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Perko Switch/Second Battery Install


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Thanks for the info on the thread I started earlier today. I went to check out what I have in the boat and now I am confused.

Currently, my only battery has (2) each wires running to the pos and neg terminals. There is a 'big' and a little' wire running to each. (The 'little' wire is probably 4 ga). The 'big' wire terminates in a connector for the large post on the battery. I am going to call this the collar connector. The 'little' wire termiates in a ring connector that is piggybacked on to the collar connector with the bolt for the collar connector. This is the case for both the pos and neg terminals. The 'little' red wire with the ring connector goes through a 60Amp fuse mounted to the wall then back through the floor. When I disconnect this wire, everything goes dark, lights, stereo etc.

Please correct me if I am wrong, but I am guessing that the 'little' wire is my house circuit and the 'big' wire goes to the starter.

Here's the problem. The Perko switches are set up to accept the ring connectors. I was under the impression that I was to disconnect the red (positive) from my current battery and run it to the '1' connector on the Perko. But I guess I would have to install a ring connector in place of the collar connector to do this, correct? This would require, if I am not mistaken, cutting the collar connector off the 'big' wire and installing a ring connector to the big one, then hooking the 'big' and 'little' wire (red) to the '1' position on the Perko.

I have a couple pictures if it would help.

Please ask any questions you may have.

Thanks

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Thanks everyone. I am going to buy the battery box, battery and Perko switch tonight, and I have an appointment with a starter/alternator shop to make the needed modification to my current cable and make the other cables I will need first thing in the morning.

Edited by rts
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I got it all done Saturday. I thought about taking pictures (and probably will later) but I did not on Saturday for two reasons.

First, I was about to die of heat stroke. The heat index was over 100 degrees and crawling around in that boat sweating like crazy, I just wanted to get it done and get in the pool. Plus my 5 year old daughter was 'helping' me out with comments like "Daddy, your dripping SWEAT on my Hello Kitty towel!", and asking me to go get her another juice box every 10 minutes.

Second, I'm not real proud of the install...yet. While functionally sound, I had a couple cables made a hair too short. The whole measuring twice thing escaped me. Therefore, I cannot quite get the battery box cover on the second battery pushed down all the way.

This winter, I am going to have the offending cables remade, and tighten up the install.

As an aside, I decided to run a wire from my stereo straight to one of the batteries to keep my clock and presets intact. That was loads of laughs...first fishing the wire and second identifying the proper wire from my head unit that needed the constant power. While I had the stereo manual to let me know the yellow wire was the one, there was no yellow wire under my dash. Turns out it was spliced (twice) behind the head unit, and ultimately ended up being the white wire with the purple tracer. Luckily, I had the stereo removal tools, and got it done in the end.

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I got it all done Saturday. I thought about taking pictures (and probably will later) but I did not on Saturday for two reasons.

First, I was about to die of heat stroke. The heat index was over 100 degrees and crawling around in that boat sweating like crazy, I just wanted to get it done and get in the pool. Plus my 5 year old daughter was 'helping' me out with comments like "Daddy, your dripping SWEAT on my Hello Kitty towel!", and asking me to go get her another juice box every 10 minutes.

Second, I'm not real proud of the install...yet. While functionally sound, I had a couple cables made a hair too short. The whole measuring twice thing escaped me. Therefore, I cannot quite get the battery box cover on the second battery pushed down all the way.

This winter, I am going to have the offending cables remade, and tighten up the install.

As an aside, I decided to run a wire from my stereo straight to one of the batteries to keep my clock and presets intact. That was loads of laughs...first fishing the wire and second identifying the proper wire from my head unit that needed the constant power. While I had the stereo manual to let me know the yellow wire was the one, there was no yellow wire under my dash. Turns out it was spliced (twice) behind the head unit, and ultimately ended up being the white wire with the purple tracer. Luckily, I had the stereo removal tools, and got it done in the end.

:rofl: gotta love the little helpers, here's mine. We'll give you a pass on the pics, glad you got it done, kinda :thumbup:

post-8316-127781941059_thumb.jpg

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Second, I'm not real proud of the install...yet. While functionally sound, I had a couple cables made a hair too short. The whole measuring twice thing escaped me. Therefore, I cannot quite get the battery box cover on the second battery pushed down all the way.

LOL, yeah nothing like spending a bunch of free time getting something done so you can post up pics on the internet so your pretend friends from all over the world can tell you what a crappy job you did. Been there!

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:rofl: gotta love the little helpers, here's mine.

I hear you. While it brings a tear to my eye watching my 1-1/2 year old son pushing his plastic bubble making lawn mower around, because I know my days of yardwork are numbered, I feel like I'm paying for it now when they 'help' me with a projct and everything takes three times as long as it would if my wife would take them to the store or something.

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LOL, yeah nothing like spending a bunch of free time getting something done so you can post up pics on the internet so your pretend friends from all over the world can tell you what a crappy job you did. Been there!

:rofl:

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