Battery disconnect

[fwilder]

Hey all

Jay Leno got into my head and I want to install battery disconnects under the hoods of both broncos. Has anyone done this? Where did you install them? I'm thinking about he from Sid of the passenger wheel well behind the battery. I got flaming river's little switch. What length cables did you buy for it?

Thanks
Fred

 

[bronconut73]

I put mine on the forward slant of the inner passenger and driver fender since I have dual batteries.
I went to a local welding supply and bought 0 gauge welding cable. Looks like super fat battery cables. I got lugs there too. Made the cables long enough to cleanly route everything and used a chisel and vise to clamp down the lugs. Used shrink wrap around the lugs. Uber clean. Rather easy too.

You probably recognize my cheap switches.
The key is removable. Somewhat of a theft deterrent...Prolly not....Lol
The switches allow me to isolate each battery from one another and specifically the second battery and winch separated from the rest of the vehicle electrical system.
I can kill my cranking battery then manually switch the second battery into the system to jump the cranking battery.
Wrangler and Painless have made automatic versions of this. This was just cheap.

 

[fwilder]

Sweet. Thanks for that. I'm just putting them in for security (agree with you that it's not really security) and more so because I have original harnesses in my 75 and 66. I'd rather them not burn down and take the house with them. Thanks again.

 

[Skiddy]

I put mine on the forward slant of the inner passenger and driver fender since I have dual batteries.
I went to a local welding supply and bought 0 gauge welding cable. Looks like super fat battery cables. I got lugs there too. Made the cables long enough to cleanly route everything and used a chisel and vise to clamp down the lugs. Used shrink wrap around the lugs. Uber clean. Rather easy too.

You probably recognize my cheap switches.
The key is removable. Somewhat of a theft deterrent...Prolly not....Lol
The switches allow me to isolate each battery from one another and specifically the second battery and winch separated from the rest of the vehicle electrical system.
I can kill my cranking battery then manually switch the second battery into the system to jump the cranking battery.
Wrangler and Painless have made automatic versions of this. This was just cheap.

that's the same one I have. still haven't hooked it up yet, only had it for about a year%)

 

[bronco t]

that's the same one I have. still haven't hooked it up yet, only had it for about a year%)

Classic... "only had it for about a year"... is that in dog years?

 

[okie4570]

PO of my 71' put one on the driver floor board up high behind the brake pedal.

 

[Skiddy]

Classic... "only had it for about a year"... is that in dog years?

Pretty sure dog years would be faster than Skiddy years;D

 

[ntsqd]

FWIW it can go in either the pos or the neg cable.

I have one on a vehicle. I put it in the ground cable, and have an inline ATC fuse holder with a 2.5A fuse in it jumping across the switch. That is for the various things that need the battery to keep their memories. Turn the switch off and the first try with a key or hot-wiring it blows the fuse. If I remember to turn it back on, and I use one of those with the key too so it's kinda hard to forget, then it works like normal and no learned/programmed memory is lost while the switch is off.

 

[West Tn Dawg]

IT NEEDS TO GO IN THE GROUND WIRE.
Both will keep it from starting but if you have an electrical issue and want to kill all power quickly it will not kill it if it's running. The alternator will continue to feed the juice.
Put in in your ground.

 

[bronconut73]

Part of what I'm doing is keeping the two batteries separated and keeping my winch battery separated from the rest of the system.

 

[fwilder]

Does anyone who put their disconnect on the front of the inner fender know how long the cables were that you used?

 

[bronconut73]

Too long ago Bud...They are now tucked way out of the way behind the a/c dryer, battery tray, then the other one runs down the core support in front of the radiator...So mine isn't likely a good example. Making the big wires are fun. The lugs slide on the bare wire. You take a hammer and a blunt chisel and smash the lug. Then I put them in the vise to smash it the other way. Ends up looking really good. Slid shrink wrap over and heated it into place.
Could have soldered too but the clamp method worked really well. Uber strong. I could not yank it out of there no matter what I did. Been there for Atleast uhhmmm...7 years...Still working great...

 

[LouisT]

On my '70, the PO had one installed and I thought it was a great idea. That is until the contacts quit making good contact and the switch went dead. I tried another of better quality, I thought, and the same thing happened in less than a month. The deal is, you're pulling quite a few amps on start up. And, if you're running a winch then the amp draw is even more extended. I think there are really good ones available that can take the high amp draw and still live but from my experience, the normal everyday ones can't.

 

[bronconut73]

Don't know what to say.....I have had my set up for quite a few years and they are fine...

