FJ Cruiser (3)
Jul 30th, 2007 by Shreesh
Dual Battery
Electronics can be pretty power hungry and arctic climes play havoc on the electrical system. Troy recommended dual Optima Red-Tops to prevent stranded adventurers. A switch on the switch panel inside the car operates a solenoid that connects the batteries together in parallel when charging and disconnects them for separate use. Most electrical loads are connected to the main battery with the second as a backup unit to jump the main if it runs down.
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Red, red batteries. |
On-Board Air
This mod was more of a luxury as a bicycle pump could have easily been used to pump up four tires. Get outside, a little bit of fresh air, enjoy the view? No, I’d rather sit on my (non-existent) ass and have the ViAir 450c compressor do all the work. Troy mounted two 1.5gal air tanks vertically in the front since there was no room to put them elsewhere. The air chuck is up front close to the Power Steering reservoir and is topped with a crutch tip to keep the dirt out.
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100 percent duty-cycle ViAir compressor |
Auxiliary Fuel Tank
The biggest and most involved project by Superior 4Wheel Drive was the addition of a second gas tank. I would have been satisfied by a low tech race bladder under the cargo area, but Troy had something else in mind. He found a 19gal. DOT approved fuel cell that fit so perfectly that it seemed almost custom made for the space under the cargo area. The filler neck is accessed through the rear bumper and the tank is protected by a skid plate. On the dash there is a gauge for the second tank and a toggle switch to operate the fuel pump. The fuel is pumped into the fuel return line of the main tank.
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First Aux. Tank for the FJC, AFAIK |
AC Power
We are taking TONS of electronic equipment with us. Our FJ was bone stock and did not have the built in power inverter to power cellphone chargers, laptop chargers, digital camera chargers, etc. Troy put in a compact 800w inverter in the passenger foot-well for all the electronic toys. This and the compressor are the only appliances that run off the second battery.
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800 Watts of Zing |
Diff Breather
We really should have done this mod ourselves but Troy was down there tweaking and tonking so I asked him to put in an extension on the breather for the rear differential. The stock breather was simply a little valve with a cap and that sat right on top of the diff. The breather was extended up close to the filler neck – needless to say it is now well above the fording depth.
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My diff has a little snorkel! |