New 12v setup

**PWat** · 11th October 2019, 09:00 PM

On my TD5 I have a second battery squeezed into the battery box under the passenger seat - they are very snug and held in place by a few bits of wood with bit of old inner-tube providing back-up insulation to prevent shorts to the box cover.

I forget what size the battery is. The battery is charged from the alternator when the engine is running (via a voltage-sensitive relay) and can run our thermo-electric fridge and a few LED lights for a couple of nights.

The house battery runs hard-wired USB chargers, external lights, radio, fridge and there is an Anderson connection on the tray. Wiring the radio was a bit fiddly because I want it to turn on/off with the car and auto-dim when the lights turn on etc as normal, but also be usable when the car is off. (This used up 3 relays!)

I have built my own cubby-box that has 3 levels - 2 for storage and the bottom one for the electrics. (See pictures.) I'm quite tall so I made it higher and also made bits for my coffee and assorted pens & glasses. The wiring is a bit messy and not (yet) well labelled, but I know what it all does! Some of the wiring is for additional reversing lights and front-spots that run off the main battery (and also require relays to avoid overloading etc).

Handy hints:

Buy switches, relays, fuse blocks, USB chargers etc are super-cheap on eBay for about a third of the cost of Jaycar.
I have run multi-core cable to the dash and the tray. This is heaps easier than running another cable every time you need something else.
I run a single earth connection through the multicore to make wiring switches etc easier. For high-current devices I also earth locally.
Label every cable as you go!

Cubby Box.jpg Cubby Box - top.jpg Cubby Box - middle.jpg Cubby Box - bottom layer.jpg Cubby Box - from above.jpg

**PWat** · 11th October 2019, 09:14 PM

Originally Posted by Graekynn

- What is the best way to route wiring out from under the drivers seat? I try to avoid damaging grommets wherever possible, would you bother drilling a new hole and grommet that?

I have a TD5 with the engine's computer brain under the drivers seat, and so I consider that area to be out-of-bounds for any modifications. I just don't want to break down in the middle of nowhere because I've allowed dust/water/termites/etc into the ECU.

**W&KO** · 11th October 2019, 09:24 PM

I’m a fan of leaving the battery space under the seat less cluttered with just the starter battery and having the AUX elsewhere.

I haven’t bothered with a DC-DC or fancy BMS. and lean towards more solar. Charge everything (aux, laptop and devices) during the day leaving the fridge and lights as the only load at night.

I have the following which works well

- 110 aux battery
- Basic redarc isolator, may upgrade to the dual sensing unit
- Victron 75/15 regulator
- 2 x 150w semi flex solar panels fixed to the roof
- 1 x 120w solar blanket tucked away for times of need

This runs a 60L fridge, a couple of LED lights and charges iPad and phones....even get the odd meal out of the 12v oven while stationary.

Good luck with it all.....report back with what you settle on.

**PWat** · 11th October 2019, 09:24 PM

Originally Posted by Tote

Running cables from the dash to the rest of the vehicle is a bugger of a job, particularly to the ExBox or under the drivers seat. If you need to do it, run multi core cables so that you only need to do it once. The same applies to wiring that travels to the roof.

Absolutely agree - multicore marketed as being for trailer wiring is great for this.

**Graekynn** · 12th October 2019, 09:00 AM

Originally Posted by PWat

Absolutely agree - multicore marketed as being for trailer wiring is great for this.

Thats exactly the kind of time/effort saving ideas im looking for

This may be more pointed towards puma owners but whats the best way to get wiring from under seat to engine bay? Or under seat to dash for that matter?

**PWat** · 12th October 2019, 05:31 PM

Originally Posted by Graekynn

This may be more pointed towards puma owners but whats the best way to get wiring from under seat to engine bay? Or under seat to dash for that matter?

On my TD5:

Battery box to engine bay [should be the same on a Puma]: I use holes (installed by the previous owner) to the space under the cubby box (ie, above the rear prop shaft) and then run along the LH chassis rail. (I avoid the RH chassis rail because that's where the fuel lines are.) Cables ties are awesome and cheap.

Battery box to dash [may be different with a Puma dash]: hole in front of the battery box and then under the carpet to the fuse/relay 'box'. There is a cable channel up to the back of the dash. To access: disconnect battery; unbolt fuse box; remove bottom of dash; feed a stiff guide wire up; drag cable through; reassemble; analyse where left-over screws were supposed to go. (Alternately you could go via the engine bay and then go through an existing grommet into the back of the dash.)

**Tombie** · 12th October 2019, 07:39 PM

Originally Posted by PWat

I have a TD5 with the engine's computer brain under the drivers seat, and so I consider that area to be out-of-bounds for any modifications. I just don't want to break down in the middle of nowhere because I've allowed dust/water/termites/etc into the ECU.

That seat box leaks like a colander.

**drivesafe** · 13th October 2019, 09:02 PM

Hi Graekynn and sorry for the delay, the DEFENDER Dual Battery kit details are now up on my website.

NOTE, as with all of my kits, if a modified version is required, it can be done.

**Tote** · 15th October 2019, 09:34 PM

As requested, a couple of photos,

The magical grommet that provides access to the back of the dash from the engine bay and underneath, pictured are the stop light feed feed and brake actuator wire
IMGP3014.1.jpg

The fuse panel that hides behind the passenger side dash, from memory it currently supplies +12v unswitched to the brake controller and a couple of feeds up to the console

IMGP3016.1.jpg

The routing up to the console from behind the dash

IMGP0473.jpg

The contents of my ExBox - the fuse panel is at the front, under the Alpine sub controller, you can see a couple of empty fuse places.

IMGP0475.jpg

Under the passenger seat, the solenoid is an enable for the winch and the Traxide controller output goes back to the tray where there is an Anderson connector for the pod with the deep cycle battery in it. I have used the output from the Anderson plug to run an orange beacon when towing machinery and also to power a diesel tank as well.

IMGP0477.jpg

Regards,
Tote

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