Off-grid Battery Kit Installation

[mvt4r]

Hmm, I'm seeing the same thing in incognito mode, not sure why, everything is from Google photos.

Ok, I've refreshed some of the links and now incognito mode shows me all the switch install pictures. I hope this isn't a repeated problem, otherwise I'll have to find a different photo hosting option. I'll go and fix the other posts.

 

[mvt4r]

I think I've fixed up the images I fear that the direct URLs may have a timeout that then requires a login, which means these will all break. If so, I'll repost the images to imgur or something like that and :frusty: fix all the links.

 

[bjohnston115]

I think I've fixed up the images I fear that the direct URLs may have a timeout that then requires a login, which means these will all break. If so, I'll repost the images to imgur or something like that and :frusty: fix all the links.

nothing like a nice clean install. Looking good and great write up. I've had the Blue Sea 7622 in my land cruiser for a decade and I have never had to touch it. Great product.

 

[mvt4r]

nothing like a nice clean install. Looking good and great write up. I've had the Blue Sea 7622 in my land cruiser for a decade and I have never had to touch it. Great product.

Thanks. the ML-ACR looks pretty tough. Certianly, it is designed for a harsher environment than a truck engine compartment - unless you are driving through the surf on the beach regularly :surfer:

 

[slvrblt]

Nice, you should add pictures of cutting and relocating the starter and alternator lines to the passenger side battery. I thought about doing this but decided it wasn't worth it right now.

One thing to make sure when you do the move is that everything that is needed to run the engine is connected to the starting battery (e.g., ECU etc.) You don't want a situation where when the drivers side battery is really dead, you cannot crank the engine without connecting batteries, that would defeat the whole purpose right?

I plan to post pics and hopefully make a video of the install. Matt from OGE made me all the required cables for the relocate for a small additional fee. Unfortunately when I talked to him, he said he is so busy that my order was probably the last custom order he was going to be able to do. OGE has been great to work with, and the build quality looks amazing. Can't wait to get this installed.

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[mvt4r]

I plan to post pics and hopefully make a video of the install. Matt from OGE made me all the required cables for the relocate for a small additional fee. Unfortunately when I talked to him, he said he is so busy that my order was probably the last custom order he was going to be able to do. OGE has been great to work with, and the build quality looks amazing. Can't wait to get this installed.

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

Yeah, Matt told me the same. He is working on scaling up and hope he does well. When you do the install, I'd love to see if you can crank the engine to start without the drivers side battery connected but still have the Entune system disengaged - or does the rewire move all the in car systems leaving only accessories on the drivers side battery?

 

[phillyd2]

Been using Blue Sea ML-ACR in the 4R since 2012 and its been bulletproof. Also have it on a ATV and the other truck.

 

[Rack]

Great right up and pictures. all the Macgyverisms you used for the install are entertaining.
( the nail in the straw) also admitting your items you overlooked is refreshing. This forum is a great way to find answers. I did when I installed a dual battery in my 2011 4R. I also used the ML-ACR. I agree with you about the big red switch. I still have not figured out where to install it on the dash. when you do come up with a solution please post it.

 

[mvt4r]

Great right up and pictures. all the Macgyverisms you used for the install are entertaining.
( the nail in the straw) also admitting your items you overlooked is refreshing. This forum is a great way to find answers. I did when I installed a dual battery in my 2011 4R. I also used the ML-ACR. I agree with you about the big red switch. I still have not figured out where to install it on the dash. when you do come up with a solution please post it.

Thanks. I hope that admitting my mistakes will help other people in the same situation.

Here is what I am planning for the switch. First, I believe there is no OEM fit rocker switch (or even OEM look really) on the market that is SPDT. This would be the best solution.

So, my plan is to get a switch from Air On Board (AOB) that is a ON-OFF OEM fit switch that says battery link. I will then use a normally open (NO) 12V controlled relay and a 12V impulse SPDT relay in series with the AOB switch as the control signal. The input to the NO relay is the control wire (which I think is the red wire in my kit). The impulse relay will connect to the black wire on one side and the orange wire on the other. The AOB switch will have one side connected to the 12V supply, and the other side as the control line of both relays.

