Dual battery setup.

[johnnywal47]

I want to fit dual batteries under the bonnet of my NT diesel.
1. I have heard that you can shift the starter battery to the dual carrier and fit the second battery in the original starter battery spot. Will the standard starter battery fit here OK?
2. Is there too much heat in the engine bay for an AGM deep cycle battery?
3. I have a Ctek DC DC charger that I have previously used in the rear of my previous vehicle to charge the Deep Cycle secondary battery. Has anybody mounted one of the chargers in the engine bay and has it still worked fine?
4. Does the NT have a smart alternator and hence require a DC DC charger to fully charge a deep cycle battery.
5. Is there anything else I have to consider in putting in a dual battery?
John.

[fourocker]

I mount my 150ah agm securely in the cargo area only when I'm doing a trip, two reasons are engine bay heat and the substantial extra weight over the left front of the vehicle, as you may imagine the 150ah is massive and heavy.
Also I don't know whether or not the alternator is smart type or not but because I already had one I use a Redarc isolator under the bonnet to supply the agm through substantial cables that were already through the vehicle, this is working fine for me and has for some time, if you use a dc to dc they're supposed to be located near the second battery so the battery location will govern that, I've read evidence that suggests engine bay heat can be detrimental to them also.
Plenty of people will have both set up under the bonnet and working for them but not for me, it's very expensive gear I'd rather not locate there..
Just my opinion and I'm not an expert.

[Doowrag]

I have a redarc DCDC mounted under the bonnet and it works fine. i run the dual battery tray which unfortunately means i have to run two smaller batteries as the normal size doesn't fit. Most deep cycles i looked at were too tall and the terminals would hit the bonnet so i have 2 standard batteries. i killed a battery recently running the fridge so i do need to look into a better system.

i have looked at swapping my start battery and aux battery over because this would allow a taller deep cycle aux but the wiring is too short and a PITA to change. one day i might get motivated enough to change it.

[Pauno]

You don’t have to move your start battery. There is a company out of SA I think that makes full size trays, I have one in mine. A search on the site should bring it up.
I use a redarc under the bonnet mounted to the second tray without issues as well.
I currently run a 110ah sealed calcium battery. Had too many spilling issues with lead acid type.

Found it: https://offroaddownunder.com.au/prod...o-nm-to-nt-nw/
Looks like it has changed a little which may make it hard to mount the charger to the tray.

[dhula]

Our NT is a MY2010 and has a smart alternator AFAIK so suspect all NT+ have them. See here how to tell if yours does.
Simple VSR (SCA cheapy) works a treat in our underbonnet set up so far.
Would never put AGM under the bonnet personally but there are some AGM that say they are OK for underbonnet
Here is another option for N70 sized aux battery trays. I've not used it so have no personal experience, just something I found while looking to set up our Paj.

[fourocker]

I've checked in my NT (because I was doing a service today ) and there is no hall effect device on the neg battery lead so not a smart alternator......hence why the Redarc isolator setup is working successfully on my vehicle, thought I should clarify that as it appears that NT Pajero can have either type of alternator.

[Stinky]

Have a look through my build thread. My dual battery setup is in there. AGM under the bonnet.
Cheers, Mike.

https://www2.pajeroclub.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=59948

[koshari]

Our NT is a MY2010 and has a smart alternator AFAIK so suspect all NT+ have them. See here how to tell if yours does.
Simple VSR (SCA cheapy) works a treat in our underbonnet set up so far.
Would never put AGM under the bonnet personally but there are some AGM that say they are OK for underbonnet

May i ask if you wired the 2nd battery to the main battery negative post side of the hall effect sensor or to the chassis ground?

Here is another option for N70 sized aux battery trays. I've not used it so have no personal experience, just something I found while looking to set up our Paj.

not an option in ours as the air con pipe is is routed in the way.

[dhula]

Our NT is a MY2010 and has a smart alternator AFAIK so suspect all NT+ have them. See here how to tell if yours does.
Simple VSR (SCA cheapy) works a treat in our underbonnet set up so far.
Would never put AGM under the bonnet personally but there are some AGM that say they are OK for underbonnet.

May i ask if you wired the 2nd battery to the main battery negative post side of the hall effect sensor or to the chassis ground?

Chassis ground at the same point the main battery does.
We always have the HVAC fan running near or just over half which puts some draw on the elec system/battery so that may help keep the voltage a bit higher coming out of the "smart" alternator

Here is another option for N70 sized aux battery trays. I've not used it so have no personal experience, just something I found while looking to set up our Paj

not an option in ours as the air con pipe is is routed in the way.

Bummer

[koshari]

Yes. It appears there are different air con piping arangements from installations i have seen. Anyway we have an n70z fitted in the main position so will put an 80ah supercharge allrounder in the aux tray.

[Jorgo RX Pajero]

Hi there, I just completed a dual battery set up in my NW Pajero - this is what I used:
ARB Dual battery tray - very solid unit
Main or Starter Battery - N70 size - Optima Yellow - CA 1025, Ah 66
Aux Battery - N50 size - Optima Yellow - CA 765, Ah 55
Redarc Battery Charger - BDCD1225D. As room is a premium, takes a bit of trial and error to get everything wired nice and neatly, so take your time and do it right. The last thing you want is a Dual Battery system that fails when you most need it. There are plenty of YouTube tutorials to gather info/ideas on how to install yourself.