BigVaz

I have a wish list lined up but have a question before I execute it. The plan is to get a roof rack with 4 lights mounted up front, a cb radio, and a stereo system with two 10" subs.

Since I have never tackled anything like this before... My question is if this will be ok running off my battery, or if I will need a supplimentary source of power for all of this? I dont want to drain too much and hurt anything else in the process.

93gc40

Yes it can run off the battery. But remember NOTHING should really be running directly off the starting battery, except the starter. A higher amperage alternator and a higher amperage or deep cycle battery would be beneficial. XJ's have a 90 amp alternator, which is marginal at best, with just stock accesories. Unless you are running dual battery setup, It is un-advised to run electrical accesories, without the motor running, anyway.

4.3L XJ

A cheap alternative is to get a ZJ alternator from the junk yard. It will give you an extra 45 amps of power to play with. You don't say how much your lights and amps draw, so that is as muc hadvice as I can give

BigVaz

Nothing is purchased or ordered yet, so I dont know exact draw for anything. Nothing would be ran unless the Jeep is running. I already am aware of that.

I may be open to running another battery in the cargo area if thats a better option.

dyte2004

dont mean to tread jack but whats involed with the zj swap is there any mods to be done or is it a strait swap

storm101

I agree with some of this, but disagree with some also, *dont take me as rude* RUN all extra accessories off of the battery, the battery acts as the main source of stabilized power storage in the system, protects from voltage spikes and all other little electrical things that happen by turning components on and off, HOOK THE MAIN POWER TO THE BATTERY, just MAKE SURE to use relays for your lights and the PROPER protection devices (correct amp fuses and gauge wiring) you will be fine, just dont leave them on without the vehicle running for long periods of time, obviously it can kill the battery that way.

A better battery and upgraded alternator is ALWAYS a good idea, along with upgrading all of the systems MAIN cables, never hurts to upgrade.

I am pretty sure the late model cherokees have a higher stock alt. than a 90amp, i know my 99 has something like a 117amp alternator.

Main recap, hook up to the battery, use PROPER PROTECTION DEVICES AND WIRE GAUGE, upgrades NEVER hurt (besides your wallet).

BTW I run 90/100w headlights, 2 sets of 55w driving lights, 2 amps, 1 subwoofer.

I can jam them all at the same time with a little voltage dip at idle, and I know my alt. is on its way out. Just hook everything up correctly and you'll be fine!

When you figure out all the wattage of your items, just ask and you will get some help figuring out wire gauge, fuses, relays, and all that good stuff!

BigVaz

Thanks guys. Appreciate all the input!

93gc40

Glad we agreed on everything. Thanks for explaining some of the circutry needed to Isolate the battery from the accesories. Thanks for explaining why NOT to connected accesories directly to the battery. If you notice the ONLY accesory or component directly connected to the battery on any car I know of is the alternator and starter, everything else goes through some sort of circut protection. Seen to many people hook amps up directly to the battery, then wonder why the amps get fried or pop theinternal fuses, when they start the car.

storm101

haha thanks for correcting me on the alt. First off, and I see what you mean by DIRECT hook ups, definitely always use protection devices between the load component and battery.

thanks for the good discussion!

5-90

Bear in mind that alternators tend to be a little "oversized" for the OEM application, which gives you some room to add accessories.

The CB radio really doesn't draw an awful lot of power (especially since it's limited to a 4W RMS PEP by the FCC.)

What sort of lighting are you adding? 55W aux driving lamps? 100W pencil beams? 200W floods?

Likewise the stereo system - power output ratings of the head unit and amplifiers?

And - most important - what year is your rig? The ZJ/WJ/Durango upgrade advice is good (I've posted a donor list that can take you up to 160A output, but I haven't confirmed it...) but the OEM output ratings of the alternators vary from 61A (earliest AMC-built) to 120A (2001 ChryCo) - I'm not going to openly accuse anyone of talking through his hat, but more information is needed to give useful advice here (the alternator used in the XJ changed three times - 1984-1986 got the Delco 12SI, 1987-1990 got the Delco CS130, and 1991-2001 got the Nippondenso. See the headache? And, the ND was rated anywhere between 75A and 120A, as used in the XJ.

(And no, the ND won't directly replace either of the Delcos. Both Delcos used had an internal regulator, while the ND had the regulator circuit built into the PCM. Get the idea? I've had people advise replacement/upgrade with the ZJ/WJ unit - on 1988-1989 rigs that could not use it!

