explain battery isolator and battery relay

[BGKYK5]

just bought me a pontiac trans sport 140a alt with 30 day warranty shipped for $40!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ahem...... link por favor?

 

[Dafey]

Wiring it was easy; using the correct plugs, I just matched wire colors, and it worked. I can dig up pix for you of the adapter harness I made if you like.

Send me one of those too please..

 

[dremu]

Send me one of those too please..

http://www.slosh.com/ck5/big-alternator-2.JPG

Sorry for the huge size, thought I'd resized all of those. Anyway, you get a female socket that fits the original alternator plug (two pin) and the fancy new style alternator plug (three or four pin), and I just did red to red and black to black and heatshrunk insulated the brown one, and mine seems to be happy. YMMV. (Yes, that IS clear heatshrink, not bare wire =))

-- A

 

[ryoken]

BGKYK5 has a point, come to think -- a sick battery paralleled with a good one *will* cause issue, and I *think* you mentioned this in one of these threads and said you'd tested them ... but there are so many threads now I'm lost. Point being, unhook all the batteries, and check 'em ... maybe even drag 'em over to the parts place and have them loadtested.

-- A

absolutely... they should be the same... This is a gray area as to how long it takes off the life of the other battery.. depends on how bad the bad one is, BUT you can have a pair last a couple years, when in reality, you should be getting 4 yrs... This is a VERY common problem in boats, as MANY have straight out paralleled systems as GM's diesel package is...

Thats why I tell my customers, if your gonna do one, do em all...

 

[Dafey]

BUT if I use and isolator rated at 100+ amps [the Alt is 94amp] can I use 2 totally diffrent batterys? Like this one only bigger..
This ones only : High-output 90-amp isolator with 50-amp circuit breaker for complete safety

 

[ryoken]

using an isolator doesn't have the batteries in parallel, so it doesn't apply...

 

[RootBreaker]

BUT if I use and isolator rated at 100+ amps [the Alt is 94amp] can I use 2 totally diffrent batterys? Like this one only bigger..
This ones only : High-output 90-amp isolator with 50-amp circuit breaker for complete safety

that is what i Have now....

63amp alt connected to a 90amp isolator

2 batteries in parallel to 1 post
2 batteries in parallel to 1 post
alt charge wire to middle post

that is what confused me with relay and isolator... the relay does not have the dedicated post for the charge wire as an isolator is just that... isolates them.... a relay just closes and says... HERE ARE ALL THE BATTERIES FOR YOU!!!!!

think yall are finally beating it into my head

 

[RootBreaker]

A couple six more of these batteries, and you're halfway there in making a hybrid...

you know what.. I didnt think of that...

 

[dremu]

that is what confused me with relay and isolator... the relay does not have the dedicated post for the charge wire as an isolator is just that... isolates them.... a relay just closes and says... HERE ARE ALL THE BATTERIES FOR YOU!!!!!

think yall are finally beating it into my head

Well, to be geeky about it, the relay DOES isolate the batteries ... when the key is off But yeah, the rest of the time, it is not an isolated system.

The disadvantage is that when the key is on, you can discharge all of the batteries (versus with a diode-type, you can only kill whichever battery/set you're loaded to, i.e. the winch can only discharge the aux, and the starter can only kill the primary.)

The advantage to the relay is it's butt-simple, which is a good place to start

-- A

 

[RootBreaker]

The advantage to the relay is it's butt-simple, which is a good place to start

-- A

hee hee he said butt....

anyhow.. yeah... so I will have to remember to shut the key off so I dont kill the front batteries if the truck dies in a mudhole and im winching...