Laurie915 wrote:

The link below shows photos and details of a custom L322 twin battery setup we are using in Oz. Great product and customer service !!! As you will see when you read the posts it took a while to get it sorted, but all questions were asked and replied too.

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/l322-range-rover...eries.html

Laurie

Hi Folks and fitting a battery in the rear cubby is limited by height.

You are going to have clearance problems with most batteries because of the height of the terminals.

The Optima D34 is a perfect fit and while it is only a 55Ah battery is has a high CCA for it’s size.

I have found it is an improvement to the operation by leaving the two batteries ( semi ) permanently connected, as the increase in the overall battery capacity of the RR seems to fix a number of problems.

BTW, barracuda, most 12v solenoids can be energised with as little as 9 to 10v and if your cranking battery is being discharged below that, you battery is going to have a VERY short life.

I do like the idea of the DT90 (aussi relay), and the fact that you get a little juice out of the starter battery to suppliment the leasure batt. But that relay is not redily avalible in the uk.

190mm is about the max height you can have in that tray (176mm with) and im not sure about the length arround 330mm should fit. The optima is a good battery but a verry expensive for the ah. CCA has no real place in a leasure battery.

Its a good point ref the sollinoid requiring only around 9v but a the VSR will only kick in over 12.8v so aslong as the leasure battery has enough power in it to boot up the ECU's then all will be good, but if not, with a VSR bypass all you would have to do is flick the switch.

Hi again Barracuda, the DT90 has another advantage in that it not only allows any accessories to draw some of their power requirements from the cranking battery. Up to 50% of the cranking battery’s capacity can be used.

There is a revers advantage which may be of assistance in your case in that the auxiliary battery can also provide up to 50% of it’s capacity to assist the cranking battery.

This may sound strange but what has been found over the years and it is far more relevant with new vehicles, is that when an auxiliary battery is something like an Optima, which is a fast charging battery, after a drive, the Optima will be in a higher state of charge than the cranking battery will be, except after long drives when both batteries will be in a similar high SoC.

But because the Optima is in a higher state of charge and because the DT90 keeps the batteries connected, the Optima will back discharge into the cranking battery and over a period of time, as little as a week depending on how often you drive, the cranking battery’s settled state of charge is progressively raised.

This feature may or may not help with the problem you are having.

NOTE, this all depends on how much and how often you drive.

Another option might be to fit a solar panel to your RR.

drivesafe wrote:

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Another option might be to fit a solar panel to your RR.

Hi Havank and while I am woking on a very basic 20 amp solar regulated input for the DT90, you would not need the DT90 if you used a solar panel no bigger than 10w.

You could connect to either the cranking battery or the auxiliary battery in the rear and both batteries would be maintained without risking over charging either.

Solar always tricky in the UK, seems like today is the first time I have seen the sun in months!

It is a useful idea to add a solar charger to the secondary battery (direct), that will then keep both batteries up to the mark. .
Experience is the only genuine knowledge, but as time passes, I have forgotten more than I can remember
Volvo V70 P2 2006 2.4 Petrol 170bhp Estate SE
MG Midget Mk1 1962

Previous: L322 Range Rover TDV8 3.6 2008; L322 Range Rover TD6 3.0 2002; P38A Range Rover V8 1999

Hi Joe and you need to be aware of the amount of energy your RR is using while it’s parked up.

You then need to know how much power your isolator needs to operate and then you can factor in weather conditions for your area.

In your case and not factoring in any power for an isolator, you could safely fit a 20w solar panel.

In Barracuda’s situation, no isolator is needed and a 20w solar panel is going to be fine.

If someone is considering fitting both a solar panel and an isolator, you will not only need to know the operating current for the isolator but you need to find out if the will work in reverse if you want to connect the solar panel to the auxiliary battery, which in most cases, the rear cargo area would be the idea location for a solar panel mount.

Most isolators only work in one direction and will only operate if the voltage from the cranking battery is high enough to turn on the isolator. They usually do not monitor the auxiliary battery side and will not operate if the auxiliary battery voltage is high enough to turn the isolator on.

This would mean you have a fully charged auxiliary battery but it would be of no assistance to your cranking battery and you would need to connect your solar panel to the cranking battery.

My isolator only requires about 125ma while in SHEARED mode, which allows both batteries to be charged form a solar panel ( or a battery charger ) no matter where the solar panel is connected, but the power consumption of many isolators can be as high as 900ma and this would mean you an even bigger solar panel plus for safety, you would also need a solar regulator, to prevent over charging of either or both batteries.

Again, in Barracuda’s situation, no isolator is needed and a 20w solar panel will NOT need a regulator.

Drivesafe,

would the au$200 price including shipping to the UK at all  FFRR MY06 facelift With TDV8 Alloys Zeros/ATR's
Mantec Sump Guard, Rigid Load liner, MY10 BT upgrade.

drivesafe wrote:

Hi Folks and fitting a battery in the rear cubby is limited by height.

You are going to have clearance problems with most batteries because of the height of the terminals.

The Optima D34 is a perfect fit and while it is only a 55Ah battery is has a high CCA for it’s size.

I have found it is an improvement to the operation by leaving the two batteries ( semi ) permanently connected, as the increase in the overall battery capacity of the RR seems to fix a number of problems.

BTW, barracuda, most 12v solenoids can be energised with as little as 9 to 10v and if your cranking battery is being discharged below that, you battery is going to have a VERY short life.