Fridge full-time power wire routing

[Liquidmantis]

I think I'm going to get an ARB fridge soon (like maybe after one more drink...) and I'm wondering how people are wiring them up. Right now I'm leaning toward running a power cable under the truck so I don't have to mess with interior panels, then coming through the grommet in the brake light access cavities, but maybe the panels are easier than I'm envisioning. Anyone have write-ups on this install?

 

[rigtec]

"I think I'm going to get an ARB fridge soon (like maybe after one more drink...) and I'm wondering how people are wiring them up. Right now I'm leaning toward running a power cable under the truck so I don't have to mess with interior panels..."

Hi Liquidmantis,

Running power lines underneath the vehicle is not advisable... the environment is harsh even towards the body and chassis; which is why it's undercoated. And then when you consider that there are moving parts under there you can understand why the manufacturer runs their wiring system harnesses on the inside of the body wireways to prevent damage.

In my opinion if you're gonna do it, do it the right way (period!). Here is an example of a close group of pros pooling their resources to do just that:
https://www.google.com/url?q=http:/...ds-cse&usg=AFQjCNEC8H3C1GiRwO2E_J1nzWXR31WhHQ

"Best to you!" rigtec

 

[Jono.ful]

foot well kick plates and door sills are very easy to remove, and you shouldn't have any problems pushing a couple new wires through the firewall with the existing harnesses. I've managed to 8ga power for a sub, 14 ga for switches for 4 different light systems, air compressor, and future locker solenoids, as well as a 1/4" air line all through an existing penetration on the driver's side through the firewall all without having to drill any new holes

 

[coulter6]

This weekend I ran an ARB wiring kit (8ga wire) from the second battery to the driver rear. Removing the kick plates weren't to bad, although I did buy a simple panel removal tool kit to make it easier.
Working the wire though:

I didn't get a pic of the center kick panel between the driver front door and rear door, but you'll need to removal the seat belt bolt to get the panel off. Not a big deal.

The forward kick plate; you can see the bolt to the right of the wires that secures the panel.

Where the wire goes through the rummer grommet from the engine side. I put wire loom on each side of the firewall. At first I was going to run a single 8ga wire (shown here) and ground the plugs to the frame at the end, but decided to use the ARB dual wire kit to have a ground directly to the battery.

I used a Blue Sea fuse box to complete the run. You can see the dual ARB 8ga wires here.

Wire through the engine compartment. I ran out of black loom and had to use blue. Brightens up the compartment don't you think.

I did vacuum before replacing the panels.

:beer:

 

[Jhalko]

I think I'm going to get an ARB fridge soon (like maybe after one more drink...) and I'm wondering how people are wiring them up. Right now I'm leaning toward running a power cable under the truck so I don't have to mess with interior panels, then coming through the grommet in the brake light access cavities, but maybe the panels are easier than I'm envisioning. Anyone have write-ups on this install?

Id go inside, pics above are good, a few in my build thread as well. I'll help you when I get back from my travels... Easy as pie.

 

[Liquidmantis]

Thanks! I've already done some of this as I brought the ARB compressor wiring harness through the firewall and dropped the lower dash panel to install a switch for it. I was a little worried about popping a lot of interior panels to get to the cargo area though. I've done extensive rewiring and audio installation in the past, but all on older cars with mostly screwed on parts rather than these fragile push clips. This looks pretty simple though.

 

[Jono.ful]

honestly the clips are stronger than you think. I've had my door sill covers and centre console apart dozens of times without breaking any plastic. the little trim removal tools are useful, but not critical.

 

[Northern 4Runner]

I'm looking to gain access to my rear area of rocker panels and dog legs for rust proofing. Do the sill panels or kick plates as called here remove by simply pulling up on them? I know some interior panels have a side that you have to pry from first

 

[Antman]

I'm looking to gain access to my rear area of rocker panels and dog legs for rust proofing. Do the sill panels or kick plates as called here remove by simply pulling up on them? I know some interior panels have a side that you have to pry from first

Yes- pull off.

 

[TRUSTYAXE]

Thanks! I've already done some of this as I brought the ARB compressor wiring harness through the firewall and dropped the lower dash panel to install a switch for it. I was a little worried about popping a lot of interior panels to get to the cargo area though. I've done extensive rewiring and audio installation in the past, but all on older cars with mostly screwed on parts rather than these fragile push clips. This looks pretty simple though.

The pics above are how I did it except I went passenger side. 3 panels to remove, kick plate and 2 door sills. You don't have to remove rear panels except for the rear wheel tray, use the brute force method for that. Then a fish tape will get you from rear door kick plate to the tray. Tip...pull off a bit of the rubber molding on the back door for easier access.

 

[Liquidmantis]

The pics above are how I did it except I went passenger side. 3 panels to remove, kick plate and 2 door sills. You don't have to remove rear panels except for the rear wheel tray, use the brute force method for that. Then a fish tape will get you from rear door kick plate to the tray. Tip...pull off a bit of the rubber molding on the back door for easier access.

Oh, I've long since installed the fridge. Since that post I've also totally stripped the interior to clean out mud and pressure wash the carpet so I'm over any concern with the clips.

 

[Discovery]

Semi thread revival...

So I have a hard time figuring how to connect my arb 12v outlet to my 6awg wire...

Arb use these small "slide on" connector; Pict for reference

I've found some "female slide on connector" for 18awg up to 10awg, but nothing for 6awg...

Help?

 

[jrandom]

Semi thread revival...

So I have a hard time figuring how to connect my arb 12v outlet to my 6awg wire...

