VF ex police wagons...dual battery set up

[Stroppy]

Hi all. I have a '14 Evoke...standard 3 litre six ex police transport vehicle with the dual battery set up. Can anyone tell me what the go is when it comes time to replace your main battery? Do you replace both batteries at the same time?

 

[gossie]

Have them tested.

 

[Z31na]

Depends on whether you have the battery under any load? Its not used to start the car. Unless its powering something, it should just be being topped up as needed by the kit and should be fine. Checking them with a battery tool is easy.

Vic Pol left the battery in the 2nd tray of my sedan and it was a similar battery to the primary. If your not using it and its good you can just move it to the primary tray, disconnect the kit and you’ve saved yourself about $300

 

[Big Red VF-SII Go-kart]

The second battery in service vehicles (those cars ex-use in Police, fire brigade, etc) is used for powering the lights/siren, printer, transponder, radar/speed trap, comms and computer in the car; it is charged by a higher capacity alternator than normally specified. Where auxilliary equipment is not fitted (as obviously in your case it isn't!) the battery is no doubt being shadow charged, along with the battery the engine primarily depends on. Unless you have an idea like setting up a 12 fridge/freezer for camping which would be connected to the aux. battery (an excellent use for it), it's probably better to remove it — it's just an added lump of weight otherwise.

By way of mention, there was no second battery in my VZ service car (ex CFA, Victoria), because the Police Pack fitted to the car had a high capacity alternator to power the siren/lights/radio and transponder equipment. The battery lasted all of 8 years, finally being replaced in May 2019!

 

[Stroppy]

Thanks all...I am considering fitting a cigarette lighter outlet to the second battery unit and using it for my portable fridge.

 

[Anthony121]

Thanks all...I am considering fitting a cigarette lighter outlet to the second battery unit and using it for my portable fridge.

How will the fridge know which battery to use? Are both Batteries connected to the same source?

 

[stick3]

is there a switch to isolate the cranking and deep cycle batteries or is it done by a electronic device

 

[Big Red VF-SII Go-kart]

An auto electrician will have it organised in a jiffy, especially since the second battery is already there and likely hard-wired to the alternator and electronics, with (probable) auto switching and auto cut-out for continuous draining things like fridges/freezers (they often have their own cut-out though, but the vehicle-side cut-out is more reliable. I assume it is a deep cycle battery?

 

[Z31na]

How will the fridge know which battery to use? Are both Batteries connected to the same source?

Police had a proper redarc kit in mine. 2nd battery was charged from the 1st when the car was running. Solinoid between them to cut the charge when the car was off. 2x massive fuse pannels with the plugs for all their gear clamped directly to the posts of the 2nd battery.

 

[Stroppy]

In my car the dealer obviously disconnected all the plastic plugs (all labelled with codes) and has just left them on the battery rather than cut them out of the loom...I'm assuming this was done to prevent damage to the loom itself.