Nissan Patrol 4x4 (Africa)

I agree with Chris.
60Amps is too light.
That price is still too good to be true. Something is not right.

Decided will phone around and go for the same set up as Louis did for his Patrol. Always nice to "upgrade" and "upsize" when it comes Patrols


Inspected my battery system last night and notice that the deep cycle really is kaput. Corrosion on the terminals. So i was thinking if this wasnt perhaps a cause for my other battery not receiving proper charge.

So i was thinking of the following questions when it comes to a dual battery system:

1. Does the health of the deep cycle or starter battery make a difference to the performance of the system with respect to charging?

2. Can you have two short cycle batteries in place (i am familiar with the advantages/disadvantages of deep cycle when the car is stationary and off, so this question is mainly to do with will the system still run well when driving, including charging of both batteries and running of fridges etc)?

3. Do both batteries have to be connected in order for the charging/electrical system to work properly (for example will the short cycle/starter battery still get charged) - i suppose will the "circuit" act as if it is complete?

I have an old national luna dual battery system.

Dave .
Forget about d s batteries gget a silwer cadmium hi cycle maint free one there are plenty of info on this forum but deep cicle batt wants to charge at 14.8 v and crank bat at 13.8 v the best other one will be a lead okside batt but it wil cost u like 3 k I have a maint free crank batt and has never look back

Dave ......check charge rate of your existing alternator before u spend money mabe batt is pulling voltage down ????????

davejones wrote:

So i was thinking of the following questions when it comes to a dual battery system:

1. Does the health of the deep cycle or starter battery make a difference to the performance of the system with respect to charging?

2. Can you have two short cycle batteries in place (i am familiar with the advantages/disadvantages of deep cycle when the car is stationary and off, so this question is mainly to do with will the system still run well when driving, including charging of both batteries and running of fridges etc)?

3. Do both batteries have to be connected in order for the charging/electrical system to work properly (for example will the short cycle/starter battery still get charged) - i suppose will the "circuit" act as if it is complete?

I have an old national luna dual battery system.

1) Not if the system is correctly connected. Both batteries should be connected directly to the alternator and to earth, rather than the dual running through the main.

2) Yes, in fact with a system like the ML you will probably be able to run your camp for longer purely because the standard battery will be able to charge very much faster.

3) The main must be connected, the second not.

4) listen to Tinus. Go lead crystal. They charge faster, , can be used like a deep-cycle and last longer

Okay so my patrol has been standing for almost 3 weeks... actually maybe even a month... i lost count

Picture of deep cycle battery:
Have had the same battery since i bought my Patrol back in 2010 so i think it's done well. Kept my NL well cold the whole of december. But if Peter and Tinus recommend lead crystal then i will definitely look into this more. Thanks for the tip.

Picture of existing alternator:
Looks like the original 60A job. Just hope there'll be space to fit a larger delco as the air intake run straight over the alternator as my turbo sits quite high in the engine bay.

Speak to jhon strubel at deltec he will sort u out with good prices on lead cristal batteries

Hi Dave,

I see you also have your 2nd battery in the engine compartment. just be aware that heat is not a friend of batteries, unless you can install some kind of heat shield or insulation mechanism it will drastically reduce the useful life of your 2nd battery.

Thanks Tinus

I hear you Stefan - plans in place to install some heat protection... also considering options to have second battery installed in the back.

Dave and Stefan, that is one of the major benefits of the lead crystal battery. It can operate at much higher temps without loss of life.