2nd battery?

[Nick]

this isn't for a sound system or anything

but i'm curious as to if it would be possible to put in another smaller battery, here's my reasoning, keep a large ish battery dedicated to the starter, have everything else run on a small motorcycle battery or something

but have the alternator charge both, i think this would be pretty simple but with some pretty heavy duty diodes

think about it, you can always get your car started, even if you left your lights on!

maybe even a switch to be able to put both batteries to the starter, get a couple hundread more cold cranking amps, usefull to us northern non block heater ppl

[EKam]

I don't think adding a 2nd battery offers any other advantage beside longer runtime while the car is off.

It also makes your alt. work longer so I don't know if this is a good thing.



Besides, for what you're looking for you might as well get something like a yellowtop or redtop.

[Nick]

here's the plan, battery pretty much used only for the starter (just like airplanes) the rest of the time you're running off the alternator, just a little motorcycle battery so the alternator's not always running, no accesories can get power from the starter battery

i'm gonna go bug some of my old electronics teachers

[project trueno]

i agree with ekam, why not get a redtop/yellowtop? The CCA plus reserve capacity is more than both your batteries combined

too bad they're so pricey, but at least your project car doesn't have to lug 2 batteries around, and you can go nuts on battery relocation

[Nick]

no this is for my own, the last 2 weeks i'm getting really stupid, i've left my lights on 3 times, starting to piss me off

[idrivemyself]

you don't have auto lights???

[Nick]

i keep hitting my foglight switch while i'm getting out of my car

its just hanging out of my steering wheel shroud as is, i need to get around to mounting, it

[Xenon]

Hooking up an extra battery will over work your alternator, you'd have to either upgrade your alternator or bump up the current on it.

Otherwise take the guys' advice and buy a yellow top (great for sound systems and long lasting).

[Nick]

i think my battery might be going, or i have a serious parasite

cuz its dead again!!!!! and i didn't have my lights on this time

[RedruM]

you'll just cause more problems then it's worth in the future

[alltrac165]

Doesn't somebody make a battery with a switch on it for reserve starting in case lights were left on and drained the main portion? I remember seeing it somewhere. Or you could put a switch on the main battery lead in the cockpit somewhere and turn it off when you get out. Sort of a cheap anti-theft device as well, no power to anything until you flip the switch. But then you'd have to remember to flip off the switch. I wouldn't remember, that's for sure. Ah forget that idea....:p

[Nick]

that's an even better idea, but it would be a pain in the ass as the stereo would loose power everytime, eject the cd, loose presets....


could be done with a pretty big relay

[rayray]

i was just at Costco today...

YellowTop = $228.00 CAD
RedTop= $148.00 CAD

(if i remember correctly)


-rayray

[Nick]

if it dosen't have that start reserve switch i'm not paying more than 100$

[alltrac165]

I want to say it was a Sears Diehard battery that had the switch but I can't remember...