Battery separator ?

starfighter

New member
I'm getting ready to install a Trik-l-start on my 2015 Agile.
BUT..................
cannot tell which side of separator goes to which battery.
legend on separator says "main" and "aux"
but it looks like "main" goes to the coach batteries under hood.
(kind of difficult to trace)
Multi meter shows approx the same voltage on both sides.......
Ideas ?
 

autostaretx

Erratic Member
I'm getting ready to install a Trik-l-start on my 2015 Agile.
BUT..................
cannot tell which side of separator goes to which battery.
legend on separator says "main" and "aux"
but it looks like "main" goes to the coach batteries under hood.
(kind of difficult to trace)
Multi meter shows approx the same voltage on both sides.......
Ideas ?
IF it's like the Trik-L-Start web site says, the BLUE wire goes to your Starter battery, the Yellow wire goes to your House battery.
The black wire goes to the frame/common negative.

After that, the House side will be providing the power that keeps the Starter side happy...

The PDF instruction manual, which uses the words "house" and "starting": http://www.lslproducts.net/UTLS_Instructs.pdf

AHH... i now see that you're asking about the SEPARATOR .... hmmm... i would assume "main" is the Starter side.
But you can quickly test it: disconnect the Sprinter's "main negative disconnect" that's in the driver's pedal area.
That should drop the "starter" -side voltage to zero at the separator.

An alternate, perhaps easier test: clip on your voltmeter to the (let's say) Main side.
Now, without starting the Sprinter, turn on its key and turn on the headlights.
The "starter" side should drop a tenth of a volt or two.
(especially if you have a helper turn the key... the glow plugs will really pull it down for a few seconds)
Repeat that test with the voltmeter on the Aux side, which shouldn't budge.

--dick
 
Last edited:

RT.SS

Active member
Sorry, but I'm confused. Why would you add Trik-l-Start to the battery separator? when charging voltage is present on the house side, both device will start passing current to the chassis battery making the Trik-l-Start unnecessary. I can see its use on unidirectional battery isolators but not for the bi-directional separators...no?
 
Last edited:

starfighter

New member
While sitting unused, after my house batteries are fully charged from my solar cells, I want the "extra" power supplied to go to maintaining the starting battery.
 

RT.SS

Active member
Unless you remove or disable the battery separator, then the Trik-L-Start should work as intended. The problem is when solar starts charging (> 13.2 volts), the battery separator relay closes thus connecting coach and chassis batteries together. Adding a Trik-L-Start in parallel with the battery separator will not do anything as current will pass through the least resistance path which is the separator-thus bypassing the Trik-L-Start.
 

autostaretx

Erratic Member
What we're seeing here (in this thread) is the ambiguity of the word "separator".

Is it an isolation relay driven by the Sprinter's D+ signal? If so, then the Trik-L-Start will work as intended.

Is it an ACR-like voltage-sensitive device that looks at both sides to see if charging voltages are available? If so, then the Trik-L-start isn't needed at all.

Is it an ACR-like device that only looks at one side? Then the Trik-L-start will get things going, and RT.SS's comment about "least resistance" takes hold. You may even end up with the oscillation of the Trik-L-start initiating House-to-Starter charging, the one-sided ACR then cutting in (since the Starter side now has over 13v), taking the bulk of the current ... and then what will the Trik-L-Start do?
If it drops out, then the ACR stops seeing charging voltage, so it drops out, too. At which point the Trik-L-Start cuts back in... rinse and repeat.
Some of the "separators" have time delays built in, to avoid such oscillations. Even a one-sided ACR (with delay) may continue to join the sides since the house-supplied 13v is present on its "sensitive" side.

Digging up the manuals for the "separator" is really the first step... it may already provide "Trik-L-Start" functionality.
(...and tell us the make/model when asking about system hookups)

--dick
 
Last edited:

RT.SS

Active member
Sorry, my bad, I quickly assumed it is a “separator” commonly installed by Roadtrek. Roadtrek started installing “Sure Power Battery Separator” around 2006 on most of its rigs, except for the newer ones with optional underhood generators.
 

autostaretx

Erratic Member
Sorry, my bad, I quickly assumed it is a “separator” commonly installed by Roadtrek. Roadtrek started installing “Sure Power Battery Separator” around 2006 on most of its rigs, except for the newer ones with optional underhood generators.
... and even here's where "make and model" comes into play... the "Sure Power Battery Separator" model 1314 is unidirectional, the 1315 is bi-directional.
http://www.cooperindustries.com/con...sources/instructions/BUS_CBT_INST_180126a.pdf

--dick
p.s. looking at that battery separator sheet, yes: the MAIN is the Starter battery, and the Auxiliary is the House.
One clue is this section: "Mount the Battery Separator in a convenient location near the main battery bank. Do not mount in direct engine heat. " ... it's usually (unless you have an NCV3 Sprinter) the starter battery that's near the engine.
The second clue is buried in step #10 ... where the unidirectional 1314 has to see the Main charging before attaching (joining) the Auxiliary.
 
Last edited:

starfighter

New member
well....................................
I did have a quick disconnect next to the drivers seat that I used for connecting a maintenance charger to the starting battery when parked next to house and on shore power.
So, after trial and error with a multimeter, I located what looks like an isolator under the driver seat that went dead when coach battery switch was turned off.
yellow wire there.
blue wire and ground went to the quick disconnect thence to the starting battery.
Maintaining charge goes to starting battery when on shore power or when solar cells are charging coach batteries. What Joy !!
and now if the vehicle goes into the shop, I can unplug the quick disconnect and when the tech pulls the disconnect at the accelerator pedal the trik-l-start and its ground are out of the loop and no surprises.
 

Bwm

New member
I'm getting ready to install a Trik-l-start on my 2015 Agile.
BUT..................
cannot tell which side of separator goes to which battery.
legend on separator says "main" and "aux"
but it looks like "main" goes to the coach batteries under hood.
(kind of difficult to trace)
Multi meter shows approx the same voltage on both sides.......
Ideas ?
Hi, I have a similar vehicle and want to install the Trik-l charge device. Did you ever find the location of the battery separator?
 

Top Bottom