My dual battery setup - 2006 Tacoma

[Jacket]

A dual battery system was on my future list of upgrades for the Tacoma, but I had the good fortune to win a National Luna Dual Battery System (http://www.nationalluna.com/battery_systems.htm) this past fall, and so the project moved up to near the top of my list. The National Luna system is designed and manufactured in South Africa, and won the editors choice award for dual battery systems in the Winter 2008 edition of the Overland Journal (http://www.overlandjournal.com/), so needless to say I'm confident in the performance and capabilities of this system.

A very special thanks goes out to Paul May and Equipt Expedition Outfitters (http://www.equipt1.com/h/) for supplying the system and supporting my Q&A so far.

The National Luna kit is a complete system, and includes everything you need to complete the install, minus the auxiliary battery and a battery box/holder for your truck.

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h201/mralsto/truck%20misc/dual%20battery/nl_kit.jpg

My plan is to locate the 2nd battery and the isolator in the engine bay, and move all my accessory wiring to this battery with the exception of the winch.

[Jacket]

Step 1 – choose a battery. I explored the Optimas, Dekas and Odysseys, but ultimately chose a Die Hard Platinum PM2 - Group 34M marine battery (http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_02850134000P?keyword=die+hard+platin um+34m&sLevel=0). Most evidence confirms this is the same battery as the Odyssey 1500, and the price, value and warranty are tough to match. I opted for the deep cycle marine grade given the battery’s supporting role for accessories and redundancy.

I didn’t opt for the group 31 for a couple of reasons. First is the sheer size of the group 31 makes it a weight and space hog. And second, I use a winch in my application, and the winch will continue to be wired to the primary battery. Given this configuration, I’ll need to make sure I’ve got a pretty strong primary battery to handle its load. My OEM group 27F battery has done the job this far, and when it starts to fail I'll replace it with something as good or better. I think the group 34M should be plenty of battery for a supporting role that excludes winching.

Step 2 – build a battery tray. The 2nd generation Tacomas have a decent amount of room in the engine bay, especially on the passenger side of the truck. But its not so spacious that a group 31 would drop right in. The group 34 dimensions were nearly perfect to rest near the firewall between the fender and the air intake hose.

There are 3 studs welded to the passenger fender, plus several threaded holes. It seemed like a natural area to design a custom box that used the existing fastening locations, while also keeping the battery nearly level in the bay for a clean and professional look. So I worked with a guy in Boulder and had a custom box fabricated to match these existing features. It rests atop the three studs, and also has three additional bolts: one incorporates the fastener for the air intake, another was a blank threaded hole, and a third hole on the side of the engine bay. A perfect fit!

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h201/mralsto/truck%20misc/dual%20battery/IMG_1194.jpg

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h201/mralsto/truck%20misc/dual%20battery/IMG_1195.jpg

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h201/mralsto/truck%20misc/dual%20battery/IMG_1196.jpg

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h201/mralsto/truck%20misc/dual%20battery/IMG_1198.jpg

[Solid Taco]

:cool::lurk:Nice!

[daverami]

:clapsmile Great, I want to do this too.

Quick off-thread, have you regeared? Nice work on your truck!

[Applejack]

Nice! I bet the fact that it was free makes it all the more sweeter.:ylsmoke: I'll be following this too, as this will be my next mod after I get my suspension sorted out.

[Trail Monkey]

nice job matt. glad to see your putting that pirze to use now. how about a photo of the famous expo trophy banner hanging in your garage.!!!:victory:

[voodoochile]

That's nice work, man.

The NL does look to be about the nicest setup I've seen so far.

[Overland Hadley]

Good work.

Did your truck not have something mounted there from the factory? My truck has something mounted in that area.

[SLOwag]

Did your truck not have something mounted there from the factory? My truck has something mounted in that area.

I think the ABS is mounted there if have have ABS. My '09 has the ABS mounted on the driver side with just the studs like what is on Jacket's rig.

Nice job on the battery box. How is it held down?

[Jacket]

:clapsmile Great, I want to do this too.

Quick off-thread, have you regeared? Nice work on your truck!

Not yet. It is on the plan along with a front locker, but continues to fall just below the priority line in favor of more pressing needs, and the budget-hogging Turtle (FJ40).

