ARB fridge install?

SCrunner

SCrunner

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Santa Cruz, CA
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Matt
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Just got mine in today, when I put it in the rig do I need to stick a piece of wood under it? I've seen that done a lot and curious as to what exactly is does. Do I need something under it even in my house? I didn't buy any of those 'extras' and plan to strap 'er down with some tiedowns that I have (2016 toyota 4runner)

Thanks everyone.

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Wood just gives it a solid platform instead of carpet or rubber. It's not mandatory to have below the fridge. The main point is securing the fridge inside the vehicle so it doesn't move or slide or even fly in the chance of an accident. Next level would be putting it on a slide.
 
The more important thing is how are you going to wire it to your vehicle and power it? If you only have your factory starter battery you will kill it in short order. Starting batteries are not meant to have constant load on them. There is likely a thread here which discusses all of this and certainly there are plenty of others on sites like the Expedition Portal under the Power section.

I would recommend using the ARB wiring harness. It's a straightforward install other than figuring out how to route the wiring to your battery. And YES it needs to go direct to your battery! Get a good deep cycle battery. I like the X2/Northstar from Batteries Plus (folks can debate the "best" battery until eternity) and a 100 watt solar setup to keep your battery happy if you do a lot of base camping.

This is one of those upgrades that requires a few other things. Congrats on the fridge. There is a PDF version of the manual. Download it and keep it on your phone or tablet for future reference.


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1Louder said:
The more important thing is how are you going to wire it to your vehicle and power it? If you only have your factory starter battery you will kill it in short order. Starting batteries are not meant to have constant load on them. There is likely a thread here which discusses all of this and certainly there are plenty of others on sites like the Expedition Portal under the Power section.

I would recommend using the ARB wiring harness. It's a straightforward install other than figuring out how to route the wiring to your battery. And YES it needs to go direct to your battery! Get a good deep cycle battery. I like the X2/Northstar from Batteries Plus (folks can debate the "best" battery until eternity) and a 100 watt solar setup to keep your battery happy if you do a lot of base camping.

This is one of those upgrades that requires a few other things. Congrats on the fridge. There is a PDF version of the manual. Download it and keep it on your phone or tablet for future reference.


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Ill be using the rear outlets in the 4runner, I don't think I need to wire anything still do I? 'Buddy' from ARB claims you have 30 hours before the car battery gets spotty.

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SCrunner said:
Ill be using the rear outlets in the 4runner, I don't think I need to wire anything still do I? 'Buddy' from ARB claims you have 30 hours before the car battery gets spotty.

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I don't want to disagree with Buddy from ARB but I will disagree. Plenty of science behind this from folks far smarter than me. Starting batteries are for starting! It's what they are good at. Deep cycle are for long term power consumption. If you don't upgrade your battery you will kill it prematurely. So get a jumpbox and keep it in your car. The classic "I ran my fridge for 24 hours, my battery was at 10.9 volts and the truck started fine" does not hold water. Again I will refer back to science of batteries.

Factory wiring is not thick enough to run the fridge efficiently. You may have issues. See the wiring that ARB uses in their harness. It is 12 gauge I think but it might be 10. Factory wiring is probably 14-16.

You don't have to trust me on this. There is plenty of info available online. Will your fridge work on factory wiring? Sure but it is not best for the fridge. Plus any outlets in the truck are likely not always on. So as soon as you turn off your vehicle they are not on.


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What @1Louder said! I just installed this kit in my 4Runner earlier this week. It took about three hours with me taking my time routing the cables through the chase. Coulda been done faster if you're in a hurry. The 12V outlet wires are tiny compared to the ARB kit, and switched with the ignition.


I'm running off of my one year old starter battery for now until I get a deep cycle AGM. But I have the shutoff set at 12.1V on my National Luna fridge/freezer.
 
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1Louder said:
I don't want to disagree with Buddy from ARB but I will disagree. Plenty of science behind this from folks far smarter than me. Starting batteries are for starting! It's what they are good at. Deep cycle are for long term power consumption. If you don't upgrade your battery you will kill it prematurely. So get a jumpbox and keep it in your car. The classic "I ran my fridge for 24 hours, my battery was at 10.9 volts and the truck started fine" does not hold water. Again I will refer back to science of batteries.

