Club 80-90 Forums

OK, I'm prepared to be shot down in flames because this must have been asked a million times, and is so obvious it must have occurred to a million other people already, but I couldn't find anything after a quick search, so here goes.

I've just bought an '88 1.9 camper and found that it doesn't have a leisure battery. I'd already fitted a main battery isolator switch which I always fit to my classic cars that don't get much use, and It occurred to me that I could rig up a very simple leisure battery system as follows. Install a second battery wired in parallel with the main battery and simply open the isolation switch on the main battery when camping. This would ensure the van will have at least one healthy battery the next morning for starting the engine, and whilst driving around with the isolation switch closed both batteries would be recharged.

Will the above work?

Check the Wiki;
The bit you want is here;

https://club8090.co.uk/wiki/Ca ... it_charger

Most folks fit a 'split charger' which is basically a relay that connects the leisure battery to the main battery and is triggered by the engine running - so with engine running both batteries get charged by the alternator; with engine stopped the relay clicks off and the leisure is disconnected from the main (keeping the main safe from being drained by your leisure battery loads).

Your method would work but I'd be nervous about forgetting to reconnect the isolator which I assume would then mean that the vehicle would attempt to use the leisure battery to power the starter motor - and the leisure battery (and the wiring) are not designed for that sort of load.

Anyway - read the Wiki - more info than you could need on there.

john east wrote:I could rig up a very simple leisure battery system as follows. Install a second battery wired in parallel with the main battery and simply open the isolation switch on the main battery when camping. This would ensure the van will have at least one healthy battery the next morning for starting the engine, and whilst driving around with the isolation switch closed both batteries would be recharged.

Will the above work?

Depends on how you wire the isolation switch on the main battery....it needs to physically disconnect from the second leisure battery.

Or...fit a simple SMART charge relay between the two batteries.....then everything is automatically disconnected without the engine running.

Martin

Thanks for the info. This camper van lark is a steep learning curve, but a pleasant change nonetheless from the increasingly high tech world I've been struggling, and just about coping with until recently. I take it from the replies that my idea would work, but relying on ones memory to make the switch overs is risky, and it makes more sense to let a relay do the work. I might use my simpler method for the couple of trips planned for the remainder of this season, and install a relay controlled switch over the winter.

Looks like an autosleeper you have there.
The leisure electrics will simply be removed from the main batt and transferred to the aux batt.
Autosleeper then fixed a 70 amp relay in the engine compartment next to the alternator. (on mine anyway)
Then ran an 8mm cable to the aux.