[Jacket]

nice job matt. glad to see your putting that pirze to use now. how about a photo of the famous expo trophy banner hanging in your garage.!!!:victory:

Funny story actually. When I first brought it home, my dog made an attempt to claim it as his own.

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h201/mralsto/Expo2008/IMG_1205.jpg

After showing Jackson who the alpha male is in our house, I moved it to a more prominent location in plain view for all to see.

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h201/mralsto/Expo2008/IMG_1210.jpg

My wife, feeling that vanity wasn't truly in my blood, vetoed the location.

But the proudest of all spots was the one my son chose for it.

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h201/mralsto/Expo2008/IMG_1206.jpg

Alas the excitement soon wore off, and the sign finally made it to its final and most appropriate resting place in the garage.

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h201/mralsto/Expo2008/IMG_1211.jpg

[Jacket]

Good work.

Did your truck not have something mounted there from the factory? My truck has something mounted in that area.

Do tell more? Mine had nothing there.

[Jacket]

Nice job on the battery box. How is it held down?

The three studs it sits over have M8 flange nuts, two more bolts in the fender (again where there was already threaded holes). And then the M6 bolt into the side of the fender. Overkill for sure.....

[keezer36]

Did your truck not have something mounted there from the factory? My truck has something mounted in that area.

If you don't have VSC, your ABS unit sits there.

[ji603]

Thanks for posting this thead... this on my 'to-do' list, so I can't wait to see your step photos.

[Overland Hadley]

If you don't have VSC, your ABS unit sits there.

Matt,

Does your 06 have VSC?

I wish I had a big empty spot to put the extra battery.

[Something]

I may be doing this same setup...interesting

[Jacket]

Matt,

Does your 06 have VSC?

I wish I had a big empty spot to put the extra battery.

Yes it does (with no kill switch unfortunately....). That explains it - I forgot about the different brake configurations.

[CanuckMariner]

Just a thought...I have heard from my local battery supplier (Interstate) that when you do a dual battery install, it is a good idea to have the same types, manufacturer and age of batteries for both as when they are connected together one (the lower voltage one) tends to thieve from the other (higher voltage one) as well as other factors. This tends to shorten the life of both batteries.

I went with 2 x blue tops group 31 as they have a bit more CCA and AH. I realize they are a bit bigger and heavier, but to crack over a 1HZ in the dead of winter one must have power! Also got the blue tops as opposed to the yellow tops, as the blues have the extra posts for accessories.

Another thing to note about Optimas is that they have a dark grey and light grey bottoms. One is for deep cycle and the other is for starter applications. You want the deep cycle as it can start and deep cycle. I have had them for two years already, no problems many cycles already.

[ntsqd]

That is particularly important with batteries that are going to be connected together all of the time, like in a battery bank of some sort. It is probably important with series wired 12 VDC batteries in a 24 VDC vehicle, but I've no experience there.

I'm not convinced that it is so critical with batteries that are only connected together when the engine is running and the alternator is charging. Though it certainly won't harm anything if they are the same.

[styx]

Can the national luna isolator handle the output of newer alternators? It says it handles 85amps but a lot of alternators now put out 100+. Anyone know what the deal is??

[Jacket]

The solenoid is rated at 85 amps continuous. I forgot the max rating, but I think its 300+.

[Jacket]

That was the hard part; the rest is easy…. Actually, the hardest part is finding time to finish.

Working with large diameter wiring is interesting if you’re not used to it, and don’t have the proper tools. There were occasions where I felt like I was wrestling a komodo dragon for a piece of meat. If you have a relatively strong set of cutting shears, something sharp to strip the ends (without cutting copper), and a good imagination for pulling off these ends it’ll work out even without proper tools. I used a bench vise to aid in crimping, and of course heat shrink tubing to tidy up the ends.

The National Luna kit comes with everything else necessary to wire the system together. They supply a generous amount of 16mm2 (~5 AWG) wiring, which must be cut to the needed lengths. NL also supplies a variety of lug sizes to terminate each end of the wiring, and two new battery terminals with multiple accessory posts. After considering my setup, and consulting with a few folks here on Expo, I decided to upgrade to 2 gauge wire for all the connection points. This was primarily because of the winch, and the potential for large current draws if I string the batteries together. This may never become necessary, but it certainly gives me piece of mind.

