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Installing leisure battery to MY 2016 Transit

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Installing leisure battery to MY 2016 Transit

Postby Transit2017 » Mon Aug 07, 2017 11:19 am

Does it have "smart" alternator?
Will split charge relay work?
Or do I need battery-to-battery charger?
http://www.12voltplanet.co.uk/battery-t ... rgers.html

Transit is with one start battery and without start/stop system.
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Re: Installing leisure battery to MY 2016 Transit

Postby hectors-tranny » Tue Aug 08, 2017 10:27 am

Yes it has a smart alternator. There are different types of split charge relay:

A Voltage Sensitive Relay (VSR) - WONT WORK.

Your options:

Manual isolator switch. Cheap and easy but you have to remember to do it every time you stop and start!
Ignition triggered split charge relay - will work but may invalidate your warrany as you have to tap into ignition circuit.
Battery to battery charger - Best option - very expensive but works with smart alternator, charges your leisure battery MUCH more quickly, fully and safely (battery will last longer).

I bought a b2b charger and was glad I did - great bit of kit. I went for this: http://www.12voltplanet.co.uk/sterling- ... v-30a.html


No I'm nothing to do with them, not on commission or anything!

HT :-)
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Re: Installing leisure battery to MY 2016 Transit

Postby dumper » Wed Aug 09, 2017 8:53 am

Bloody hell there must something at a more reasonable price to do the same job
MK 8 L4 H3 Motorsport campervan
Past camper vans
1974 mk1 v4 with 2.0 pinto fitted
1986 mk3 2.5 di swb
1990 190 lwb 2.5 di
1998 100 lwb 2.5 di
2006 350 jumbo 135 tdci
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Re: Installing leisure battery to MY 2016 Transit

Postby hectors-tranny » Wed Aug 09, 2017 3:45 pm

Yes there is a cheap option - as I said - an ignition controlled relay. These are dead cheap, but as mentioned there may be warranty issues.

Don't think that a B2B charger does 'the same thing' though. To start with it will charge your leisure battery 5 times faster than a simple relay. If you drive a fair bit on holiday you won't even need a mains charger. Most important though it's a fully featured leisure battery charger with the same correct stepped charging protocol as a decent mains charger. This means it will help your battery last much longer, and can also 'save' it from deep discharge. The other types of relay just give you whatever output the alternator provides, irrespective of what is best for your battery.
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Re: Installing leisure battery to MY 2016 Transit

Postby dumper » Wed Aug 09, 2017 4:14 pm

On my mk6 I have one of the spilt change relays that is in between the starter and leisure battery's with a takeoff for a fridge that I don't use it cost £20 ish and changes two 125 amp hour batteries and I have never had any problems and it's been on the since 2009
MK 8 L4 H3 Motorsport campervan
Past camper vans
1974 mk1 v4 with 2.0 pinto fitted
1986 mk3 2.5 di swb
1990 190 lwb 2.5 di
1998 100 lwb 2.5 di
2006 350 jumbo 135 tdci
dumper
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Re: Installing leisure battery to MY 2016 Transit

Postby hectors-tranny » Wed Aug 09, 2017 8:42 pm

Dumper the Mk6 doesn't have a smart alternator (variable output), so you can use a VSR which is what you've got. These don't work on Mk8's.
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Re: Installing leisure battery to MY 2016 Transit

Postby dumper » Thu Aug 10, 2017 7:43 am

That's what I thought it would be hector I've not got a van sorted for my new camper build yet it was just the shock of seeing the price of that relay that's modern technology for you as I tell the apprentices at work the mechanical parts of the job are for the most part the same as they were in 70s it's just now it's all controlled by electronics and that's what they need to learn it's only going to be more important they are only going to be come more electrician then mechanic .
MK 8 L4 H3 Motorsport campervan
Past camper vans
1974 mk1 v4 with 2.0 pinto fitted
1986 mk3 2.5 di swb
1990 190 lwb 2.5 di
1998 100 lwb 2.5 di
2006 350 jumbo 135 tdci
dumper
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Re: Installing leisure battery to MY 2016 Transit

Postby macinavan2 » Wed Jan 17, 2018 7:12 pm

hectors-tranny wrote:Yes it has a smart alternator. There are different types of split charge relay:

I bought a b2b charger and was glad I did - great bit of kit. I went for this: http://www.12voltplanet.co.uk/sterling- ... v-30a.html


No I'm nothing to do with them, not on commission or anything!