Now, when the AOB switch is off, you get automatic mode from the ML-ACR. When you press the button, depending on the state of the impluse relay you will either force connect or force disconnect the batteries. I will wire the independent LED on the switch to the yellow and orange wire to indicate the status.

The trick here is that there is only one positive voltage supply to the switch, if I understand things correctly. However, I think the orange wire is always at battery or alternator voltage and the LED flashes happen by connecting/disconnecting ground inside the ML-ACR circuitry, so all should be happy.

Now to find some time to research the particular parts, order them, and wire it all up.

 

[reidbailey]

Please share as you go. I have an AOB switch I’d rather use than the blue sea


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[mvt4r]

Please share as you go. I have an AOB switch I’d rather use than the blue sea


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I will, though I'm having a hard time finding a cheap impulse relay. $28 is the lowest I've found so far, then you have to add the wiring and the NO relay and the AOB switch. Not as cheap as I'd like but its not like the battery upgrade and kit were cheap to begin with.

 

[slvrblt]

Here is my install with the starter battery relocated to the passenger side. All of the factory accessories still run off the starter battery. Any factory accessories you want to run off the accessory battery would need to be rewired.

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[bittwiddler]

I ended up using a OTRATTW switch on mine but I'll have to dig up a picture of the wiring. It's pretty easy to wire up whatever switch you want

 

[mvt4r]

Air On Board switch for ML-ACR

I've wired an OEM style "Battery Link" switch from on-board air that allows me to manually link (but not unlink) the batteries. This will do for now. I'm still working on a more sophisticated setup that will allow both with the Air On-board (AOB) switch. The wiring is AOB black to the ML-ACR LED wire (Yellow in the Off Grid Engineering kit), AOB Blue to power wire (Orange in the kit), AOB green to the REMOTE wire (red in the kit), and AOB red to power (Orange in the kit, there are two orange wires in the kit). The kit black ground wire is not connected in this setup.

Here is the wiring I used:

With this wiring, pressing the switch links the batteries. Both LEDs are off when the switch is not pressed and the batteries disconnected. The lower LED (the one with the words) indicates the status of the ML-ACR at all times. The top LED will duplicate the bottom LED status when the switch is depressed. Not ideal, but good enough for now. I'll post a schematic to get both connect and disconnect once I figure out and build a circuit that will work.

Here is the switch installed, and not pressed:

Here is the switch not pressed but batteries automatically linked:

Here is the switch pressed and batteries linked:

Note that there should be no case where the switch is pressed and the leds are off. Something is wrong in that case. The LEDs may blink when the switch is depressed if the ML-ACR is in manual override mode (see the ML-ACR manual).

 

[oksnor]

Here is my install with the starter battery relocated to the passenger side. All of the factory accessories still run off the starter battery. Any factory accessories you want to run off the accessory battery would need to be rewired.

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Did you connect the two bare wires coming from the alternator and going to the fuse box together?

 

[teotwaki]

I really appreciate the write up and all of the pictures!

 

[sn_85]

For anyone interested in this kit. I started to notice a noise coming from my passenger side the last few weeks. Initially thought it was from my roof rack or cowling. Tightened everything down and the noise was still persistent. Opened the hood up and noticed my aux battery was shaking a bit. Thought the hold bracket might be loose but it was pretty tight. Took everything apart and noticed the tray broke at the weld. The unfortunate part is that it also broke one of the weld tabs on the oem support bracket the aux tray sits on. I'll fix that with some JB weld. Thing is I haven't been on dirt for the last 6 months since it's winter here. So I'm very surprised and shocked it broke. We have cold winters here and springs just starting to hit spring so maybe the recent weather change lead to some metal fatigue.

Just thought I'd share this here. Not sure if it was just my particular unit that's bad but disappointing none-the-less. I don't know what direction I'll go with next but I won't be going with their aux tray. I'm either going to get a steel aux tray in the same location, the shrockworks tray or go single large battery.