 

[Crush]

I have often thought about putting one under the drivers seat where the fuel selector valve use to be and camoflaging it with the knob and trim plate for the fuel selector. No one would expect that to operate the battery

 

[ntsqd]

IT NEEDS TO GO IN THE GROUND WIRE.
Both will keep it from starting but if you have an electrical issue and want to kill all power quickly it will not kill it if it's running. The alternator will continue to feed the juice.
Put in in your ground.

As a side note, this (& my lay-out) isn't legal in NHRA drag racing. Their rules require it in the positive cable, AND turning it off has to kill the whole car - not just the engine. Lots of creative wiring strategies out there to facilitate that. I won't argue the stupidity of their positive requirement, because it is.

Also, if you have anything like remote power door locks, turning the battery on and off by the ground wire can cause those to cycle unless you supply that system with a ground that by-passes the kill switch. Ask me how MISF knows this.......

For just the purpose of isolating a second battery and the winch I'll suggest a marine battery bank switch instead of a kill switch. These are also designed to pass the high intermittent amperages common in starting & winching. I've seen up to 1000 Amp ratings for these.

Then bridge across the two battery bank terminals with a Blue Seas Automatic Charge Relay (ACR). The switch will allow you to select either battery or both, or none. Then as long as the alt's charge wire (& any other charge wire like from a trickle charger used during long term storage) is connected to the switch's load terminal the ACR will first charge the starting battery and then the secondary or 'house' battery.

 

[1strodeo]

I put mine on the forward slant of the inner passenger and driver fender since I have dual batteries.
I went to a local welding supply and bought 0 gauge welding cable. Looks like super fat battery cables. I got lugs there too. Made the cables long enough to cleanly route everything and used a chisel and vise to clamp down the lugs. Used shrink wrap around the lugs. Uber clean. Rather easy too.

You probably recognize my cheap switches.
The key is removable. Somewhat of a theft deterrent...Prolly not....Lol
The switches allow me to isolate each battery from one another and specifically the second battery and winch separated from the rest of the vehicle electrical system.
I can kill my cranking battery then manually switch the second battery into the system to jump the cranking battery.
Wrangler and Painless have made automatic versions of this. This was just cheap.

You got alotta hours under that hood bronconut, looks real good

 

[ntsqd]

.........
For just the purpose of isolating a second battery and the winch I'll suggest a marine battery bank switch instead of a kill switch. These are also designed to pass the high intermittent amperages common in starting & winching. I've seen up to 1000 Amp ratings for these.

Then bridge across the two battery bank terminals with a Blue Seas Automatic Charge Relay (ACR). The switch will allow you to select either battery or both, or none. Then as long as the alt's charge wire (& any other charge wire like from a trickle charger used during long term storage) is connected to the switch's load terminal the ACR will first charge the starting battery and then the secondary or 'house' battery.

Some suggestions to get this concept started-

A battery bank switch like this one: https://www.bluesea.com/products/3003/HD-Series_Heavy_Duty_Selector_Battery_Switch_with_AFD
Note that it has an "alternator field disconnect" to turn off the alternator when switched to "Off". It is rated 500 amps continuous, 1600 amps starting.

West Marine doesn't list it on their page, but I'll bet they can get it. Amazon does list it. https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Sea-Alt...&qid=1485533910&sr=8-2&keywords=Blue+Sea+3003

This ACR is rated 120 amps continuous and will handle any alternator output up to that amperage.
https://www.bluesea.com/products/7611/BatteryLink_Automatic_Charging_Relay_-_12V_24V_DC_120A

One source option: https://www.westmarine.com/buy/blue...g-relay-12v-24v-dc-120a--16934085?recordNum=1 Amazon lists it too: https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Sea-Bat...&qid=1485533958&sr=8-2&keywords=Blue+Sea+7611

 

[bronconut73]

You got alotta hours under that hood bronconut, looks real good

Thank you Sir.
But you can do a lot in 34 years though, haha.

Thank you again.

 

[trekgurl]

So I want to run a dual battery system,,

Part of what I'm doing is keeping the two batteries separated and keeping my winch battery separated from the rest of the system.

as I prefer a dedicated starting battery too and a battery dedicated to the fun things. My stereo alone is a huge drain on my single battery when the engine is off. I have a high amp alternator which in most cases is enough for a single battery but my relatives where big RVers and the second battery was used to power the accessories. Some fishing boats I've seen have 3 batteries.

If I add a winch, lights, and power my fishing rack a dual battery system is a good idea it seems. So looks like you have a yellow top (cranking) and a blue top (deep cycle) which is my thought too? Is the painless dual system a good one to use? I already have the Painless wiring harness installed.