HT :-)


Hi I was thinking about the same charger but have a few questions if you dont mind
Why the 30A version and not the 60A version?
Assuming you connected via the CCP, were did you ground it as the nearest one is on the floor next to the handbrake and I cant get to that because of the dual front seat and bulkhead?

Thanks in advance for any help
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Re: Installing leisure battery to MY 2016 Transit

Postby hectors-tranny » Wed Jan 17, 2018 10:28 pm

macinavan2 wrote:Hi I was thinking about the same charger but have a few questions if you dont mind
Why the 30A version and not the 60A version?
Assuming you connected via the CCP, were did you ground it as the nearest one is on the floor next to the handbrake and I cant get to that because of the dual front seat and bulkhead?

Thanks in advance for any help


30A as that was what 12V Planet recommended. The 60A costs £100 more, besides can the Transit alternator even put out 60A? If not that extra potential power out would be wasted. The B2B charger can’t put out more than the alternator can put in, after all.

Don’t know what a CCP is, but the B2B charger has just three connections: connect one to starter battery positive, one to leisure battery positive (both correctly fused), and one to earth. The earth can be anywhere on the bodywork/chassis of the van as that is all negative.

Where you Earth it depends on where you plan to place your leisure battery. Mine was one of the body support struts behind the drivers seat just beneath window, but it really doesn’t matter - just sand down to bare metal to get good contact.
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Re: Installing leisure battery to MY 2016 Transit

Postby macinavan2 » Wed Jan 17, 2018 10:50 pm

I have been looking at some US builds and most of them seem to us the 60A but then I guess they have bigger engines and therefore alternators. If 30A works and is cheaper that is good with me.

CCP = Customer Connection Point. It is on the side of the drivers seat and is a 60A fused positive for auxiliary electrical connections.

I understand that a connection for earth can be made anywhere but Ford says in their literature that an earth not made to one of their approved points will invalidate the warranty hence my question.
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Re: Installing leisure battery to MY 2016 Transit

Postby hectors-tranny » Wed Jan 17, 2018 11:27 pm

macinavan2 wrote:I have been looking at some US builds and most of them seem to us the 60A but then I guess they have bigger engines and therefore alternators. If 30A works and is cheaper that is good with me.

CCP = Customer Connection Point. It is on the side of the drivers seat and is a 60A fused positive for auxiliary electrical connections.

I understand that a connection for earth can be made anywhere but Ford says in their literature that an earth not made to one of their approved points will invalidate the warranty hence my question.


Well that's my warranty bolloxed then.
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Re: Installing leisure battery to MY 2016 Transit

Postby Peterposh » Wed Jan 31, 2018 1:12 pm

The start stop engines have a smart alternator which is controlled by the ECU , this only turns the alternator on as and when it sees fit so there's no "spare" electricity , once it senses the battery fully charged it switches off the alternator so that's why these leisure kits won't work. After some enquiries I need An Amc12-12-30 battery charger. This will keep the battery charged £175+ vat.
a 200A electronic relay which is operated off the ignition to run the inverter. £125.00. So I've decided to just fit an extra battery in parallel with the original one
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Re: Installing leisure battery to MY 2016 Transit

Postby hectors-tranny » Wed Jan 31, 2018 4:01 pm

Peterposh wrote:The start stop engines have a smart alternator which is controlled by the ECU , this only turns the alternator on as and when it sees fit so there's no "spare" electricity , once it senses the battery fully charged it switches off the alternator so that's why these leisure kits won't work. After some enquiries I need An Amc12-12-30 battery charger. This will keep the battery charged £175+ vat.
a 200A electronic relay which is operated off the ignition to run the inverter. £125.00. So I've decided to just fit an extra battery in parallel with the original one


You're quite right. But don't be too quick to write off battery-to-battery chargers. I installed one for the split charge system in my Mk8. Yes expensive, but you just can't begin to compare them with other split charge relays. They charge your leisure battery at least 5 times faster than any other system, and provide it with a correct stepped charging protocol that will preserve its life, too. I bought this one - best bit of kit for the van I even bought. Hardly every need hookup now :-)

https://www.12voltplanet.co.uk/sterling ... v-30a.html
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