Factory wiring is not thick enough to run the fridge efficiently. You may have issues. See the wiring that ARB uses in their harness. It is 12 gauge I think but it might be 10. Factory wiring is probably 14-16.

You don't have to trust me on this. There is plenty of info available online. Will your fridge work on factory wiring? Sure but it is not best for the fridge. Plus any outlets in the truck are likely not always on. So as soon as you turn off your vehicle they are not on.


Sent from my iPhone expect typos, grammatical errors, and any other invalid excuse.
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Thanks to you and Steve, a ton. But this is gonna suck as I have no idea how to do any of that or able to find somewhere near me willing to do it..

Cheers.

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SCrunner said:
Thanks to you and Steve, a ton. But this is gonna suck as I have no idea how to do any of that or able to find somewhere near me willing to do it..

Cheers.

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The red wire goes to the red wire/ + the black wire goes to the black wire / - Yeah I am being a smart guy but it really is that simple. This is why you spend the $40 on the wiring kit.

I am sure Steve could take a couple of pictures to show you how he routed his. You will need a step drill bit ($5) to create the new hole for the 12 volt plug in the back. As for routing you just run the wires along the outer edge. The plastic panels at the bottom of the doors pop-up on the sides. Steve could provide more specifics. To get the wires from the inside of the truck to the engine bay there is a passthrough. Just look at the firewall between the engine compartment and the dash area. Usually a round rubber disk with at least one nipple on it. You cut that and feed the wires through. This is NOT a difficult install. You just need to be willing to do it. You will have issues with the lighter gauge factory wiring.
 
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Start under the hood. Poke a hole in the boot/grommet where the hood release cable passes through the firewall. Pull most of your wire through there.

Open Drivers door. Pull off plastic sill, pull back driver's left footwell panel, unbolt bottom driver's seatbelt bolt and remove B pillar lower panel.

Open rear Driver's side door. Pull off plastic sill. Run your wire through the loom chase back to the driver's side seat back.

Unbolt driver's side rear seatbelt lower bolt.

Open liftgate. Remove plastic bolt cover in the middle of the wheel well cover.Remove the bolt under it. Remove the plastic tray on the top of the Driver's side wheel well. You will break off two internal tabs, but that's okay, as it will still snap back into place.

Fish a hanger or stiff wire down from the tray opening until it comes out in the rear driver's side door sill chase. Tape your ARB wiring to it and pull it up through to the tray opening.

Drill a hole in the wheel well cover where you want the receptacle to be mounted. Fish the wire out through there.

Make sure that you have plenty of wire to reach the battery under the hood, with some to spare. Make sure there is enough in the driver's footwell to replace the trim piece. Once you are SURE you have enough wire, cut off the excess ARB wire (and leave an extra foot for good measure.) I cut off a piece about four feet long.

Slip an appropriate sized heat shrink tube over the end of the wire about 6" long. Strip back the outer cover a couple inches. Strip back the red and black wire about 3/8". Put on the insulated connectors.

Connect the connectors to the back of the ARB receptacle. The red on goes on the center connector. Shrink the heat shrink tube.

Under the hood, remove the fuse from the supplied ARB fuse holder. Connect the red and black ring terminals to your battery (Red positive, Black negative.)

Use a VOM meter to check continuity of the ARB receptacle back in your cargo area. The outside connector should show continuity when the other probe is on a good ground. The center connector should not show continuity when the other probe is grounded.

If that's good, put the fuse back in the fuse hole. If nothing starts smoking or sparking, that's a good thing. Turn your VOM meter to DC volts, and check the connectors inside the ARB receptacle. You should have 12.X volts.

If so, plug in your fridge and make sure it is working. If so, great. If not, go back and check all connections, crimps, etc.

Put your positive battery terminal cover back on. Put on all of the sill pieces, seatbelt bolts, trim, etc.

Double check that everything is still okay.

Have a cold one!
 
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Steve said:
Fish a hanger or stiff wire down from the tray opening until it comes out in the rear driver's side door sill chase. Tape your ARB wiring to it and pull it up through to the tray opening.
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A large ductwork zip tie works well if you have one to fish things through.

