FIA battery isolator installation

Hey All,

Does anyone here know how to install an FIA approved battery isolator. Surely if the car has an alternator this would keep the engine running.

Do you isolate positive or negative?

Since they are mounted either in cabin or externally do you have to run massive battery cable everywhere?

This is the thing I am talking about.

This one looks like it might be better.

http://cartek.biz/ISOLATOR/index.html

I had 1 on a sierra a couple of years ago, iirc the switch cut off the alternator output, there was some pretty hefty wire running to it, i think the switch was mounted externally near the wiper arm along with the thing for a plumbed in extinguisher.

It cut the battery aswell,

I have looked into this a little more, the first type I posted use a pull wire which is what you had by the sounds of it.

The second type uses low voltage remote switches for internal and external cutoff, the isolator is mounted very close to the battery to minimise cable lengths.

This is the thing I am talking about.

The one you have here is the full FIA one the four connectors on the bottom essentially cut the supply for the alternator without causing any feedback which can blow the electrics. It does come with some instructions which are fairly simple to follow if you have some understanding of car electrics.

The only thing to be installed on the outside is the pull cable to activate the cutoff (any this is only for safety marshel's to pull) which is still installed inside the cabin. If you have the battery in the boot it is easier to install as you have the cable running through the cabin anyway.

I've attched a couple of pics from my escort rally car before the rebuild (no new ones I'm afraid) just giving a rough layout. the two on the outside are for the cutoff and the fire extinguisher.

Yep, the ones for cars with a charging system cut the excitation voltage to the alternator, effectively disabling it. The cheap switches can be unreliable, and one cost me a championship win once, so I tend to fit something decent if the budget permits. Water ingress is what knackers the cheap ones.

Sorry to go of-topic, but Chris - what championship(s) do/did you race, and what in? That crazy Zeus thingy?

I started in karts, at about 10 years of age, then went into Special Gt's witha BDG engined Elan, then Special Saloons with a Cosworth 2.4 powered Skoda on a Tiga chassis, then went single seater in Monopsto with a Reynard 873 F3 car with Judd VW power unit. I then ran it in the ARP National F3 championship, and later upgraded to a 97 year Dallara with a Mugen Honda in it. I also ran a Chevron B16 for a short while, until an offer from Japan made me realise I could get a nicer house if I sold it The Zeus is just for fun, i can't see me doing much competitive racing any more, I am 52 and just can't find the time to do it properly any more. I had the Zeus factory race car for a couple of years, with Opel 2 litre power, then couldn't resist buying another, later car, with a Toyota Formula Atlantic engine and 6 speed sequential box in it Both are faster than I am, I haven't got within a second of what the works driver did in the Opel car But he was a LOT younger and fitter than me...

Chris what do you think of the second switch i posted, its a solid state remote switch.

We use the Cartek ones in our cars, seem to work just fine and they are very easy to fit, couple of hundred notes though! I've got a 2nd hand one if you need one....

You may find it's unhappy feeding the demands of a Supra, see http://cartek.biz/ISOLATOR/page3/isol_ins.PDF

The current handling is a bit feeble. I think the basic switch you first mooted may be better, and certainly cheaper. The Toyota engined Zeus has a lovely isolator on it, not sure who makes it, it's probably American, I'll look tomorrow. It's remote, but not a MOSFET, it actually physically switches with a big CLUNK

I started in karts, at about 10 years of age, then went into Special Gt's witha BDG engined Elan, then Special Saloons with a Cosworth 2.4 powered Skoda on a Tiga chassis, then went single seater in Monopsto with a Reynard 873 F3 car with Judd VW power unit. I then ran it in the ARP National F3 championship, and later upgraded to a 97 year Dallara with a Mugen Honda in it. I also ran a Chevron B16 for a short while, until an offer from Japan made me realise I could get a nicer house if I sold it The Zeus is just for fun, i can't see me doing much competitive racing any more, I am 52 and just can't find the time to do it properly any more. I had the Zeus factory race car for a couple of years, with Opel 2 litre power, then couldn't resist buying another, later car, with a Toyota Formula Atlantic engine and 6 speed sequential box in it Both are faster than I am, I haven't got within a second of what the works driver did in the Opel car But he was a LOT younger and fitter than me...

Incredible, I'm jealous!!

Did you have a team of any description for any of the above or were you not only the driver but also the manager, mechanic, tyre & fuelling guy! Were any of the competitive seats paid?