National Luna Dual battery install

[Moody]

What model battery are you running?

I have the Costco Marine Deep Cycle Battery. Factory size. Maybe I should have gone with something better...

I am going to test the battery independently, and see if I just need to throw it on the battery charger for a day or so and hook it back up.

 

[adventureduo]

Hey Alvin,

Just checking out your post. Install looks good. I had one question.. where'd you get these terminal connectors at the bottom of the picture that attach to the battery studs? Im talking about the ones that accept 3 connections each.

EDIT: I just saw National Luna makes them and Equipt sells them. I fired off a email to Paul. Cool deal.

 

[Moody]

I have the NL setup, and it seems like my second battery is discharging significantly (down to the 25% mark) running just an engel, and does so just overnight, or when the car sits throughout the day....

Turns out my battery -was- bad...Costco refunded my money and I bought another. If it poops out again, I will have to try something different.

 

[MaddBaggins]

Hey Alvin,

Just checking out your post. Install looks good. I had one question.. where'd you get these terminal connectors at the bottom of the picture that attach to the battery studs? Im talking about the ones that accept 3 connections each.

EDIT: I just saw National Luna makes them and Equipt sells them. I fired off a email to Paul. Cool deal.

Glad I could answer your question :sombrero:

They came with the kit.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

...Although it would be nice to know if a battery at a SOC of 25% will start up my 80....

Just as an update, my Tacoma fired up with an indicated charge of ~17% (11.6V) this last weekend. Knowing I had a full charge in the aux. battery, I let the Engel take the start battery to an all-time low, attempting to freeze some stuff in the southern Utah sun this last weekend :sunny:. It was low enough to fire the low battery alarm I was fully anticipating a no-start situation, easily fixed with the Luna kit right? To my amazement it cranked over, noticeably lethargic but it fired on its own. It took ~30 minutes to charge it back up to the 100% mark.

The results are obviously very vehicle specific, I doubt the same battery would have fired my Land Cruiser, so I guess I will have to repeat the test in my Cruiser once I get the Luna monitor installed

 

[MaddBaggins]

Kurt, have you combined batts on the Luna kit for a jump start yet? The manual says it may blow the fuses if you don't wait for a few minutes. Any experience there?

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Kurt, have you combined batts on the Luna kit for a jump start yet? The manual says it may blow the fuses if you don't wait for a few minutes. Any experience there?

I've combined them a bunch just showing it to customers. We probably combined and started it a dozen times at Cruise Moab during the vendor show. None were low-voltage starts on the main battery though... which is when a fuse would likely blow.

Keep in mind I didn't install any of the fuses per the National Luna instructions. Whereas my application included a winch, I ran everything direct.

 

[MaddBaggins]

Thanks Kurt.

I installed per the intstructions (if I read them right :ylsmoke: ) and put the 100a fuse between the main batt and the solenoid, then put the 50a fuse between the solenoid and aux batt. I have a winch, but haven't finsished the install yet. The Luna manual says to hook the winch to the main batt, is that what you did?
I should get some extra fuses or resetable cirtcuit breakers.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Thanks Kurt.

I installed per the intstructions (if I read them right :ylsmoke: ) and put the 100a fuse between the main batt and the solenoid, then put the 50a fuse between the solenoid and aux batt. I have a winch, but haven't finsished the install yet. The Luna manual says to hook the winch to the main batt, is that what you did?
I should get some extra fuses or resetable cirtcuit breakers.

No, for the Luna installs I've done on winch equipped rigs, I've gone with "Configuration 3" (Page 10 of the NL instruction manual). It reads "Note that fuses are not appropriate for this configuration because of the high current flow expected"

The winch is hooked directly to the main battery, again they say "A number of people install winch cables to the auxiliary battery. This is not recommended as the alternator supplies a large portion of the current to the winch, ensuring optimum winch speed and power".

Pics of mine here:
http://expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12742&highlight=battery

 

[MaddBaggins]

No, for the Luna installs I've done on winch equipped rigs, I've gone with "Configuration 3" (Page 10 of the NL instruction manual). It reads "Note that fuses are not appropriate for this configuration because of the high current flow expected"

The winch is hooked directly to the main battery, again they say "A number of people install winch cables to the auxiliary battery. This is not recommended as the alternator supplies a large portion of the current to the winch, ensuring optimum winch speed and power".

Pics of mine here:
http://expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12742&highlight=battery

I'll have to re-read all of that before I install my winch. I may give you a ring also, if you don't mind.
Thanks Kurt

 

[cruiseroutfit]

I'll have to re-read all of that before I install my winch. I may give you a ring also, if you don't mind.
Thanks Kurt

Don't mind at all... feel free