Three new battery wires are necessary, all cut to fit my implementation; a red lead from the primary battery to the NL solenoid, another red lead from the solenoid to the auxiliary battery, and a ground wire between the two batteries. In my case, about 28", 78" and 80" for each wire.

(exciting picture of wires...)
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h201/mralsto/truck%20misc/dual%20battery/IMG_1226.jpg

The beauty of the NL design is that you don’t have to touch any of the factory wiring; no cutting, no splicing, no rewiring (except for mods already added), and no fuss. The instructions do a nice job of laying out different options and ideas for implementation depending on the specifics of your system. I took the NL recommendation to keep the winch wired directly to the primary battery. This will keep 99% of the winch duty on the primary battery and alternator, reserving the auxillary battery for everything else and backup starting duties.

With everything ready to go, I roughed in the system.

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h201/mralsto/truck%20misc/dual%20battery/IMG_1227.jpg

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h201/mralsto/truck%20misc/dual%20battery/IMG_1231.jpg

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h201/mralsto/truck%20misc/dual%20battery/IMG_1229.jpg

So far, so good.

[TEJASYOTA]

Can I say...that is the same unit I am looking and saving to purchase.
Looks good on the install so far!

[Switch]

That was the hard part; the rest is easy…. Actually, the hardest part is finding time to finish.

Working with large diameter wiring is interesting if you’re not used to it, and don’t have the proper tools. There were occasions where I felt like I was wrestling a komodo dragon for a piece of meat. If you have a relatively strong set of cutting shears, something sharp to strip the ends (without cutting copper), and a good imagination for pulling off these ends it’ll work out even without proper tools. I used a bench vise to aid in crimping, and of course heat shrink tubing to tidy up the ends.

The National Luna kit comes with everything else necessary to wire the system together. They supply a generous amount of 16mm2 (~5 AWG) wiring, which must be cut to the needed lengths. NL also supplies a variety of lug sizes to terminate each end of the wiring, and two new battery terminals with multiple accessory posts. After considering my setup, and consulting with a few folks here on Expo, I decided to upgrade to 2 gauge wire for all the connection points. This was primarily because of the winch, and the potential for large current draws if I string the batteries together. This may never become necessary, but it certainly gives me piece of mind.

Three new battery wires are necessary, all cut to fit my implementation; a red lead from the primary battery to the NL solenoid, another red lead from the solenoid to the auxiliary battery, and a ground wire between the two batteries. In my case, about 28", 78" and 80" for each wire.

(exciting picture of wires...)
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h201/mralsto/truck%20misc/dual%20battery/IMG_1226.jpg

The beauty of the NL design is that you don’t have to touch any of the factory wiring; no cutting, no splicing, no rewiring (except for mods already added), and no fuss. The instructions do a nice job of laying out different options and ideas for implementation depending on the specifics of your system. I took the NL recommendation to keep the winch wired directly to the primary battery. This will keep 99% of the winch duty on the primary battery and alternator, reserving the auxillary battery for everything else and backup starting duties.

With everything ready to go, I roughed in the system.

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h201/mralsto/truck%20misc/dual%20battery/IMG_1227.jpg

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h201/mralsto/truck%20misc/dual%20battery/IMG_1231.jpg

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h201/mralsto/truck%20misc/dual%20battery/IMG_1229.jpg

So far, so good.

First off nice work! It is great to see another write up on this board with new technologies and configurations.

Looking at my own crowded battery terminals, now I realize I can clean that up.

If you don't mind some constructive suggestions.
I'd suggest putting some split conduit over those wires (Think about the endless vibrations of zip ties on insulation). The split conduit is cheaper and easire to replace than the wires. Did you notice that every factory wire is protected by conduit? In hind sight I wish I'd used black tape at friction points as well. Think 250,000 miles!!
Also, sometimes it is better to use two zip ties instead of one so the abrasion is between the zip ties instead of between the zip tie and the wire. Like this: http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w113/parallelkiller/Dual%20Battery/ziptie.jpg

Again, it is great to see another write up with new options for folks to consider.

[Jacket]

Thanks Switch. I read through your threads a few times as I went into this project, so I appreciate your feedback.