(The nice thing about the Delco is that any competent shop can upwind it for you, and 140-150A is certainly not a problem.)

BigVaz

Mine is a 2000. As far as the lights im undecided. I do want something that is worth my while. I dont want to under do it & be underwhelmed with the projection

4.3L XJ

You might check this link out. I don't know what sound system you are going to run, but some of them take a lot of power. This is an option for that.

http://www.alternatorparts.com/#Chrysler

Also, 4 200 watt lights can suck some juice too, about 66 amps which will overwhelm the alternator. Find out what you want, upgrade your electrical and then get the goodies

phillyxj570

i dont mean to tread but i was also wondering the same thing i currently have a set of hella 500ff running from my battery and in the next week or so i am ordering a cb and was wondering if it would be safe to run them both off the battery..correct me if im wrong, but what you guys are saying is that it is perfectly ok to do this as long as i dont leave them on with the jeep not running.

2.5TURBO

I had a reply to post but battery died on my laptop as I wasn't paying attention. Guess that's karma for you!

You'll be fine with whatever you choose. Here's a summarized version of what I had. Bash me through pm's if you must!

My setup:
completely stock(alternator, wires, battery)
My upgrade of the above items will be done for sure in 1 year. Until then I must be patient!

2 Hella 500's
2 Hella 700's

2 PIAA 520's
2 PIAA 540's

2 KC HiLITES 5x7's
2 knock off hella's (6")

1500w Rockford Fosgate amp
2 12" Sony Xplod's with ported box.

Don't run them all at the same time and you'll be fine. Only run 4 offroad lights with headlights and NO heater and your setup will be fine. If I do run ALL lights and no subs then I will be at the white line above the red zone.

SUGGESTIONS

Big Bass or fill the gap?

big bass
Rockford amp about 1000w with a set of xplod's from walmart in a basic ported box wired in 4 ohms(2ohms if your wire is 4awg and you have a big enough fuse) will do you PLENTY!

fill the gap
300-500w amp(cheapie) with a 12" sealed box or 10" ported box will be sufficient.

Don't buy any sound equipment off Craigslist unless you can fully hook it up and push it a little harder than you normally would.

Lighting
I'm happy with my Hella 500's and 700's. The 700's are good for down range and aren't expensive(compared to PIAA's)

Or if you know how to build a wiring harness you can search craigslist for a set of decent lights, but if your putting them on the front then you'll probably want to go new so they look good.

BTW every light on my jeep was a craigslist find and I've built all my harnesses with 10awg wire, 30amp fuses, and 30 amp switches. All of these are systems are pulling way below what I can support. And all of my lights, cb, and amp are run STRAIGHT off the battery with no 'blowing fuse problems' like was previously mention.(i'm guessing it's luck of the draw or your fuse needs to slightly bigger)

If you got any question's PM me and I will help where I can.

5-90

What's the wattage on those bulbs? Standard 55W, or higher?

I bet there's a fuse on the chassis for this amp - it's common. Should be fused as close to the power supply point (battery) as possible as well, tho.

These obviously don't need fuses.

The 10AWG wire isn't a bad idea - I usually calculate the wire size needed then go one gage size larger. The rest of the wiring, however: the switches should actuate relays (the standard DIN relay is 30A, but it's easier to find a DIN relay than a high-current toggle switch. "Trip current" on the DIN relay runs down around 150-250mA or so...) and the fuses should be sized to the load. Viz: 2x55W = 110W. 110W/12V = 8-1/3A. Use a 10A fuse (it's the very next higher rating available.) The actual current draw in the circuit will be somewhat less - since the actual running voltage is higher than the nominal 12VDC - but I find it easier to go ahead and use the nominal rated voltage and have a built-in safety factor of ten percent or so (110W/13.6VDC = ~8.1A, in case you're wondering.)

Fuses should be placed as close to the power source as possible, to minimise the presence of "unfused conductor." If you're going to run accessories from an auxilary fuse block, the fuse block feeder lead should itself be fused within 12" of the distribution connection (for instance, I use a 6xATO fuse block, rated for 90A total current. I set the thing up with 47A worth of accessories and fuses. I therefore fuse the distro lead with a 50A MAXI fuse near where it connects to the distribution point, so the heavy-gage wiring is protected.)

Overkill? Perhaps. Good engineering and design? Definitely. I know too many people who have had vehicle fires after adding wiring, but I am not one of them! Nor, touch wood, will I ever be!