Douglas S.
Adventurer
I'm nearing the end of this installation, so I thought I'd throw together a quick write-up for anyone interested.
This whole project came about because the original 4.5kw, 24V starter in my truck shorted out earlier this year, killing both batteries and leaving me stranded. I wasn't going to get a better opportunity to get this project out of the way.
12V Starter Conversion
This part of the project was fairly straightforward. I purchased a new 2.5kw 12V starter and replaced the original one. I had to rewire the ground circuit on the starter solenoid because the original ground passed through the now-removed series/parallel solenoid and timer.
Battery Selection
I chose to go with a group 31 AGM (Deka) as the main/accessory battery and a group 34 Odyssey as the starting and winching battery. The group 31 required some minor trimming of the battery tray and a new hold-down. I also weighs about 80lbs so be prepared to lift that into the engine bay of a raised truck.
I would have gone with Sears Die Hard Platinum batteries if they were available to me, but Sears does not offer them in Canada.
System Selection
Choosing a system was one of the hardest parts of this project. There are a lot of really good options on the market (National Luna, Hellroaring, IBS, etc.). In the end I narrowed my options down to the Blue Sea 7622 (with a National Luna battery monitor) or the IBS system.
I chose to go with the Blue Sea unit for a couple reasons. Firstly the the Blue Sea ACR has a continuous current rating of 500 amps at 12V, meaning that combining the batteries to power my winch is not going to present any problems. Secondly, the Blue Sea unit also has manual controls in the event of complete failure of one of the batteries. The IBS requires an additional relay to operate in low-voltage situations and will not function at all if the controller battery is completely flat.
The downside to the Blue Sea unit is that it is not a fully integrated package, meaning that the install is more involved than say the IBS or National Luna systems.
Mounting
Because my truck originally came with a 24v starter, there was a series/parallel switching solenoid mounted on the LHS fender. This presented the perfect location to mount the Blue Sea ACR. I drew up a bracket in Inventor, which should be ready next week. This will get mounted to the original solenoid bracket.
Wiring
As mentioned above, the Blue Sea ACR is not a full integrated system. This meant that I would have to make my own wiring harness. I love wiring, so this didn't really concern me. I ordered some multiconductor wire and Deutsch connectors, and put one together. The control switch should arrive next week.
So that's where it currently sits. I have 15ft of 2/0 welding cable, an assortment of adhesive lined heat shrink, and a hammer crimper sitting on the workbench waiting for the last few items to arrive. I'm planning to have everything finished up in the next few weeks.
This whole project came about because the original 4.5kw, 24V starter in my truck shorted out earlier this year, killing both batteries and leaving me stranded. I wasn't going to get a better opportunity to get this project out of the way.
12V Starter Conversion
This part of the project was fairly straightforward. I purchased a new 2.5kw 12V starter and replaced the original one. I had to rewire the ground circuit on the starter solenoid because the original ground passed through the now-removed series/parallel solenoid and timer.
Battery Selection
I chose to go with a group 31 AGM (Deka) as the main/accessory battery and a group 34 Odyssey as the starting and winching battery. The group 31 required some minor trimming of the battery tray and a new hold-down. I also weighs about 80lbs so be prepared to lift that into the engine bay of a raised truck.
I would have gone with Sears Die Hard Platinum batteries if they were available to me, but Sears does not offer them in Canada.
System Selection
Choosing a system was one of the hardest parts of this project. There are a lot of really good options on the market (National Luna, Hellroaring, IBS, etc.). In the end I narrowed my options down to the Blue Sea 7622 (with a National Luna battery monitor) or the IBS system.
I chose to go with the Blue Sea unit for a couple reasons. Firstly the the Blue Sea ACR has a continuous current rating of 500 amps at 12V, meaning that combining the batteries to power my winch is not going to present any problems. Secondly, the Blue Sea unit also has manual controls in the event of complete failure of one of the batteries. The IBS requires an additional relay to operate in low-voltage situations and will not function at all if the controller battery is completely flat.
The downside to the Blue Sea unit is that it is not a fully integrated package, meaning that the install is more involved than say the IBS or National Luna systems.
Mounting
Because my truck originally came with a 24v starter, there was a series/parallel switching solenoid mounted on the LHS fender. This presented the perfect location to mount the Blue Sea ACR. I drew up a bracket in Inventor, which should be ready next week. This will get mounted to the original solenoid bracket.
Wiring
As mentioned above, the Blue Sea ACR is not a full integrated system. This meant that I would have to make my own wiring harness. I love wiring, so this didn't really concern me. I ordered some multiconductor wire and Deutsch connectors, and put one together. The control switch should arrive next week.
So that's where it currently sits. I have 15ft of 2/0 welding cable, an assortment of adhesive lined heat shrink, and a hammer crimper sitting on the workbench waiting for the last few items to arrive. I'm planning to have everything finished up in the next few weeks.