P700 Dual Battery Winch issues

[Switchgears32]

Hey guys, this is my first post on the forum! So I've developed an issue with my winch recently and decided to replace it with new, one of the terminals on the motor was rusted beyond repair and would've had to be cut and replaced. It is a warn provantage 4500s. My machine has a dual battery setup with a True utv-sbi-18 isolator. All of my accessories are run off the second battery including winch power. The issue I'm running into is that everytime I hit the switch for the winch, the isolator turns off (blue light goes off) and I lose all power to my switches and winch solenoid. I've read that it's not good to run the switch to full time power but I'm wondering if I need to run the batteries in parallel and delete the isolator in order to run the winch. Please help 🙏 I'm going absolutely crazy with this issue.

 

[Scoop]

Hey guys, this is my first post on the forum!

Welcome from MI and ... POIDH!

The isolator connects the two batteries in parallel (blue light on) when the source (stator or charger or primary battery) is above 13.6V. When the source falls below 12.9V, it disconnects the two batteries (blue light goes out).

Is this happening when the machine is running?

Could be an issue with one or both batteries. Could be miswiring. Could be bad isolator.

You WANT all your accessories, including your winch power, coming from the aux battery. That's the reason you have an isolator. Otherwise, using your winch could/would run down your primary battery instead of your aux battery.

 

[Switchgears32]

Hello scoop! And thank you, this is happening with the machine running, I just replaced the aux battery this morning due to low voltage and thought that would fix the issue at hand and it didn't. Same issue, I did get alittle longer of a solenoid connection the first time but after that just one click and dead. The isolator could be bad I just don't know how to test that. It takes about 5-10 seconds for the accessories to turn on after the engine is started and they do not come on with key on which is interesting to me. The only modification I've done to this machine is the new winch so I'm dumbfounded with an emphasis on dumb... 🤦

 

[Scoop]

I did get alittle longer of a solenoid connection the first time but after that just one click and dead.

Not sure what you're saying here.

It takes about 5-10 seconds for the accessories to turn on after the engine is started and they do not come on with key on which is interesting to me.

So if you turn the key to on (but do NOT start the buggy) and the accessories are not energized? But once you start the buggy, about 5-10 seconds later, they energize? A properly wired but malfunctioning isolator will NOT cause this.

The only modification I've done to this machine is the new winch so I'm dumbfounded with an emphasis on dumb... 🤦

Was everything working properly (key-on energizes accessories instantly without starting AND accessories stay on AFTER starting) before you swapped out the winch?

 

[Switchgears32]

Not sure what you're saying here.

That was my way of saying the accessory power stayed on a half a second longer then it did before

So if you turn the key to on but do NOT start, the accessories are not energized? But once you start the buggy, about 5-10 seconds later, they energize? A properly wired but malfunctioning isolator will NOT cause this.

That is correct, the switch panel will not energize until 5-10 seconds after start up, key on will on energize them at all

Was everything working properly (key-on energizes accessories instantly without starting AND accessories stay on AFTER starting) before you swapped out the winch?

That is a negative, the accessories come on when that isolator turns blue, which is alittle after engine start up

 

[Hondasxs]

That is a negative, the accessories come on when that isolator turns blue, which is alittle after engine start up

Need some pictures..... with some hookup notes.
Something is not wired correctly if this is happening.
The above issue is proof the isolator is in fact working as it should. lol

Where are you grounding the second battery?

 

[Switchgears32]

I'm not sure actually, I'll find out and let you know. To start, here is a picture of the accessories, it is wired to a relay which is powered by something in the fuse box above. I havent figured out what it is tapped into quite yet. This is really the only thing i can think of to be giving me issues unless the winch is pulling to much power and tripping something.

 

[Scoop]

If you get nothing to the accessories with key-on/no start, and they only energize after the isolator connects the batteries in parallel after starting the machine (stator charging primary batter), you've got things wired incorrectly relative to the relay, the key-on power, your fuse box (if you feed from the relay to the fuse box for accessories, and/or the aux battery. Without being able to see exactly where everything is currently wired, I can't tell what the issue is.

Your primary battery should be wired as it came from the factory (positive and ground). Nothing else should be wired to the primary with the exception of the 12V+ lead to either side of the isolator.

Your aux battery should be properly grounded. The 12V+ lead should go back to the OTHER side of the isolator. The thin black wire from the isolator needs to be grounded. (in my pic below, the green and blue wires to the isolator are for my dual voltmeter).

From the 12V+ side of the aux battery, you should have a 12V+ lead to the relay (one of the two large posts). Then another one from the OTHER large post on the relay to the + side of the fuse box. Then the - side of the fuse box to ground. Then you need 12V+ from your key-on source to one of the two small posts on the relay, and then ground the other small post. When you turn the key on, that allows power to flow from the aux battery, thru the relay, to the fuse panel where all your accessories are connected. With this wired properly, you should energize all the accessories connected to the fuse box when the key is turn on, running or not.

You do want your MAIN (thick) winch cables to go directly to the + and - posts on the aux battery - don't runt hose through the fuse box. The thin wire from the winch contactor (the box that energizes the winch) can either go to the fuse box or the key-on lead if you want the winch to only work with key-on. On mine, did run the main 12+ back to the aux + post, but took the negative to the bus bar -- I really should move that one to the - post on the aux battery, but it's been OK and that bus bar is pretty stout (it grounds back to the aux battery).

This pic may help. I have a few more things than you do (positive and negative bus bars), but it's pretty descriptive.

 

[Scoop]

Blue arrow - Is that going to vehicle ground or to the aux 12V- side post? It should go to vehicle ground and the aux battery negative side should be grounded to the vehicle as well.
Black arrow - What's that go to? Winch ground?
Yellow arrow - From one of the large posts on the relay (should be)
Green arrow - What's that go to?

 

[DRZRon1]

disconnect new winch wiring and see what happens

 

[Scoop]

disconnect new winch wiring and see what happens

He already said this situation existed prior to the new winch being swapped in.

 

[Switchgears32]

It is 100% not the winch wiring. I've gone through it about 10 times already, all new wires as well. I'm sorry I haven't gotten back to yall. I'm going to get on this tomorrow evening.

 

[NewHere2]

Sounds like the relay used to power up the second battery/ fuse box is bad.

Or what ever is supplying power to the relay ISN’T providing that power.

I’d be looking for a relay rated for 40-80 amps minimum.

 

[Switchgears32]

Blue arrow - Is that going to vehicle ground or to the aux 12V- side post? It should go to vehicle ground and the aux battery negative side should be grounded to the vehicle as well.
Black arrow - What's that go to? Winch ground?
Yellow arrow - From one of the large posts on the relay (should be)
Green arrow - What's that go to?

View attachment 407887

Blue arrow is ground and is mounted on the rail the goes through the underhood area connecting both shocks

Black arrow is ground that goes up into the switch panel, likely for back lighting or voltage meter

Orange arrow goes to the aux battery

Green arrow also goes to the switch panel.

Winch ground goes to the chassis ground in front of the passenger rear tire.

The auxiliary battery get its ground in the picture attached.

The relay for the aux fuse panel is a 100 amp relay

 

[Switchgears32]

Okay so after cleaning grounds and following wire, I decided to jump the fuse block to the main battery + side and the winch works, the question is now, how do I get steady key on power to the fuse block?

 

[Switchgears32]

After further review, the problem still exists even with the solenoid activating. Link attached