battery advice for a sprinter
- Thread starter dean07
- Start date
Assuming the battery you are talking about is not your cranking battery, and you are talking about an auxiliary battery, any deep cycle marine type battery (or "truck" battery, since they're the same thing) will be fine, since the Webasto doesn't draw all that much current (about 2 amps an hour). It draws about twice that of the Espar, but it's still not very much. Just don't try and run the heater off your starting (cranking) battery.
From the sound of the opening post, I'm taking a wild guess that the starting battery has seen its day too. Pry open your wallet, being careful not to damage those pieces of paper-- they're called "money"-- and be prepared to spend a chunk of change on a proper replacement. You're trying to start a diesel, and even though the Sprinter engine is a good one it will still want some energy to start it on a really cold day.
Turtle's right, you want a separate "house" battery to run your Webasto heater. Two different requirements, the starting battery was never designed to carry the load the Webasto would impose on it.
Turtle's right, you want a separate "house" battery to run your Webasto heater. Two different requirements, the starting battery was never designed to carry the load the Webasto would impose on it.
That would be my thought too. A good RV place has had experience setting up batteries and isolators-- you'll need one to keep the house system from draining the starting battery, but allowing the alternator to charge both batteries-- and the rest of your "house" electrical system. You'll spend a bit of money on the set up, but on the other hand you won't have to spend money on tows, or on loads you could have had if the engine could have started.
danthewolf00
Veteran Expediter
If your not far from detroit i would go to espar of michigan!
danthewolf00
Veteran Expediter
Check with thermoking then they do sell and install espars.
I agree espar of Michigan is going way over the line... The quotes that I've been hearing are absolutely stupid Thermal king will do just as good a job for less price and you have a national warranty
Jenny
Veteran Expediter
He has a webasto, just needs batteries
Sent from my VS870 4G using Xparent Pink Tapatalk 2
got my webasto for $1300.00 out the door, thats a fair deal.. the problem i am having is finding the right isolator switch for it, i was told to get a 250 to 300 amp isolator, but all i can find is a 150 amp am having problems finding the 250 300 amp ones, if anyone knows where i can get one, please tell...thx
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deep cell batteries are way overpriced now At Ray's
That sounds kinky if they are the real deal... My thermal King did the total package
Minneapolis. 
2600 complete
2600 complete
A battery isolator won't work with a Bosch (or Valeo) alternator on a Sprinter. Instead you need a Battery Separator. The one at the link (model# 1315-200) is the one to get. You don't need to get that particular brand, of course, as any Battery Combiner/Separator that does the same thing is perfectly fine to use.
Here is a PDF of the Battery Isolator application guide (which alternators will work with a Battery Isolator, and which will not) to let you see why an isolator won't work with the Bosch alternators. Pay close attention to the notes in Group 3 and Group 4.
Here Here is a PDF that shows the installation instructions for the Separator.
You install the Battery Separator in the engine compartment, close to the battery, and run a battery cable from the cranking battery to the Separator. The cable should be #4 AWG or thicker. Then you run another cable from the Separator up into the van to the aux battery. Same #4 AWG or thicker. You don't want to connect the cable from the Separator to the aux battery directly, but rather connect the cable to a 150 amp ANL or Class-T fuse (do not use MEGA or AMG), then connect the fuse to the battery.
Do not skimp on the wiring, as the cable from the Separator to the aux battery will be 10 feet or more, and wiring that's not thick enough will have too much resistance, will cause too high a voltage drop, and could create a fire hazard.
You can buy the cable at many places. Get 20 feet of it, assuming the aux battery won't be installed very far behind the driver's seat. Flexible cable or welding cable is the best. You'll need the appropriate cable lugs (with the correct size holes for the battery terminals and bolts). Those can be gotten at Gray Bar (cheapest) or any electrical supply house. Panduit or Burndy are the brands to get.
Unless you plan on running inverter loads of more than a light and laptop charger, then you'll need just the one battery. If you plan on running more inverter or 12-volt loads, then two aux batteries in parallel would be needed. All you need is a decent marine deep cycle or truck battery (or two of them). A Group 31 deep cycle marine, RV or truck battery is all you need (or, again, 2 of them). Something with at least 100 amp hour capacity or 200 reserve capacity minutes. Walmart, Sears, Autozone, Interstate Battery, hunting and fishing stores, lots of places will have them.
An RV place, a boat mechanic, or any car dealer or repair shop with a mechanic that is even semi-knowledgeable in automotive electrical can install all this stuff. It's best if you have everything you need, even if you don't cut the cable and install the cable lugs (the mechanic can do that easy enough during the install), but the mechanic can certainly order in whatever you need.
I have a local repair shop that works on anything, cars, trucks, tractors, boats, planes, you name it. They even fabricated a rack to mount my satellite dish to the roof of the Sprinter. That's the kind of place you want, but any car dealer can do this.
Actually, they're not. What he has there are very high end AGM batteries. Very well constructed, extremely efficient, they right up there in quality (and price) with Concord Lifeline, and like the Concords they surpass the quality of Odyssey, Deka and Trojan AGM batteries, which are excellent batteries.
It's just that, for most installations, those types of high end batteries are way overkill for an Espar and small inverter loads.
But compare this Concord Lifeline AGM L16 400 Amp Hour Deep Cycle Battery to the ones Ray sells, and you'll see he's not way overpriced at all. His prices are right in line with where they should be. The one at the link is one of the cheapest prices for that battery that you'll find. This is the price you'll find most of them listed for. (These are 6-volt batteries, don't forget, so you'll need two of them).
danthewolf00
Veteran Expediter
There is a second thermo king out near the flyingj off i-280 in toledo.