fitting 2nd battery D1 series 1 300tdi

[Saffy]

I have shoved a 2nd battery some what temporary into the area where the jack and wheel chock live in a d1 30TDI. (Wired up in parallel to give some extra kick for turning over a bitch of an auto 300tdi during a cold start - but that's by the by). What I am wondering is, what about the air filter box intake? Seem rather close to the battery, does it cause a problem? Millions of you must have fitted 2nd batteries for snorkels and the likes so what are peoples solutions if any needed? Not going to be fitting a snorkel to this one as it's the mrs commuting road hog so that's not an option.
cheers

[wheels244]

How close is close ?

If you think it's going to block the flow of air into the airfilter housing, cut another hole in the airbox, just make sure it's underneath the air filter to ensure the air is filtered.
When you fit a Safari snorkel, you block off the standard intake hole with a blank and cut a new hole on the engine side of the airbox and join the snorkel to that.

HTHs

[Saffy]

How close is close ?

If you think it's going to block the flow of air into the airfilter housing, cut another hole in the airbox, just make sure it's underneath the air filter to ensure the air is filtered.
When you fit a Safari snorkel, you block off the standard intake hole with a blank and cut a new hole on the engine side of the airbox and join the snorkel to that.

HTHs

sounds like a plan -
is the hole for the safari in a particular position and size? or just in middle,below filter level and same diameter as the standard? Just thinking I might as well do it per safari's requirements just in case hell freezes over and she want to bolt a snorkel on.

[Disco Matt]

The Safari snorkels have a siliconed/riveted on flange that you fit (which then takes the pipe from the snorkel), the filter box also gets relocated slightly higher up. IIRC you can download the instructions from their website?

I have the Safari snorkel, a second battery and an auxiliary fuse box. That's on one with the ABS-type airbox and snorkel but no ABS gear, so I bolted the fuse box to the top of the inner wing aft of the airbox. A standard battery will fit although it's a bit tight against the blanked-off original air intake, I haven't had any trouble with this.

It is very important to fit a battery clamp, even on a road only vehicle. You can make a workable copy of the LR original with threaded rod, washers, nuts, and a bit of metal strip to make the retaining strap.

I might just have enough space under there for winch control gear but after that my engine bay will be full! :lol:

[Saffy]

Battery is  temporary held in place by a more than adequate lock strap for now - it doesn't move. I recently had to make a complete battery clamp for the other side as it was missing so will do same again for the 2nd battery if its being kept.
The gap between intake and battery is about 1/2inch, the more I think on it the more relaxed I am about it being that close, not ideal air flowing lines but hardly an arrangement that is choking (for a start that half inch gives x times more area than the hole is itself). Truck drives just the same lovely manner with no noticeable degrade in performance, no increase in smoke.
Will see how the truck fairs and more importantly how it turns over on cold start in the mornings for this week. Will sort out the battery clamp arrangement to something more fitting before the MOT in a of couple weeks. Will ponder on making another hole.

[Disco Matt]

Check the glow plugs. Mine was very reluctant to fire in cold weather, I later found that three of the plugs weren't working. It now starts within half a turn from cold regardless of conditions.

[Range Rover Blues]

The 300TDi should have a short hose to suck air from behind the wing where the air is colder.  From around 1995 some models no longer had it fitted but the V8 trumpet is too much of a restrcition for a TDi.  You want a fairly blunt bell mouth though not just a cut-off bit of pipe.  Alternatively lots of 2" holes in the bottom half of the airbox.

[Saffy]

Disco has started with half turn all this week with both battery fitted, no issues what so ever. Thinking maybe it worth replacing original earth strap and fitting an extra strap to starter motor and trying it with the single battery again next week. The battery is new and 570CCA 072 which should have been fine.

[Range Rover Blues]

When I fitted a twin battery to my sister's RRC 300 I left the original battery in place connected to the starter and fitted a leisure batt on the LHS connected to the electrics, alternator etc with e 100 amp relay charging the starter battery .  It now starts fine so it seems the battery was getting drianed by the alarm.  So succesful was it that i fitted a split charge to Blue which now starts better on 1 battery that stays fully charged than it did on 2 that were flat all the time.

[Saffy]

When I fitted a twin battery to my sister's RRC 300 I left the original battery in place connected to the starter and fitted a leisure batt on the LHS connected to the electrics, alternator etc with e 100 amp relay charging the starter battery .  It now starts fine so it seems the battery was getting drianed by the alarm.  So succesful was it that i fitted a split charge to Blue which now starts better on 1 battery that stays fully charged than it did on 2 that were flat all the time.

is there a known issue for excessive drain from alarm (or anything else)? this is overnight not days and days mind you. Hadn't thought that their might a drain present  :-k

[Range Rover Blues]

Well we have RRC rather than Disco, they have the alarm of course, heated door locks, air suspension, all of which drain the battery.  To make it worse my sister's had an aftermarket alarm which is really wastful on power.

Our problem is that we leave them on the drive for weeks sometimes.