Canman's dual battery and inverter install

[canman]

I started my project last May and got interruped several times over the summer with projects around the house. Today I finally got around to finishing up the wiring to my inverter. I have summarized what I did below:

-Photoman's alternator brkt
-130 A used alternator
-Upgraded alt wiring and 175A fuse to isolator
-OEM second battery tray
-Handmade washer bottle relocate brkt
-120A battery isolator and two marine switches
-Odyssey battery
-Xantrex 1500W inverter with aux cooling fan
-Lots of wiring, misc lugs, terminals, plugs, fuses, heat shrink, and tiewraps

The main battery is only for the engine starter and the aux battery (Odyssey) provides power for the vehicle chassis and winch (yet to be installed). One of the switches will provide power to the winch when needed, and the other will be used to combine the batteries if needed.
Future plans include adding 12VDC sockets to the rear and front, a 120V external socket (OEM Tacoma bed version), and perhaps a 400W inverter under the shifter console. I just ordered a Hella map light, and will install that in the next few weeks. Overall I am very pleased with the results, but it took a lot longer than anticipated, and cost a lot more too. I think overall I have over a grand invested in the system.

 

[Rwhat]

Looks good. Working on installing mine also. I made the washer brackets also. They were actually really easy with Georges write up. Did you Fuse the batterys? Nice use of the switches to combine them for the winch. Photoman doesn't do the brackets anymore right?

 

[canman]

Some more pics.

 

[canman]

Looks good. Working on installing mine also. I made the washer brackets also. They were actually really easy with Georges write up. Did you Fuse the batterys? Nice use of the switches to combine them for the winch. Photoman doesn't do the brackets anymore right?

No fuse for the main battery as it normally will only be used for the engine starter. I have 175A fuse between the alt and battery isolator which feeds each battery. I also have another 175A fuse from the aux battery to the inverter. Not sure if Photoman still makes brkts...

 

[Otamiway]

Canman, nice job wiring up your converter. Any pics on how you wired up the Toyoyta bed plug?? I have one waiting in the wings

 

[canman]

Canman, nice job wiring up your converter. Any pics on how you wired up the Toyoyta bed plug?? I have one waiting in the wings

Thanks.
I have not wired the bed plug in yet, but I have already added the required length of wires for the bed plug (refer to the second last pic in my second post of the coiled up wire above the aux inverter cooling fan). My plan is to add it to my steel bumper when I get around to fabbing that up.

 

[IrishLX450]

Looking forward to progress on this, planing my attack on a similar setup. Drivers side battery looks like it will be a beach to get out with the cables running over the top ?

 

[Jacket]

What is that junction where the two big wires are coming together below? From the picture it looks like they are just "floating."

 

[Otamiway]

Thanks.
I have not wired the bed plug in yet, but I have already added the required length of wires for the bed plug (refer to the second last pic in my second post of the coiled up wire above the aux inverter cooling fan). My plan is to add it to my steel bumper when I get around to fabbing that up.

Thanks.. i need to source the plug for the back. which 120V plug did you use?

 

[canman]

Looking forward to progress on this, planing my attack on a similar setup. Drivers side battery looks like it will be a beach to get out with the cables running over the top ?

The wires over the top aren't really an issue as one terminates in a sealed connector, and the other terminates in a ring terminal attached to the block next to the fusible links. Once unhooked I can pull the wires out of the way. It's more work, but the real issue is just trying to physically grab onto something to pull the battery out as there is no space left. I had to do it once while futzing with the wiring but I don't want to do it again anytime soon.

What is that junction where the two big wires are coming together below? From the picture it looks like they are just "floating."

Those two wires were just joined together temporarily while I did some trouble shooting (they are normally attached to the ON/OFF/Disconnect switch). When I first fired up the inverter, I noticed my aux cooling fan did not spin. At first I thought I had f&&ked something up. After some investigating I found out the cooling fans in the inverter only come on when required (my aux cooling fan is wired in parallel with one of the inverter cooling fans)
As an aside the inverter is just screwed to two wooden blocks I hot glued to the rear quarter panel. It took a few attempts to get the wood to reasonably match the surface contor of the quarter panel as it was not flat as I first assumed.

 

[canman]

Thanks.. i need to source the plug for the back. which 120V plug did you use?

