual Battery 4.8...Need your views please.

Post by vanhack »

Well the decision has been made to mount the battery in the engine bay, right next to the brake cylinder and upto the air filter housing.

under the car was a good idea, and my battery would have fit, as it is only a 55Ah, but needed welding to the chassis, now we have some really weird regulations on the road worthy ness of the car, every year we have to take the car for testing, and modifications are examined with a magnifying glass, and reported with no consistency or logic. I have heard that any welding to the chassis is a failure and I would need a letter from Nissan dealer to say it was factory or modified by them....which is not going to happen, unless I knew someone highup in the Nissan management.

So the engine bay it has to be, the rear cargo area I want to leave for space.

So asked a couple of people, and literally there were only a couple of people that I came across on the Aussie patrol site, and here in UAE that mounted a 2nd battery on LHD 4.8 with ABS. So copying their idea since one of them has had it for 5 years plus, it was good knowledge that it can be done and is reliable without any adverse effects to the car.

Just posting some pictures here on the idea I have taken from a UAE patrol owner, mine will be a little more sturdies and I am going to get the tray and mounts zinc coated for protection from elements, acid etc. The battery is the same as in the picture, it is a optima yellowtop, I selected this battery due to high temperature range and availability/price, and deep cycle characteristics. The dual battery system is being shipped from Australia, and I have selected piranha offroad, as I have heard that they have not caused issues to people here in UAE, CTEK was considered due to it's better performance on charging, but operating temperature is only 50 degrees, so would need mounting inside the cab, again something I want to avoid.

Image

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So picked up the battery and drove straight to the fabricator that I like, although not a garage/mechanical fabrication workshop, but those here are questionable, and prefer an engineering company that has real qualified engineers to solve problems with added safety built-in. So just a picture of their fabrication facility, opposite the road is a factory 3 times the size for machining related work. I expect to pay around USD95.00 for the tray, and then USD14 for the zinc plating.

Now to buy some high amp circuit breakers and a power distribution block from ship chandlers.

Image
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Re: Dual Battery 4.8...Need your views please.

Post by vanhack »

So my engineering company gave up the idea of fitting the 2nd battery near the brake servo and firewall. The diff lock vacuum lines are reducing the space that the battery mount and battery can move towards the fender.

Also looked at the front, where the windscreen washer bottle is, requires cutting into the existing battery mount location, and then fabricating another tray, but I am not too keen on cutting up the existing battery mount/tray, as this will weaken it, and also I have heard that it can, not always, but can start tearing at the body metal etc.

So now looking at mounting underneath, and also at the back of the cargo area.

If you have any pictures of your 2nd battery in the rear of the patrol, please do post here please, or mention a link to the photo.
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Re: Dual Battery 4.8...Need your views please.

Post by Tinus lotz »

Just put it in the back ....if you can change for bigger battery 100a /h will let your frige work for 2 days...... :thumbup:
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Re: Dual Battery 4.8...Need your views please.

Post by vanhack »

Yeah that sounds good, the money for mount underneath, can get me the battery box, and fridge slide. Carpenters is cheap here due construction.
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Re: Dual Battery 4.8...Need your views please.

Post by Tinus lotz »

Have a read here and look at what chris did
http://www.patrol4x4.co.za/viewtopic.ph ... 605#p59605
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Re: Dual Battery 4.8...Need your views please.

Post by vanhack »

Sorry to be playing the devils advocate, but a battery in the cargo area, will vent fumes, which are not advised to be inhaled. My 6 year old son will be sitting in front of that battery in the 2nd row seat...and I don't want to expose him to gases that he or any other person should be breathing in.

Are the folks here putting a vent tube in the battery box, and how is it connected to the outside? I read the recommended installation instructions of the manufacturer, and clearly says that the battery must be vented if placed in cargo or trunk area of the vehicle.
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Re: Dual Battery 4.8...Need your views please.

Post by Herrie »

We never smell the battery that is behind the second seat.
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