2 batteries + charge splitter

[timbo]

Hi guys,

I'm currently shopping around for Surfs at the moment, as I need one for some fieldwork I'll be undertaking in Spain over the summer. I'm hoping to be able to run a fair amount of electrics off it, laptop, GPS, work lights, possibly even a mini-fridge (!!), so obviously the Surf's capacity for two batteries already fitted is a big bonus. I've read the FAQ about two batteries and I was wondering how easy it would be to fit a charge splitter and all the associated stuff with having one main starter battery and a leisure one? I've got precious little experiece with car electrics although I reckon I could handle myself with a good set of instructions Would you guys recommend trying it myself? Or would I be better off getting a real mechanic to do it?

Cheers!

- Tim

[Tallyman]

Hi Tim,

It sounds like you need to have a leisure battery to run all your toys. Leisure batteries are built different to a standard car battery as they have to do different things. The batteries in the Surf are there to give a big boost of power to the starter circuit and the glow plugs to get the engine turning and then recharge fairly quickly in case you need to restart again (I presume your going for a diesel unless you got money to burn on the V6 petrol motor - loads of power but 20mpg max apparently).

A leisure battery is built to give up a small amount of power constantly over a long period of time, so you can run your laptop, fridge etc. A leisure battery isn't any good for starting a car, therefore if you replaced one of the existing batteries with a leisure type you could end up getting stuck as the Surf really needs both batteries to make sure you can start it OK. It's a hell of a big lump to turn over and really needs a big single battery but Toyota chose to go down the "small is better" route. Trouble is, as they are linked in parallel, when one goes they both end up going.

I think your best bet would be to look at fixing a leisure battery in the back of the car and running a charging circuit (heavy guage cable to stop voltage drop) via a split charge relay to it, so that it's only taking charge when the engine is running. You should be able to get the parts from most motor accessory shops or probably also from caravan dealers. I fitted something similar to an old type 2 VW camper about 15 years ago and that worked quite well.

[truckarms]

Hi,
I have a V6 (much better dont believe a word about the feul economy I get 23MPG), but i do agree about the leisure battery option which is what I have installed in my car, see my post as I had a few problems (search for "installing Battery" and you will find my post.) In the end I installed it in the boot, and have placed the battery in a battery box (you get these from a boat chandlers sorry if i cant spell that) to protect the car from the battery if anythings go wrong.
There is also a link in my post to a guy who also installed a second battery, in that link he tells you the parts you need (which you can get from vehicle wiring products excellent web page).
The installation was really easy, took me about half a day and cost about 50 quid not including the battery.
I am now the proud owner of a car with a computer in it aswell as having all the excess power i will ever need to run a fridge etc.

[jmc]

Would it not be more convenient to remove both stock batteries and replace them with a high capacity starter and a leisure battery with a split charging relay?

Just a thought, rather than having three.

[Morr]

Would it not be more convenient to remove both stock batteries and replace them with a high capacity starter and a leisure battery with a split charging relay?

Just a thought, rather than having three.

AFAIK the V6 does not have enough room in the engine bay for a second battery

[jmc]

AFAIK the V6 does not have enough room in the engine bay for a second battery

Ahh I see - just depends if he goes for a diesel then.

[da SLUG man]

leisure battery is made so that it can be discharged and recharged and kept for long periods (e.g. over winter without conditioning) without damaging the cells... it will still start the engine if you need to. a lot of surfs have only 1 battery and have no starting problems.