How do I know what is running off my leisure battery and car

[melonpips]

Hi

Sorry if this has been asked before. I have looked through but cant quite find the answer.

My bongo was already converted and has a leisure battery fitted. I can see a consumer unit and believe this is just for the electric hookup (one blue switch with a test button and what looks like a double switch). I am not sure my car battery is very good as when the blinds have been used and the roof put up I have had to start my car with jump leads. I assume this means they run off the car battery but they work without the ignition on. Also the water pump can be used anytime but this doesn't appear to drain the car battery. However it still works even when I disconnect a terminal on the leisure battery. I did this to try and workout what was running off the leisure battery and what wasn't. I was however none the wiser as the tap still worked. I also have a 12v lighter socket in the rear that I ran a coolbox off, assuming that it ran off the leisure battey but again it drained the car battery. I can see no battery selector switch. Is there an easy way to tell what is running off what. It has a montague conversion if that helps to tell how it has been set up (although the consumer unit has its labels in Japanese). Finally is it difficult to change it so the 12v interior lights blinds and roof run off the leisure battery?

Many thanks

[philpdr]

Sounds like you might have twin starter batteries and not a dedicated leisure one,always run the engine when raising and lowering the roof though.

[sotal]

I'm just in the progress of changing stuff over from the SB to LB on mine. G8dhe has posted lots of information for me to follow.

I am currently make a patch cable. Which consists of a cable to a new fuse holder (4 fuses) - then 4 wires from here to the original bongo fusebox - I need to remove the fuses from the bongo fusebox and tap in by inserting the wires from the new fusebox into the bottom leg of each fuse holder I want to swap over.


My original setup was LB and SB, Most stuff running from SB. Just tap and coolbox running of LB. When I have finished it should be blinds, all 12v sockets, radio etc running from LB.


My topic with lots of info from others is here:
http://igmaynard.co.uk/bongo/forum/view ... =3&t=69974

[melonpips]

thank you for your replies. That link was very useful Sotal.

I haven't worked out how to upload images here as I wanted to show you what I had.

It looks like just the water pump running off the second battery so with the system already in place could I simply wired the fuse box as shown in your link to swap other things over to the second battery.

Also when driving does the alternater charge the two batteries simultaneously or charge the starter battery first then the second one. I ask as I am going to buy a decent solar panel to trickle charge the batteries whilst camping without hookup. would I attach this to the SB or LB ?

many thanks

[g8dhe]

Yup, if you have a Split Charge Relay installed between the batteries then the alternator will charge bth batteries together when operated by either the ignition switch or voltage level depending on the type of system installed.
Easiest way of proving what is connected to the LB, is to disconnect the -ve of the Starter Battery and then see what still operates!
If you add a Solar Panel then its normal to charge just the LB, however depending on what type of control panel you have (Zig/PMS etc) then it maybe possible to charge either. However it isn't normally needed as the whole point of having the LB and SCR is to ensure that the SB never gets used by any ancillaries added to the van.

[melonpips]

Can anyone help in uploading images please?

[g8dhe]

See this thread http://www.igmaynard.co.uk/bongo/forum/ ... =42&t=9285
Basically upload to an image site, size it to be less than 1024 wide and less than 760 height and then post a BBCode link; the above link explains it for using the Photobucket site.

[melonpips]

Thank you, I cant seem to do that at the mo. Will have a look later. I was trying to show the two batteries and a yellow label under the bonnet in Japanese and English saying CAUTION!! batteries are connected in parallel . I cant see any evifdence of a split relay although I am by no means experienced. There appear to be 2 main fuse boxes under the bonnet with labels of what they power. They are connected to the SB and power all the normal things. On the other battery it has 2 red wires which seem to travel all the way to the back to power the water pump but another thick covered bunch off wires which travel towards the main battery where it seems to join with a similar bunch of wires from the SB. Could these be connected to the alternator and therefore charging both batteries?? I cannot get the connector off the SB at the mo but can from the LB but the water pump still works?? How can this be. I am so confused.

[g8dhe]

Ah it sounds like your vehicle was, at least, originally and maybe still is, a dual battery model for Northern Japan, in which case you don't have a LB at all just two in parallel.
However they can be converted but given the description so far I suspect not.
In which case you will need to fit both Split Charge Relay and a loom to separate the batteries.

[melonpips]

Thank you for that information.

If this is the case could you explain how the battery system would currently work please.

Why are there two batteries if one is not a leisure battery.

What runs off each battery/and how do they charge.

Im just trying to work out how it is set up before I go about changing it. I don't see the purpose of having two batteries if one is not used as a leisure battery would be.

many thanks

[melonpips]

[Gasy]

Think of them as one big battery
They are joined by the cables
So it will keep cranking / turning the engine over for longer on winter morning when it's coldd and hard to start
It's so your starter battery has more power and won't go flat when it's hard to start on winter mornings in the north of Japan

This is the cheapest and easiest way of separating them manually
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/261818853135? ... EBIDX%3AIT

[g8dhe]

OK yes that is Northern Japan version, they have very cold winters and hence the starting time can be extra long and the need for two batteries to have enough energy. The batteries are wired in parallel as per the yellow diagram, its difficult to be certain from the photo, but check to make sure that the heavy duty cable coming of the +ve terminal of the battery on the right (nearside) does run directly across to the +ve terminal of the battery on the left (offside), as its often a choice when imported to break into that cable and insert a Split Charge Relay turning the battery on the right into a LB. I can't see it terminating on the lefthand battery because the hand is in the way - so it might have been modified but I can't see!
If it hasn't been modified then any connections to it are just like any other direct connection to the starter battery, a permanent +12 volt supply, you would have to isolate both batteries to stop anything working.

Image below is of a another dual battery version you can see the cable running across the front between the two batteries;


Wiring looms for the relay and patching into the existing fusebox to divert the circuits are available from http://www.solarcampersolutions.co.uk who is also on this forum as Dodgey, currently still on holiday I think in Europe!

[melonpips]

Thank you that helps a lot.

I wonder though since we have tested both batteries and all seems to be working well, why I have had to jump start my bongo a few times and you can hear that it sounds sluggish when starting. It seems to take very little to drain the batteries leaving me in need of jump starting,

Leaving the above as a separate issue, if I connected a decent solar charger instead of separating the batteries this would keep them topped up while camping etc??

Also if both are used for starting car etc, even when it seems that car wont start the water pump running directly from the second battery still runs fine.

Sorry for all the questions but I literally know nothing and want to learn

[g8dhe]

It could well be that the batteries are on there last legs, once they start being drained badly they become damaged internally very quickly. It may well be the case that you need to replace both batteries and install appropriate looms for the facilities required.