It was after I saw your post that I wanted the same plug. You didn't have the P/N in your post, but after a bit of surfing on the weeb I got it. If you find a pigtail to match this socket please let me know. I was going to head to a local wreckers last weekend but it was snowing too much.

https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/407097-ideas-adding-auxillary-12v-dc-115v-ac-outlets.html

 

[canman]

Installed my 12VDC Toyota Sockets

I picked up the Toyota 12VDC sockets I ordered last week from the dealer and installed them this afternoon. One is located at the rear of the center console, and the other on the PS of the shifter console. There is just enough room inside the rear of the center console for it to fit. When my Hella maplight arrives, I will mount it to the PS of the center console. It's already wired up for it...

 

[96r50]

Looks good Steve! I may have to pick up a couple of those myself. Is there a metal sleeve or something behind the console that holds the outlets in place?

 

[canman]

Looks good Steve! I may have to pick up a couple of those myself. Is there a metal sleeve or something behind the console that holds the outlets in place?

Thanks Adam. There is no metal sleeve that holds the outlets in place. The plastic hsg (85535-0C030-E1) has two tabs that secure it to whatever you mount it two (Mtg surface cannot be thicker than 2.5 mm I would say). These tabs are forced out when you install the interior metal hsg (85530-34010). The plastic hsg is also keyed at the bottom to prevent it from turning when mounted. I made the mistake of assembling the interior metal hsg inside the plastic hsg before installing the plastic hsg in the consoles - not easy to take apart. When this is done you cannot install anything as the two plastic tabs are now pushed out. Also, there is another tab which locks the metal hsg into the plastic hsg when the two are assembled. Once installed they are very sturdy and aren't going anywhere. Thanks again to Otamiway for your post with pics and P/N's of these outlets.
For those interested I used a 13/16" flat wood bit to drill the hole, and a Dremel tool with a small sanding drum/ wheel to enlarge the hole to the correct size. Also, you will need a very small square file to make the notch to match the key in the plastic hsg. Be careful when you are about to pierce the backside with the drill bit as the bit will catch and wobble - and possibly f&&k things up. Additionally, I purchased some Deutsch connectors from a local vendor for connecting many of the wires. I prefer these connectors because they have a factory look to them and they are relatively small compared to the Packard type. For connecting the wires to the terminals I just soldered them.

https://www.wirecare.com/deutschdt.asp?gclid=CLjQkefYvqYCFQNrKgodcX-GIw

 

[Otamiway]

Canman, great job so far. I have all the parts but have not started on the project yet. I need to source the pigtail for the 120v bed outlet and the 115v outlet from the Matrix. PM me if you do. Keep up the good work.

Stu

 

[ktmracer01]

I haven't gone quite to that extent, but I mounted my power inverter where I could have use of it from the rear of the vehicle as well as use inside the truck if necessary.
I also enjoyed being able to pull off a fused POS wire that I has going to a sub woofer, and put a circuit breaker inline to the power inverter. Ran my GND wire to the bolt loaction for the rear jump seat.

 

[ktmracer01]

couple more angles.

 

[mohamLC]

warn 120amp Isolator

Hey canman, Nice post and very good setup you got their. I am in the middle of trying to install my Warn 120amp isolator which is very similar to your surepower. If you can please so kind and explain to me from your schematics picture where the blue wire and the green wire are coming from??. I only have two wires attached to the stock main battery a big starter wire and a small white alternator/ignition?? wire. When I installed the two battery wires to 1 and 2 terminals and small alternator/ignition (number 2) wire to the “A” terminal the truck did not have any power at all to start. I can’t find where you got the green wire or number 3 from?. So now I have it wired as the attached picture and that’s the only way that I got it to start the truck but I know it’s not the right way.

 

[canman]

The blue wire is the main cable (power) from the alternator and it goes on the center post of the isolator. The green wire was a alternator "sense wire" that I spliced into. The wire I spliced into was part of a harness containing 3-4 wires plugged into the back of my alternator. I don't recall which wire it was that I spliced into, but together with the instruction sheet from Surepower and with some posts about Photomans' alt upgrade I was able to figure it out.

 

[mohamLC]

I get it now. My alternator only has two wires coming out of it. One is ignition and the other is the field one. So I don't have a sens wire. While the engine is running the Alt is charging both batteries. I am getting 14.4 one the main bat and 13.8 on the aux. So its charging the Main battery move than Aux battery. While the engine is off iam getting 12.8 on aux and 13.2 on main. Are these numbers sound OK. also if the aux bat is dead the truck starts but if the main on dies it will not start the truck unless i jump + post from main to + on aux. Is that how its suppose to operate??