Everything is just roughed in at the moment - I still need to rewire a few accessories to the auxiliary battery, find a permanent location for the controller, run new wire for some 12v plugs, redo some of my winch wiring, etc. I agree about encasing the wires in conduit - definitely something critical to long term durability.

[Jacket]

I guess I'm 98% done at this point. I pulled all the wiring for the aux lights and the HAM, rerouted them to the aux battery, and put them in their own loom. I cleaned up and ran a loom for the + and - cables between the batteries (along the back of the engine bay). I pulled the front grill for clear access to the winch wiring, and put the two wires into a loom and added some grommets where they pass through to the main battery.

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h201/mralsto/truck%20misc/dual%20battery/IMG_1232.jpg

I still want to put some red conduit around the short leads from the primary battery to the winch and solenoid, but I'm not too worried about them at this point.

For the controller, I decided to run the wires under the dash and through the center console. I drilled a small hole in the bottom of the console box, and I'm using some industrial velcro to hold the controller against the side of the box. So I can pull it out as needed to check the battery levels, but its not always out and on display and cluttering the dash.

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h201/mralsto/truck%20misc/dual%20battery/IMG_1235.jpg

The major remaining item in this setup is to run one large lead from the aux battery to the back of the cab into a fuse block, where I can then add accessories as needed. With that setup, I'll add some 12 volt outlets in the cab, and at least one in the bed - finally laying the infrastructure to install everyone's favorite Expo accessory....

[DarkHelmet]

SOLD! I am soooo doing this to my truck. I've been looking for just the right set-up and I think you nailed it. Nice work.

- DH

[Switch]

I guess I'm 98% done at this point. I pulled all the wiring for the aux lights and the HAM, rerouted them to the aux battery, and put them in their own loom. I cleaned up and ran a loom for the + and - cables between the batteries (along the back of the engine bay). I pulled the front grill for clear access to the winch wiring, and put the two wires into a loom and added some grommets where they pass through to the main battery.

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h201/mralsto/truck%20misc/dual%20battery/IMG_1232.jpg

I still want to put some red conduit around the short leads from the primary battery to the winch and solenoid, but I'm not too worried about them at this point.

For the controller, I decided to run the wires under the dash and through the center console. I drilled a small hole in the bottom of the console box, and I'm using some industrial velcro to hold the controller against the side of the box. So I can pull it out as needed to check the battery levels, but its not always out and on display and cluttering the dash.

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h201/mralsto/truck%20misc/dual%20battery/IMG_1235.jpg

The major remaining item in this setup is to run one large lead from the aux battery to the back of the cab into a fuse block, where I can then add accessories as needed. With that setup, I'll add some 12 volt outlets in the cab, and at least one in the bed - finally laying the infrastructure to install everyone's favorite Expo accessory....

Looking good, I like the location for the voltage meter. I've never installed one because of limited options on the dash. Not something you need to see all the time but there when you need it.

For 12V outlets in the bed, I put some in the useless side cubies - this way they won't get abused by stuff going in/out of the bed. If I were to do it again, I'd also put switched lights in there too.



http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w113/parallelkiller/BedMods/powreoutlet.jpg

[tacollie]

Nice setup. I like where you put everything.

[DarkHelmet]

Matt,

Does your 06 have VSC?

I wish I had a big empty spot to put the extra battery.

Ditto. My ABS sits there. Alas, I will need to find an alternate location for a second battery.

:(

[Dusty T.]

Looks good!

I'm in the middle of a similar process doing an aux battery system though it's a little different than most. It's very time consuming to do right (been working on it off and on for the past year or so) and I've been making sure it will last the life of the truck down to each zip tie and stainless steel clamp, lol! Switch has some good tips about the wire loom and zip ties- makes for a much cleaner and durable installation.

If you're finding the cable to be hard to manage, consider welding cable. I plan to put the aux battery in the truck bed, and for the longer run, standard #2 battery cable was okay, but it is a royal pain to work with when it comes time to be connected. I had planned to run most of the standard stuff under the hood between the charge controller, slector switch, fuses, etc, but found welding cable to make this a cinch, and the crimp on lugs do attach better to the additional copper strands.

Keep the photos coming and let us know how it goes!