Steve said:
Use a VOM meter to check continuity of the ARB receptacle back in your cargo area. The outside connector should show continuity when the other probe is on a good ground. The center connector should not show continuity when the other probe is grounded.
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You HAD HIM. He was ready to do this and then you mentioned Volt Meter and Continuity. Now he's scared and won't attempt this install. Steve NEVER mention VOLT METERS! :) Good thing there 10,943 videos on YouTube on how to use a volt meter! :) :)
 
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Don't worry I'm not attempting this, I will destroy my vehicle if I do.

Although I'm pissed this has to be done.. I might just go with some dual battery set up, (done professionally) so I can plug it in the rear and forget about it.

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Now, maybe he has one and is familiar. Give
SCrunner said:
Don't worry I'm not attempting this, I will destroy my vehicle if I do.
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This is one of the easier modifications to do to your 4Runner! You've got to start somewhere, and learn the ins and outs of your vehicle. How else will you know how to troubleshoot 50 miles from pavement?
 
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SCrunner said:
Don't worry I'm not attempting this, I will destroy my vehicle if I do.

Although I'm pissed this has to be done.. I might just go with some dual battery set up, (done professionally) so I can plug it in the rear and forget about it.
Click to expand...

You don't need a dual battery setup. Some will say otherwise. Besides that is TWICE as expensive as this setup which works just as well.
Qty 1 - 95AH ish AGM Battery from your favorite manufacturer (I like X2)
Qty 1 - Jumpbox from AntiGravity or similar manufacturer ($75-$100 Depending on brand and model) - This will start your truck if you kill said battery above
Qty 1 - A 60-100 watt solar setup to keep battery happy. I like what Renogy offers. They are not expensive. Other more expensive option out there. Especially if they have the name Overland, Off-Road, or similar synonym in the brand title

Done....

Or you can keep you starter battery (it will need to be replaced in a few years due to normal aging)
Qty 1 Dual Battery Controller ($150-$300)
Qty 1 Deep Cycle Battery ($250ish see above)
Qty 1 Mount and wiring for 2nd battery ($100 or more)
Pay someone to install of of this if you can't find a friend to do it.
Still have to have a way to charge your dual battery setup (So spend same amount on solar setup above)

Not worth it. Had a setup like that and removed it all. You won't destroy your vehicle. You are in or getting into the overlanding world. Empower yourself and learn how to do some of these things. This is not difficult. Stuff can and will break.

Don't get frustrated. Just start reading up on this stuff. Ask questions and learn.... Then down the road you get to pass your knowledge and experience on to someone else.
 
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Steve said:
Now, maybe he has one and is familiar. Give

This is one of the easier modifications to do to your 4Runner! You've got to start somewhere, and learn the ins and outs of your vehicle. How else will you know how to troubleshoot 50 miles from pavement?
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More concise than my reply... THIS!!!!! DITTO!!!! WHAT HE SAID!!!!!
 
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1Louder said:
You don't need a dual battery setup. Some will say otherwise. Besides that is TWICE as expensive as this setup which works just as well.
Qty 1 - 95AH ish AGM Battery from your favorite manufacturer (I like X2)
Qty 1 - Jumpbox from AntiGravity or similar manufacturer ($75-$100 Depending on brand and model) - This will start your truck if you kill said battery above
Qty 1 - A 60-100 watt solar setup to keep battery happy. I like what Renogy offers. They are not expensive. Other more expensive option out there. Especially if they have the name Overland, Off-Road, or similar synonym in the brand title

Done....

Not worth it. Had a setup like that and removed it all. You won't destroy your vehicle. You are in or getting into the overlanding world. Empower yourself and learn how to do some of these things. This is not difficult. Stuff can and will break.

Don't get frustrated. Just start reading up on this stuff. Ask questions and learn.... Then down the road you get to pass your knowledge and experience on to someone else.
Click to expand...
Quoting this so I can remember/find it when I get home.

Also, 1Louder is sooooo right on that. Stuff can and will break. It will. Half the adventure is fixing shit that breaks. I know some of my best stories involving breaking things and the McGyver fixes that got my out/home.
 
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