![]() ![]() I can think of few things worse than getting stuck out in the middle of Grand-Staircase Escalante’s Hole in the Rock road, or some other remote area and being unable to start your vehicle and being stuck without cell service. Thus allowing you to connect your accessories and electronics up to this secondary battery to use while camping without ever worrying about killing your main battery and being unable to start your vehicle the following morning. In practice, this system means that while you are driving around all day you are charging both batteries like normal, but when the vehicle is off the batteries are not connected and cannot see one another. A dual battery with an isolator, for those who don’t know, is pretty much what it sounds like: connecting two car batteries to your vehicle’s alternator while adding in an isolator of some sort to keep the batteries separate (isolated!). Up until now, my answer had always been, “I don’t know, but that’s something I really wanted to do before leaving!”īefore we get into how to install a second battery in your car or truck, maybe we should talk about WHY. Then use another piece of the wire to ground the negative cable of the car's battery to the frame.One of my most frequently asked questions about my truck camping setup was always in regards to a dual battery setup and adding an isolator. Crimp on 2 electrical connectors that will attach BAT to A. Then, cut a piece of the 14 gauge wire so that it fits between the alternators BAT terminal end and the end that is marked with an A on the battery isolator. Be sure that they are secure and tight when you are hooking them up. This is where all of the wires from the BAT terminal that you just connected are going to go. Look for the terminal on the isolator that is labeled 1. All of these wires will need to be disconnected. Next, check for the wires that are attached to the BAT terminal, which will be located on your alternator. Then, take the negative cable from your actual car battery and remove it. Keep in mind during this step that you have to disconnect the negative cable before you attach the positive terminal to anything so that you do not get shocked. Once you have hooked up the isolator you can do the actual wiring. Again, hold it on tight so that you can secure it completely flush with the frame. Carefully drill around the isolator attaching it to the frame with the sheet metal screws. You may want to have another person help you with this step to hold down the isolator securely as you drill. Be sure before you do any installation or securing that you can close the hood with no problem and that all other parts work without disruption. This is typically done in the engine compartment and needs to be hooked up to the actual metal part of the vehicle. Now that you know whats going on under the hood, you can install the isolator. Then, once the car is ready to be worked on, you will want to check out the manual just to familiarize yourself with everything that is going on so you know where to look. You do not want to be working in it and then burn yourself or cause any electrical damage. Then, allow the car to cool completely for about 20 minutes or so, especially if you were just out driving. This is an extremely important step so that you do not do any damage to the car and more importantly, to yourself. Begin by making sure that the car is turned off. ![]()
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