NW WA Meet / BS Thread

I'm running the X2 battery from batteries plus in 3 of my rigs. From what I understand they are made by Northstar. Got them through Batteries Plus, which every time has been an experience above and beyond what I was expecting. So far very happy with them.

 

Damnit. I should probably consider getting a new battery soon as well since mine is five years old now. You guys need to stop making me spend money.

In other news, I finally ordered sliders last week. Ended up ordering them from XO Fab.

 

Thx for the replies, I've been considering the dual-battery upgrade as well, esp planning for the future if I get a small travel trailer. Maybe I'll do the alt/dual batt upgrade together, get all the wiring done at one shot. Would def do an isolator/"a" and "b" battery selector as well to use one and keep the other in reserve, and a plug to go to the trailer. Lots to think about. I'll check out Batteries Plus, and the Oregon Optima deal.

 

Many years ago, I had a red-top Optima that did good; think it lasted 6 or 7 years before a cell died. Replaced it with another red-top. It lasted 3 months before it had cell failure and left me stranded. Got a warranty replacement and it's been sitting on a shelf ever since.

Ended up trying out an Odyssey Extreme. Had it a year or two with no problems so far; it's held up well while winching, so I imagine it'll have no problem with the radio setup. I also hear great things about Northstar.

I too am looking to do an alternator upgrade. Not sure what you have in mind, but here's an option: https://www.lceperformance.com/High-Output-Alternator-160-Amp-1996-2002-4Runner-2-p/1080020.htm

 

Optima batteries aren't what they use to be. I had a yellow top when they first came out and that battery was incredible. The X2 I just put in replaced a yellow top that let me down many times.

 

This 1st gen has a yellow top as the Costco p.o.s. that was in there when I purchased it, well, it was at it's end of life somewhat early.
I'd like a dual setup but real estate under the hood is at a premium at the moment...

 

The X2 rebranded Northstar will be my next battery

 

Agreed, w/the ABS on my 1gen there's no more room in the engine bay. I could probably get the wiring in there, and the isolator switch, but the battery would def have to go in a battery box in the bed. That's OK w/my set up, I have a plastic tote-bin in there anyway w/some roadside emergency equipment, and spare parts in case a mod goes south and I need to 'MacGyver' myself to a place where a full repair can be made. So the first portion of my bed ahead of the wheel wells is already more or less taken up. I like the Optima style batteries w/the dual posts on it. I mount it sideways, use the top posts for my connections and the side posts w/some adaptors/mounts when I need them to offer someone a jump. Works pretty well that way. The only thing I don't like about the X2 style is that it only has the top posts on it. I suppose I can rig something up for those to give me secondary connectors, just hate to have to put together a new set up when I'm already set for the Optima style. I could always get 2 optimas (with the added incentive to finish the dual-batt set up then staring at me...haha) using the Oregon group buy for about the retail cost of one new Optima or X2 up here. Gonna give it some more thought.

 

I ran two batteries for a while and then dropped back down to one. The dual battery setup wound up being a bit of a hassle. I was using a National Luna kit that made things more complicated than they had to be, which was likely a big part of the problem. The other issue I ran into was the weight of the second battery. It all adds up when you're putting stuff in front of the front wheels. It also made simple things like changing lightbulbs a real PITA. I was using the Columbia Overland dual battery tray. It lets you put two batteries in the space of the stock, but it's a tight fit. It relocates the radiator reservoir but you don't need any new tubes for it.

I wound up upgrading the alternator with one from a GM. I'll have to dig around to see if I still have a link to the shopping list, but the bonus is that it reduces the number of different belts on the 5vz as it uses the same size as either the AC or power steering (can't remember which at the moment). The downside was that you lose the alternator failure light on the dash, so if the stupid butt connector that you use to save time falls off on the trail, you don't have any warning of a problem til you try to start the truck up afterwards. I've since soldered the connection and have had no issues in a few years.

I still have my National Luna kit, along with a rewound stock high output alternator and a stock alternator, along with the dual battery tray if you want to go through the learning process that I went through

Here's the very crowded driver side corner with the dual battery setup after a couple shakedown trips. I wound up redoing the wiring to clean it up a bit, but don't have any pictures.

 

^^^ I might do the same as @Louisd75. I have two batteries - the 2nd is behind my rear seat. It was kind of cool having a second battery but I had to run a shitload of new wires, add relays and other stuff to the cramped area behind the back seat. Now the blue sea isolator/charging system for the 2nd battery isn't working and I have to troubleshoot the fucker. I don't have the weight issues since the 2nd battery is in the back, but it really hasn't been as awesome as I had hoped. I suppose it's money if I need to jump start myself

I might not remove the battery but I'll most likely stop adding any more accessories.

 

All this talk pretty much just reinforces my plan to simply install a Pelfreybilt battery cage and go the group 31M battery route when I finish adding in my aux fuse panel and add a winch here later this year. Dual battery is a neat idea but sounds like it is almost more trouble than it's worth.

 

Dual batteries have a place. Like wanting to run a fridge, charging phones all night, basically wanting to use the battery when the truck is off. Its nice knowing you wont wake up to a dead battery and not be able to start your truck. But yeah for the guys who just have a CB, light bar, and a winch they occasionally use....not really needed

 

I have two buddies coming to look at the truck this week, then onto C/L. Really hate to do it, but need a full size for towing.

 

Who ever doesn't buy your truck, have them buy mine lol

 

Will do! Lol

 

You must be buying a full-size Volvo, too. Brian's points are apparently quite persuasive...

 

Lol, no, need something to tow with. Family is growing, hobbies changing, etc. we've got a new travel trailer now and I just bought an enclosed car trailer from a co-worker. Looking at a dreaded diesel! Not my thing, but I need to tow heavy stuff. I might buy a dedicated crawler from a buddy though, I just can't be without a yota in my life.

 

Agreed. I originally went with a dual battery setup to try and compensate for the extremely wimpy alternator that the 1st gen Tacomas come with. When that didn't give me the results I wanted, I then went to a rewound stock alternator with a higher output. That had problems inherent to rewound alternators, namely that the output was higher, but you needed to run higher RPM to get that higher output. The alternator wasn't spinning fast enough at idle and lower RPMs to charge properly. I had a very good discussion with an alternator guy who explained the issue and gave me some advice as to which direction to go. That resulted in me pulling everything out and going back to almost stock.

When I'm on the road, I charge whatever needs charging during the drive. I don't run a fridge, and our camp electrical needs are basically nil. The new alternator keeps up just fine with how I use my winch (lots of breaks to keep things cool), and my driving lights no longer dim when I turn the aux lights on. I plan on using my second battery in the teardrop trailer I'm currently building, but even that will be overkill considering everything is LED and we likely won't be in one spot long enough to need to charge the battery in between drives. I'll mount a solar panel charger to the roof of the trailer if I find that I'm base camping more now that my travels involve kids.

 

Here's my engine bay of my dual battery system and ingen intake from a IS300. The dual batteries are running off the IBS management system

 

Did you end up going back to a stock alternator?