Can u mount a Aux. Battery within the engine bay ?

Blaze One · Post by **Blaze One** » Fri Feb 10, 2006 9:53 pm

I trying to think of where i could mount another battery , other than the bed of the truck ( i have a blazer ) . Can it be done ?

jeff024 · Post by **jeff024** » Sat Feb 11, 2006 4:42 am

I dont really think we have room for another 1

BADs Crew · Post by **BADs Crew** » Sat Feb 11, 2006 5:37 am

Could you re-configure the air box system and squeeze one in there?

barch97 · Post by **barch97** » Sat Feb 11, 2006 6:17 am

Blaze One wrote:I trying to think of where i could mount another battery , other than the bed of the truck ( i have a blazer ) . Can it be done ?

Sure... but not a 12volt

jeff024 · Post by **jeff024** » Sat Feb 11, 2006 6:22 am

i would go with Barch on this 1

SONOMA915 · Post by **SONOMA915** » Sat Feb 11, 2006 6:46 am

Maybe you could fit one in the storage compartments in the back? I dont have a blazer, but that would be the most logical spot. You could also get an outside mount like HJ's and put a battery where the spare goes, I would also use a heavy duty battery box.

Blaze One · Post by **Blaze One** » Sat Feb 11, 2006 4:42 pm

thanks , i check around and see what i can find , as far as space under neath the truck goes .

Post by **HenryJ** » Sat Feb 11, 2006 5:24 pm

Underneath the truck should be a last resort. It is a pain to install and maintain. If you do mount down there additional protection must be provided as well as remote charging connections.

Look to the Oddessy batteries and 6 volt Optimas connected in a series, as having the potential to fit into smaller areas.

The engine compartment has a couple problems. It is tight and offers little room for additional accessories. Second it is hot.

I think perhaps looking to what "has" been done may be an answer. There is nothing new invented. We just reuse old ideas.

The old Ford trucks and VW bugs. What is the answer? Floor board compartment and under the back seat.
The answer is: How do we create a compartment under the back seat and a removable seat?

I do like the idea of mounting the battery low. While you are looking underneath, check for voids where a battery box could be installed through the floorboards.

If you are just thinking about one in the tool box, why not just pack one of those jumpstart packs? Many do.

Blaze One · Post by **Blaze One** » Sat Feb 11, 2006 10:32 pm

this battery that i WAS going to install , was going to be used to run aux 12V accessories , such as a power inverter , camp lights , fan while sleeping in back etc , all of which must be operational for upto 4 hours while truck is off , not all at once though .

BADs Crew · Post by **BADs Crew** » Sun Feb 12, 2006 5:45 am

I use a Portable Power Supply. The one I have even has a compressor in it. It can be charged on the road or at home.

Post by **HenryJ** » Sun Feb 12, 2006 7:36 am

One advantage to a blazer is there is a void that will accomidate a sealed lead acid battery behind the right rear wheel well.
Do a search on ZR2.com for Seaphan's Blazer and auxiliary battery. He had some pictures of his install.

To estimate the battery capacity , you will need to use the amperage draw of the accessory and number of hours for use. A fan is a pretty high draw item. Look for very efficient accessories and other alternatives to running them on the battery. Alternatives would include natural ventilation / lighting, or a generator.
It may be difficult to find the amp hour ratings on standard batteries, but deep cycle and dry cell batteries usually advertise those ratings.

If it is going to be a temporary thing, you could always just mount some straps in the back to hold a sealed deep cycle battery.

BADs Crew · Post by **BADs Crew** » Sun Feb 12, 2006 10:04 am

If your going to mount it inside you can go to a marine supply store and get a battery box like they use on boats. I had one in my 2nd van that worked great.

Post by **HenryJ** » Sun Feb 12, 2006 10:22 am

If you use a regular maintainance free battery, make sure that it is properly vented to the exterior.

Blaze One · Post by **Blaze One** » Sun Feb 12, 2006 6:28 pm

thanks guys i will check out zr2.com and see about mounting underneath .

Post by **Walt** » Mon Feb 13, 2006 7:20 am

A word of caution if you want to mount a battery in your toolbox. I have done this, and while it works fine, our truck beds aren't the sturdiest in the world. Mine actually started bending or deforming under the weight of the battery/toolbox toward the front. If I can find a pic I'll post it to show ya. When I got this truck I took two pieces of angle iron and put one on each side and took care of that potential problem.

Blaze One · Post by **Blaze One** » Mon Feb 13, 2006 5:27 pm

BADsCrew : I looked into those power packs , that is a great and BETTER idea than a aux battery . Chaper too . Now i just need to find a canadian supplier and i am set . thanks

Post by **HenryJ** » Mon Feb 13, 2006 5:30 pm

Watch ebay. There are a ton of them out there. Be sure to compare the amp hour rating.

Many have additional accessories built in. If you don't need them , buy one without the compressor, cordless battery charger, radio, flashlight, etc.

