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Originally Posted by f5fstop
Where will you install the second battery?
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One of two locations at this point. I've done both of these on previous rigs and they have their benefits & drawbacks.
I have a spot on my roof rack that is the right size for the larger Yellotop (31?). I'll just run a 6-8 gauge wire from the isolator up A-piller and to the rear of the rack. From there, I can wire up the rack (lights, air compressor, 2 gauge down the rear for the rear winch connection). I actually once had 2 wallyworld deep cycles installed on the roof rack of my suburban - worked well but I had to run my 1.5kW inverter on the starting battery because there was no way to run the wiring for it from the roof down to the inverter (I think it was 1 or 2 gauge). I ditched that and went w/a 2nd battery in the engine compartment.
The other is under the sleeping platform behind the driver's seat (I've got another thread w/that - I pulled the rear seat out). This is the likely spot for now - it will allow me to run the inverter w/short cables on the backup battery, and not worry about starting. There's also enough room for 2 yellowtops there, which would be nice since i want to keep my computer on full time (have a P4 w/LCD sitting in my house waiting for my wrist to heal before I install). Plus, I can still run the rear winch connector from there throught the rear hatch (yes, imagine the impact on the power supply for the computer when I run the winch, that's why I also have a 500VA UPS ready to go as well). This is what I used on my Jeep.
I haven't had a chance to dig through the FSM yet, but also thinking the passenger side rear behind the panel. If I get a smaller battery, and there's nothing in there (is there?), that's an ideal situation. Neither internal solution works well for the air compressor (on the roof rack), so that will likely run off the main battery. Plus, internal batteries make it a PIA to self-jump when the main dies
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On both rigs, I used a basic 2-diode isolator (with the extra initator wire for the GM alternator). I'm concerned abou the voltage drop and it's impact on the electronics of a newer vehicle (sub is 88, jeep was 91).
Here's what I'm looking at:
http://www.xantrex.com/web/id/104/p/1/pt/5/product.asp
I haven't seen any isolators specific to the H3 with limited voltage drops (If my memory serves me right, it's 0.7v across a diode no matter what, so digital is better). If you have any ideas, please help!