[nelson1248]

alright so i have a 3000 watt system in my WJ and im getting tired of my light dimming... i havent ran a capacitor yet because i think it will be better to do a dual battery because i plan on putting a lot of fog light in the future on my WJ so i think it'll be better to do a dual battery and if all fails i can run the capacitor for my system later... so,
has anyone done this?
if so post pics and write up.
what is hard to do?
would you guys recommend this?

i know this is hurting my alternator so thats why i am asking af anyone has done this before!

if the dual battery doesnt help with the dimming lights i will run a cap and dual battery together

[xJoshxx]

So ur running 3kw on a stock v8 wj correct? Definite time for dual batteries + that capacitor u need. and possible alternator upgrade.

[crazydude2500]

hmm well its been done look up warhog he has dual optima yellow's ....all you need to do is run the power to the back which you already have then run the ground to the body which you already have done for the system....just get some battery terminals to connect everything up but the battery in between the battery in the fron and the amp...youre still going to have the dim...if its 3000 watts like you say i had a buddy running 3 or 4 battery's and 2 caps and his still dimmed and his was about 2500-3000 watts

[SET2JET]

in his spec window it says its a V8

[nelson1248]

hmmm... sounds more complicated than i thought!

yes its a V8...

i use to run a 2000 watt in my old car with no dim lights... and it was only a V6 thats why i ran 3000 in my WJ thought the V8 could handle it...

[CMARJEEP]

You should try duel batteries. They work great for Andy.

But seriously. I have seen a couple guys that take out their spare tire and put the second battery in the well. You just would have to find another spot for the spare (or only bring it when you plan on getting a flat) like a roof rack or rear tire carrier. Other than that there is pretty much NO room in a WJ for a spare battery under the hood. Especially with the V8.

[madrabbitt]

Mount the second battery in the cargo area. Partially under the right side cubby, or jammed into the left side.

Just use a sealed battery rated for interior mount, like an optima. You can easially run 0 or 2 gauge welders cable from there to the front.

[madrabbitt]

Originally Posted by nelson1248

hmmm... sounds more complicated than i thought!

yes its a V8...

i use to run a 2000 watt in my old car with no dim lights... and it was only a V6 thats why i ran 3000 in my WJ thought the V8 could handle it...

Its not the engine size, its the alternator size.

Have you considered getting yours re-wound to a higher capacity?

There used to be a shop in the ghetto that did it. I really mean ghetto... the mechanic open-carried a glock when he was working.

They did however do a great job on the XJ's alternator. put about 162 amps out at low idle.

[nelson1248]

well i have plenty of room in the spare tire wheel well i have my tire mounted ouside! check it out...
[IMG][/IMG]

i have heard about getting my alternator re-wound but never got into detail on that because it sounded like it would be expensive... i would love to see some pics of the battery in the spare tire well tho... does anyone have it in there?

[mendelmax]

136 Amps alternator at 12V = 1632 watts. Way too low to constantly operate 3000W stereo, lights and engine systems. Unless you plan to use it for really short periods I would seriously consider an alternator upgrade, or you will kill your batteries soon.

But the dual battery system sounds as a good idea in this case. When I was considering it I found the place behind the rear bumper, on the right side to be perfect to fit some small battery. Just come nice bracket has to be fabbed.

[nelson1248]

hmm ill go check out that bumper right now to see what your talking about...

i dont run my stereo full blast all the time.... mostly when im with friends and when we wanna party and stuff... i dont normally like to drive with it full blast for two reasons...

1 being it gives me headaches because its so loud.
2 being i get pulled over when i have it on while driving or on the road... cops can hear it from quite a distance and quickly gets me pulled over....

[madrabbitt]

especially cops in our area.

The shop is on san mateo, past zuni, before gibson.

um. i think its blue.

[Redbob]

Originally Posted by nelson1248

well i have plenty of room in the spare tire wheel well i have my tire mounted ouside! check it out...

Nelson, that is a very nice tire carrier!
Is that plugged into the factory hitch receiver?
I checked out your link, and that combination lock is very sanitary looking!

[madrabbitt]

Yes, its in his hitch.
Its pretty nice looking in the pics, I want to see it in person.

[ZJPunk98]

Nelson,

I've looked into this a bit, and i'm planning to do the same thing soon. Here is what i've found.

You may want to upgrade you alternator for more amps. Get yourself a nice deep cell battery to run your lights and your stereo. Deep cells are designed for continuous charging and draining, while "traditional" car batteries are not and don't have the life a deep cell has.

Run your alt directly to a battery isolator and then to your two batteries. Your Main battery should be for operating the jeep itself and use the deep cell to run your amp and axuliery lights. The isolator allows the alternator to charge both, but doen't allow one battery to draw from the other. This allows you to have to "isolated" systems in your jeep.

If you want i can draw up my plans and post them for you. My plans are for a 98zj not a wj so the place i'm planning to put my deep cell my be different from yours.

here is a good article out deep cell batteries and the different kinds available. Check it out http://www.windsun.com/Batteries/Battery_FAQ.htm