Blaze One · Post by **Blaze One** » Mon Feb 13, 2006 8:41 pm

I will definitley look around , there are a few out a the local auto store too , it would be great to have one with a compressor though , i don't plan on instaling a Air Compressor to activate lockers , so this would help out when i need to air down for those rough trails , but stuff like the radio etc . is rather pointless .

Post by **HenryJ** » Mon Feb 13, 2006 8:47 pm

The little compressor, may be barely useful and I fear inadequite for airing up four tires. Best to buy a seperate compressor if you need one. No sense melting down your battery too.

F9K9 · Post by **F9K9** » Mon Feb 13, 2006 9:30 pm

HenryJ wrote:The little compressor, may be barely useful and I fear inadequite for airing up four tires. Best to buy a seperate compressor if you need one. No sense melting down your battery too.

HJ is right on when it comes to airing up the tires after you have deflated them for off road expeditions but, an occassional low (single/one) tire due to a leak they are fine. If you recognize that a combo unit as a makeshift emergency unit they are fine. I have one that I have used to jump start several people and it was nice for air mattress inflation. I like it because if, I am ever in a Katrina situation, it has a light and can recharge my cell phone with the DC receptacle.

Ideally it would be nice to have a HD compressor and the combo unit. It is just a matter of finances and what you feel you need to have.

BADs Crew · Post by **BADs Crew** » Tue Feb 14, 2006 3:37 am

I have a compressor in my shed but rather than pull out all the hoses I will use the portable to tweak out the tires. It will get em up to 32 lbs. with no problem. It takes a little longer to air up but its still less time than putting the hoses away. I also use it to tweak out all the basket balls, socker balls and footballs. The portable also has 12 volt and 120 volt output. It even has jumper cables.

Rusty Shackleford · Post by **Rusty Shackleford** » Tue Feb 14, 2006 7:31 pm

When you all were discussing the possibility of mounting and additional battery, were you just going to wire the additional battery to the original battery in series or is there more to it...?

Blaze One · Post by **Blaze One** » Tue Feb 14, 2006 10:37 pm

I have not really looked into the Dual battery setup , but there is more to it than that . I am sure someone can give you great details on it .

The portable unit i am looking at will not be used as a regular means to inflate tires then . Thanks for the tip .

jeff024 · Post by **jeff024** » Sat Feb 18, 2006 8:23 pm

how about something like this?

Battery isolators let you run your electrical equipment without draining your vehicle battery

Battery isolators

Rusty Shackleford · Post by **Rusty Shackleford** » Sun Feb 19, 2006 9:00 am

jeff024 wrote:how about something like this?
IMAGE
Battery isolators let you run your electrical equipment without draining your vehicle battery

Battery isolators

That is the set up that we use where I work...I looked at how it was hooked up and it seems pretty complicated.

Post by **HenryJ** » Sun Feb 19, 2006 9:03 am

Hellroaring Technologies is another source of isolators and combiners.

They also include a nice write up and wiring the sysetm , with schematics

Rusty Shackleford · Post by **Rusty Shackleford** » Sun Feb 19, 2006 12:58 pm

Thanks for posting the diagram, the guy that put one of these on one of our trucks this spring managed to take the better part of 3 days and 50+ parts to do it.

rlrnr53 · Post by **rlrnr53** » Sun Feb 19, 2006 1:12 pm

Its been a while since I installed an isolator on my 84 K1500, but it was a simple job to complete. Of course on our crews,space is limited so a little creative thinking will be needed

jeff024 · Post by **jeff024** » Sun Feb 19, 2006 3:54 pm

cant really tell how big it is but how about under the truck

Rusty Shackleford · Post by **Rusty Shackleford** » Sun Feb 19, 2006 5:53 pm

rlrnr53 wrote:Its been a while since I installed an isolator on my 84 K1500, but it was a simple job to complete. Of course on our crews,space is limited so a little creative thinking will be needed

Truth be told, I dont plan on doing this to my truck...some guys where I work just had a new liftgate installed on their GMC heavy duty chassis cab moving van and they keep killing batteries due to the fact that they refuse to leave the truck running while using the liftgate. I am sick of getting work orders to replace the battery and I have had to jumpstart the thing in the middle of campus several times...so i figured I would look into putting another battery in the darn thing. Thanks one and all for the info.

rlrnr53 · Post by **rlrnr53** » Sun Feb 19, 2006 6:04 pm

The isolator that I used measured about 8"l x 4"w x 4"h. If you mount the isolator under the truck I would go with a wire gauge at least one size larger than is used on the altarnator. The isolator should have an amp rating at least equal to the maximun output rating of the alternator if not larger. The use of a smaller rated isolator could possibly burn out the isolator if one or the other batteries is completely discharged. Other wise it is a straight forward installation. If installing under the bed, I would use some type of shield to protect from dirt, road salt, etc.

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Can u mount a Aux. Battery within the engine bay ?

Can u mount a Aux. Battery within the engine bay ?

Re: Can u mount a Aux. Battery within the engine bay ?