Arb use these small "slide on" connector; Pict for reference[]

I've found some "female slide on connector" for 18awg up to 10awg, but nothing for 6awg...

Help?

You could just solder a pigtail to the plug and get yourself a mini-anderson connector.

SB®50 STANDARD HOUSINGS
SB50 Standard Housings Yellow

 

[MossJenks]

Semi thread revival...

So I have a hard time figuring how to connect my arb 12v outlet to my 6awg wire...

Arb use these small "slide on" connector; Pict for reference

I've found some "female slide on connector" for 18awg up to 10awg, but nothing for 6awg...

Help?

Back up a little. Little slide on connectors aren't really appropriate for the type of amperage that you'd need 6awg wire for. You want a heavy screw-down terminal for that. Nor would I think that outlet is rated for super high amperage. 6 gauge is good for 50+ amps depending on the exact length of wire. You do have a fuse up by the battery for that big-boy, right?

So what have you done, run a 6 gauge wire to the back of the truck so you have plenty of capacity for various accessories? My recommendation would be to attach the big wire to a fuse block then run fused circuits with appropriate gauge wiring to each accessory (i.e. your ARB outlet). Something like this:

https://powerwerx.com/blue-sea-5028...nsByJAPUNDZzXXhsRuZrRNeRLSdoya88aAvhREALw_wcB

 

[rypajo]

Back up a little. Little slide on connectors aren't really appropriate for the type of amperage that you'd need 6awg wire for. You want a heavy screw-down terminal for that. Nor would I think that outlet is rated for super high amperage. 6 gauge is good for 50+ amps depending on the exact length of wire. You do have a fuse up by the battery for that big-boy, right?

So what have you done, run a 6 gauge wire to the back of the truck so you have plenty of capacity for various accessories? My recommendation would be to attach the big wire to a fuse block then run fused circuits with appropriate gauge wiring to each accessory (i.e. your ARB outlet). Something like this:

https://powerwerx.com/blue-sea-5028...nsByJAPUNDZzXXhsRuZrRNeRLSdoya88aAvhREALw_wcB

The 6 awg wire is for voltage loss over a distance not necessarily because of max amp draw. You could literally step down from 6 awg to 12 awg for the last 4 inches and be good.

Voltage Drop Calculator

Based on a 6 amp draw
6awg over 20 ft has a 0.79% drop over that distance at 12v
12awg over 20 ft has a 3.17% drop over that distance at 12v
12awg over 1ft has a 0.16% drop at 12v

If any of this math is incorrect lemme know!

 

[Airgazm]

The 6 awg wire is for voltage loss over a distance not necessarily because of max amp draw. You could literally step down from 6 awg to 12 awg for the last 4 inches and be good.

Voltage Drop Calculator

Based on a 6 amp draw
6awg over 20 ft has a 0.79% drop over that distance at 12v
12awg over 20 ft has a 3.17% drop over that distance at 12v
12awg over 1ft has a 0.16% drop at 12v

If any of this math is incorrect lemme know!

Yep, in fact most fridges come with much smaller cig lighter adapter wire, it's all about voltage drop over a distance.

Think about the fuse you have in there, say it's a 15 amp fuse, its a very small wire in that fuse, so you won't have any problems with the connector being small, it's all about the length of the wire.

 

[under_psi]

you could always buy a distribution block and run another couple 12V lighter adapters should you ever need....

I've found that my ARB fridge pulls very little power when plugged in....but a stand alone/dedicated power for it is proper for sure.....

 

[Mr.Rick]

you could always buy a distribution block and run another couple 12V lighter adapters should you ever need....

I've found that my ARB fridge pulls very little power when plugged in....but a stand alone/dedicated power for it is proper for sure.....

^^ this for sure.

I ran 4awg from the battery to a blue sea breaker under the hood, then 4awg from the breaker to the cargo area and have a 12 blade power block back there. I attached a 12v digital meter to the block to monitor amperage drop. With my phone charging, the fridge running and my RTT plugged in with the lights on the drop is very minimal. Plus I am able to run anything extra I may need back there. I have the 12v meter and a USB charger hooked up for "constant hot" and then everything else is on a 15a fuse. The breaker was probably overkill but I was really not up for an electrical fire should something ground out. I ran the 4awg "hot" through the fire wall and the under the trim to the back, ran 4awg from the negative terminal on the battery to the frame and then in the back I ran the ground from the power block through a grommet under the taillight down to the frame. The system works well anything I have plugged in is double fused for safety, I pinched the cord to the fridge in my slide one day and only popped one fuse. Everything else was great, the fridge has constant power and is on even if the vehicle isn't.

 

[Payara Offroad]

^^ this for sure.

I ran 4awg from the battery to a blue sea breaker under the hood, then 4awg from the breaker to the cargo area and have a 12 blade power block back there. I attached a 12v digital meter to the block to monitor amperage drop. With my phone charging, the fridge running and my RTT plugged in with the lights on the drop is very minimal. Plus I am able to run anything extra I may need back there. I have the 12v meter and a USB charger hooked up for "constant hot" and then everything else is on a 15a fuse. The breaker was probably overkill but I was really not up for an electrical fire should something ground out. I ran the 4awg "hot" through the fire wall and the under the trim to the back, ran 4awg from the negative terminal on the battery to the frame and then in the back I ran the ground from the power block through a grommet under the taillight down to the frame. The system works well anything I have plugged in is double fused for safety, I pinched the cord to the fridge in my slide one day and only popped one fuse. Everything else was great, the fridge has constant power and is on even if the vehicle isn't.

Can you show your wiring setup.