Outer Limits 4x4 Board

i bought a suzi sierra and it came with a dual battery system.
it has the extra terminals but no battery.

do i just hook up another battery to it and if i flatten the main battery by leaving my lights on does the secondry one kick in when you want to start the motor.???

IMHO they are more trouble than they are worth. Every Dual battery system I've ever seen has does something wierd eventually.

I'd rip it out and fit a quailty main battery, do the 100A alternator upgrade and leave it at that.

Steve.

my duel battery system is old school you have to turn a dial
never had a prob and never had flat battery on both

Gwagensteve wrote:IMHO they are more trouble than they are worth. Every Dual battery system I've ever seen has does something wierd eventually.

I'd rip it out and fit a quailty main battery, do the 100A alternator upgrade and leave it at that.

Steve.

Based on that advise every car I have had has done something weird eventually .. I may just walk ..

In a sierra weight is not your friend, batteries are heavy.
No huge need for a dual battery system.

i9 wanna use it cause ive already been stuck hi and dry alreaqdy.
i wanna know how to use it, it doesnt have any dials or buttons.
do you think it will be auto matic???

when i start the car, about 10 saeconds after i start it, the dual battery system makes a click noise.

this makes me think it might be auto

based on the clicking it should be auto - main battery has reached x volts and its bridging the two points on the unit to charge the aux battery.

COOL. I HAD NO IDEA WHAT THE HELL TO DO WITH IT.
ILL BUY A BATTERY THEN DISCONNECT THE MAIN ONE AND SEE IF I CAN START IT. THAT WILL SHOW ME IF THATS THE WAY IT WORKS.

unlikely. Normally you need a manual switch to enable that to work, otherwise if the main battery flattens then the system will link and drain the auxilliary battery.

sounds like you have the common main starting/auxilliary for accessories setup. The auxilliary is isolated when the car is off to prevent the accessories draining the starting battery.

That would be the normal setup.

Steve.

OH OK. SO IF I LEFT MY LIGHTS ON WHEN THE CAR IS OFF IT WILL DRAIN MAIN BATTERY. BUT WHEN I TURN THE KEY IT WILL GO FROM SECONDARY.

MAYBE THE CLICK IS ALLOWING ME TO START THE CAR FROM THE SECONDARY THEN IT CLICKS TO NORMAL TO CHARGE THE MAIN WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN FLAT.

No. Re read my last post.

The second batter is for accessories. Generally, starting is handled by the main battery. both batteries are linked only once the car has started in order for both batteries to charge.

YOU CAN'T START THE CAR OFF THE SECOND BATTERY with a normal setup.
There will be a "link" switch or similar which will allow starting off of both batteries but it's not normal.

Steve.

COOL. ILL BUY ANOTHER BATTERY AND GIVE IT A WHIRL
CHEERS CHAMP

CAN EVERYONE STOP YELLING?!!? ill go get my ear muffs

love_mud wrote:
Based on that advise every car I have had has done something weird eventually .. I may just walk ..

Yes, but when the $$$$$$$ flashylight fancypants "perfect" solid state, recommended by God, Allah, Yaweh, and Bhudda managemet system completey flattens $400 optima randomly, without warning, and without prior history of problems that's very frustrating.

If it happened in a remote area it could have been close to disasterous.

Steve.

Sorry for yelling lol. ill give it a go and see what i think.

trolley wrote:OH OK. SO IF I LEFT MY LIGHTS ON WHEN THE CAR IS OFF IT WILL DRAIN MAIN BATTERY. BUT WHEN I TURN THE KEY IT WILL GO FROM SECONDARY.

MAYBE THE CLICK IS ALLOWING ME TO START THE CAR FROM THE SECONDARY THEN IT CLICKS TO NORMAL TO CHARGE THE MAIN WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN FLAT.

Depends on what the isolator does.

Seems to be 2 types of isolater.

Type 1- will do as you say.

In that the main battery will be isolated at all times, unless you press a button etc to force a manual switch over where the second battery will become a main battery for so long then everything reverts back to normal.

The main battery will be charged first (by itself) once the main battery gets to 14volts or what ever the charging switch over is, then the second battery is charged up (by itself) then once the second battery is fully charged up it'll just maintain a charge to mian or second battery as needed.

These will be the dearest dual bat systems.

Type 2- only isolate the main battery when your starting the motor for X time, and both batteries are charged up together thus both battery's will be powering stuff when the motor is running.

Also some Type 2 isolaters don't allow the main battery's charge to be used from the second battery's items, when the motor is off.

this keeps the main battery's charge to be kept for itself/starting but both charge up together, so when both batteries are charging together this will half the main battery's charge anyway.

The Type 2 isolaters are the cheap ones but you have to read up on the description and work out what it does when starting/powering stuff.

These generaly don't seem to have any sort of manual switching in them they are all auto based on timing in the unit or they only isolate the main battery down to 12-13volt but let the second battery go empty.

I've been looking at getting a dual battery setup but this is what I've found anyway in isolaters, no idea if there's other types.

you;d be best to try and find out what the brand is then looking all over the net for the brand.

If you want the ability to be able the start you car off the second battery in the event of your main going flat , then ask an auto electrician to install a push button switch across your solinod so you can. i'm assuming you've got one by the clicking noise you hearing.

Might pay to check the auxillary battery terminals are insulated in their current state. i know when people sell cars they tend to rip things out quickly and not leaving them in a safe state . That has certainly been the case in 2 cars i have bought. The zuk i recently bought was a fire waiting to happen with the boggy wiring in that .

G'day Trolley,

How about putting a picture up, some one will recognize it.

Bundyrulz

My dual battery setup is an "old school" one, and every other 4x4 i have owned with dual batteries has been the same. My solenoid/isolator is switched manuall of a dash mounted switch (it lights up bright blue while the batteries are bridged - cant miss it!), which is ignition powered.

I also carry a 4" wire with small aligator clips on it, so that in case the cranking battery shits itself (like it did on saturday when i was late for a wedding), i can switch the isolator by using power from the aux. battery.

Easy, and fool proof. No fancy computers or sensors here.