Battery Box Set Up

[DefendersNW]

That sounds like pretty atypical usage. .

That scenario happens on the west coast at least annually for me, if not a couple times a year. Think about folks who make annual trips to Baja for the 1K and post up along the course for a few days. During those trips I've taken to running the truck for an hour each evening to prevent total drain instead of adding solar since we have no sun available the rest of the year in the PNW....

On my other travels I am usually parked for less than 12hrs before driving again and it's a non-issue.

My own double battery system is a simple add-on for the "house power" to run in-car camp equipment. I run redundant Odyssey batteries with a voltage sensing relay for charging, a manual parallel/combine/disconnect switch, and fused distribution for "house power" - while the truck power is only modified with the parallel/combine/disconnect switch so I can cut power if needed for security and safety.

 

[BenLittle]

Ben, what kind of trips are you planning for?

I run the same basic setup as Chris but our trips are historically very heavy driving (10-12 hours +) with little 'camp time'.

RE lugs, call around to welding supply shops and get a good lug crimper from Amazon.

 

[BarryO]

I can't find 4 gauge lugs with the appropriate hole for either the Blue Sea or the battery side. NAPA, Advanced, Baxter, and West Marine -- I need to learn to call ahead. Any ideas? (Actually, West Marine did say they usually carry what they think I need.)

McMaster-Carr (my go-to industrial supply vendor) has 4 AWG - 3/8" battery lugs in stock. Delivery to Oregon from their closest warehouse (LA area) is 2-3 days; reasonable shipping and handling. I've bought a ton of stuff from these guys.

https://www.mcmaster.com/#7106k713/=1arfiyf

 

[DiscoDavis]

Welding cable 2ga or 4ga was a nice suggestion from a CH friend who does coachwork and modifications, much more flexible than the west marine stuff we had found local.

Harbor freight has a decent hydraulic crimper for like $20.

 

[Napalm00]

I make factory looking hex crush crimps /swages in 2ga that are super easy.

I use aluminum vise Jaws and a cheater pipe on the vise handle.

Put the fitting in with the hole facing up, slight tension to hold it there, insert cable with heat shrink In place, go to town!

 

[nas90tdi]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E1UUVT0/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Simplest and nearly the best crimper I have owned including some that cost 15X that. Robert Davis put me on these I believe.

 

[Red90]

This style is nicer and not much money. https://www.amazon.com/Ton-Hydrauli...=1513986726&sr=1-4&keywords=hydraulic+crimper

 

[Dan kemper]

I used this one for my battery box redo and other electrical. It is awesome!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E1UUVT0/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Simplest and nearly the best crimper I have owned including some that cost 15X that. Robert Davis put me on these I believe.

 

[BenLittle]

This is the one I have - works like a champ.

https://www.amazon.com/Amzdeal-Crim...8-19-spons&keywords=battery+lug+crimper&psc=1

 

[RBBailey]

Is there any particular spot where the main ground from the battery should go?

 

[Napalm00]

Mine is on the closest outrigger

 

[Red90]

Is there any particular spot where the main ground from the battery should go?

Normally it connects to the gearbox.

 

[MountainD]

Mine had a mid lug and an end lug. End lug went to the gearbox (or was it the transfer case?) and the mid lug went to the chassis

 

[RBBailey]

Good. Mine is going to the gearbox. I think I will also ground my new fuse box to the chassis as well as the battery.

 

[nas90tdi]

Don't be bashful about those grounds. Remember, you can't "over ground" a LR. It's just not possible.

 

[MountainD]

Don't be bashful about those grounds. Remember, you can't "over ground" a LR. It's just not possible.

I learned a lot when I was doing my LS swap. And one of those things was "Ground Loops" which is when you ground something with multiple grounds which causes multiple paths that electricity can flow. This can cause big troubles with electronic equipment, audio equipment, aftermarket EFI's, ECU's ect...

You want only one path--such as ground to engine, engine to frame and such. There is plenty of info on the net about it--and it is a practice that car builders routinely follow. So actually, too many grounds could actually be bad...

Just search for automotive ground loops--you will find a bunch of info. Maybe it wouldn't affect you, maybe it would--either way it is still good practice to avoid ground loops in any system that you make...

 

[RBBailey]

I've looked into this just a bit, and the main thing I came up with is the idea that as much as possible, ground to the chassis. However, this seems contrary to what Blue Sea wants you to do with their fuse boxes. Their diagrams show to ground directly to the battery; which means all of the accessories will be grounded to the battery.

I think most of the issues people have is when you get interference in audio performance when grounding to spots where other electronics are grounded as well.

I'll ask around about this a bit more.

 

[nas90tdi]

Yes and no. A ground loop is an actual possibility and can definitely cause problems. The problem with a Land Rover is they seldom share a single common ground. That is why they are so prone to grounding issues. LR has attached grounds to various locations around the vehicle that often times only have a tenuous,at best, path back to the actual frame ground.
So, yes, run a dedicated ground to any sensitive equipment you have. I, for instance, have my headlights and associated relays grounded to the common buss bar in my auxiliary fuse panel. It's a much more secure ground than the one to the inner wings. Which has several dozen paths that can corrode at their contact points before it reaches what we would call our common ground.

But, most of the LR's came with a single ground cable that shared a connection between the frame ,battery and center diff. Then an additional ground strap from the engine to the frame. Thereby creating a possible ground loop. So, unless you have already had problems with a ground loop, reinforcing that path is not going to cause you a problem.

 

[RBBailey]

Along these lines:

I have a simple switch that is running my heater fan. It has an odd factory wiring harness where closing the ground is what turns on the fan. I noticed that my ground wire at the switch was getting hot after 5-6 minutes of running, so I put in a higher amp Carling switch, this made a big difference, but it still gets hot after 15 minutes. So I grabbed a different factory ground wire that was sitting in that same area, just unused, and tried it. No heat. The ground wire with the fan harness seems to be about 16 gauge, the other ground wire seems to be about 14 gauge. Both are factory.

So this got me thinking... maybe I should run a dedicated ground wire directly from the same post that grounds the battery, up to a single ground point behind my center dash to ground all my lights, instruments, fan, and rear wiper.

Sound right?

 

[Red90]

As far as the main harness goes, it all grounds at a single lug on the engine side of the bulkhead. It is always a good idea to clean up that spot and all of the connections.

Far what it is worth, ground side switching is quite common in automotive applications. There are a few reasons for it.