Dual Battery Disco 4

To jumpstart with a rear-mounted battery, solutions are:

1. Use a set of extra-long jumper cables (I have a set used for trucks in Alaska, where cables need to be long & flexible in the cold but able to carry high currents), or
2. Shorter jumper leads, but then you have to lug the battery to the front.

Even if it's pouring rain neither is a big problem for what is a pretty rare event in a D3/D4.

I normally carry a portable power pack for use with a flouro as a mobile light source. It has a set of leads build in for use as an emergency starter pack. Solves any problem if the main battery goes down.

I live on the Mornington Peninsula and had a auto electrician in Rosebud by the name of BJP Auto Electrical fit a second battery in my Disco 4 just before Christmas. They put it in the plastic box in the back left hand corner. They had to remove a black box thingy and mount it on the outside to make room. I run a 25Lt fridge permanently as well as the kids DVD players. So far I havent had a problem.

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Originally Posted by Disco4SE

I live on the Mornington Peninsula and had a auto electrician in Rosebud by the name of BJP Auto Electrical fit a second battery in my Disco 4 just before Christmas. They put it in the plastic box in the back left hand corner. They had to remove a black box thingy and mount it on the outside to make room. I run a 25Lt fridge permanently as well as the kids DVD players. So far I havent had a problem.

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Can someone confirm ? Wasn't ' the black box thingy ' two of the sensors that were previously located under the guard, that caused shutdown issues when mixed with water ?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Disco4SE

I live on the Mornington Peninsula and had a auto electrician in Rosebud by the name of BJP Auto Electrical fit a second battery in my Disco 4 just before Christmas. They put it in the plastic box in the back left hand corner. They had to remove a black box thingy and mount it on the outside to make room. I run a 25Lt fridge permanently as well as the kids DVD players. So far I havent had a problem.

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Any chance of a few photos please?

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Originally Posted by ADMIRAL

Can someone confirm ? Wasn't ' the black box thingy ' two of the sensors that were previously located under the guard, that caused shutdown issues when mixed with water ?

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If you're referring to the air suspension rear valve block, then its still under the guard.

Hi Disco4SE, from the info I’ve been able to get, that “Black box” was originally located on the other side in a D3 behind the cranking battery and fuse box and was susceptible to water problems.

If this is the same device then moving it outside the auxiliary battery compartment may lead to the same problems and could cause some hassles with warranty.

I’m not meaning to sound like a bit of scare mongering being done and I’ll see if I can get some exact info on that “Black box” and I’ll post it up here if I get anything.

At present, with the auxiliary battery compartment and the only other place for a battery being mounted in the engine bay being just in front of the cranking battery but the auxiliary battery will not be projected from the heat, the only reliable auxiliary battery mounting location for the D4 at this time, is in the rear cargo area.

There is a major advantage to mounting a battery in the cargo area in that you can fit a much MUCH larger battery.

If by 'black box thingy' we're talking about the TCM, it would be less subjected to water (perhaps) in the aux compartment, but that particular compartment certainly isn't waterproof, so if the TCM water ingress has been 'addressed' by LR, one would imagine that it would imply that the module itself was better water-proofed. Therefore I don't see any huge reason for not moving it out of the aux compartment (and it could be easily made water-resistant if required).

If I want a 'large' battery, I'll carry a jump pack. I'm going to try fitting the second battery in the aux compartment too, and rewire the Traxide to provide the rear power points as I currently have in the D3, as I want to run my front winch. I think it'll work :)

If not, I still think you could mount one in front of the existing one, and heat shield it if necessary. I didn't notice it being any hotter than the primary battery compartment when I had the loan RRS, and it was 37C that day (and being driven hard!!).

Cheers,

Gordon

Hi Gordon, the standard D3 kits work if the battery is installed in the auxiliary box of a D4 as the battery bracket bolt fittings are still in the box.

As far as mounting the battery at the front cranking battery goes, it may work but we won’t know for about 12 to 18 months when if they don’t work, the first of the failures start to appear.

The heat in the engine bay is much higher than the temps in either of the battery compartments but if down the road, someone is contemplating mounting a which and wants two batteries to operate it, then the front mount will be idea.

Here is a photo of my second battery. The plastic cover still fits over the top. The battery isnt big, but runs my fridge 24/7Attachment 22852Attachment 22852