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rvtips · 12-22-2012, 11:23 PM

Please show us what you did.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JCM

If you are handy with "your hands" you can make one for under $10.00.
Here is a picture of the "radio Shack" switch in the dash.
If you want more info on how to make one - post a question.

joeplazek · 12-23-2012, 06:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by azbuzzard

How do you keep from over charging the tow car with the charge wire from the motorhome?

If your battery goes dead as quick as you say then it needs the charge and will never over charge. Your coach is regulated to only put out 14 volts and the CRV is using the voltage on the accessories that are drawing voltage when you tow. Can't see a problem. The nice part is everything stays "up" so when you get to your destination jump in and drive!!

joe

srh · 12-23-2012, 08:02 AM

The charger is actually in the motorhome which charges the coach batteries. This connection simply connects the coach and the toad batteries - keeping the two balanced. This is what my understanding is. Hope someone will say otherwise if not so.

JCM · 12-30-2012, 08:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rvtips

Please show us what you did.

I have just towed my CRV for 4 days without doing anything besides starting in the morning and at the end of the day and using the switch.
You take a standard minature fuse - not a minature honda fuse. When it is pluged in, the main body will still be above the fuse panel. Grind down the upper cornors so that the metal shows - not too much. Solder wires to the exposed metal and hot glue them together - for strctural strength.
Run one wire to the fuse switch and another to a in line fuse holder - any size. Put in a 7.5 amp fuse and then connect it to the other wire coming off of the original fuse (soldered wires to it). Lastly short out the fuse that you soldered wires to - to blow it and create an open circuit. Plug it in and now you can turn it off and on from the dash. I used a radio shack switch and a hole saw to make a hole in the panel so that it would simply plug in.
I would show you pictures of the fuse but it is installed. Using a standard mini fuse allows you to easly insert it in the Honda fuse panel.
The hardest part is exposing some of the metal on the tops of the fuse so that you can solder to it.
Have fun.

djdobbins1 · 01-04-2013, 11:43 AM

Please send info on how you wired the on/off switch for towing your CRV.

Thanks,
Dan

bdickson · 01-04-2013, 11:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by srh

The charger is actually in the motorhome which charges the coach batteries. This connection simply connects the coach and the toad batteries - keeping the two balanced. This is what my understanding is. Hope someone will say otherwise if not so.

Correct. The charge circuitry in the MH, whether alternator with engine running or converter with engine off, just sees another battery that needs charge (or not). The smart charging circuitry prevents overcharging. I think the picture above is just a wiring harness with an inline fuse. The "Toad Charge" units are, IMHO, a waste of money.

djdobbins1 · 01-04-2013, 08:41 PM

Can you please send info on this.
dandobbins52@gmail.com

JCM · 01-05-2013, 08:53 AM

I wish I had taken pictures but here goes. After soldering 2 wires to an non Honda fuse ( grind or file down the upper 2 coroners). Then you solder a wire to each corner. I then used a hot glue gun to give a little extra strength.
You run one wire up to the switch in the dash and the other also goes to the switch but somewhere along that wire you insert a in line fuse holder (any physical size – so that you can use any type of fuse that “fits” but use a 7.5 amp fuse). That way you will actually have a fuse in the circuit when you turn the switch on. Oh, yes you must short out the soldered fuse to “blow” it – use a penlight battery – open circuit.
Then you insert that fuse with the attached wires into the fuse board where the accessory fuse should go. You will find that much easier to do since the non Honda fuse will stand up out of the fuse panel. Now again the inline fuse will protect the circuit and you can turn it on and off from the dash. See attached picture.
I used a switch from Radio Shack and used a hole saw to cut a hole in one of the blank switch covers. That was much easier than trying to pry it out of the dash and messing it up. If you buy the switch that comes with an under the dash bracket – you can use the hole in the bracket to get the exact size of the hole saw required.
You won’t have to reset your radio code but I still taped mine to the back of the sun visor along with a photocopy of the start-up procedure for towing the car. That way I don’t have a senior moment.
Hope this helps.

srh · 01-20-2013, 04:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bdickson

Correct. The charge circuitry in the MH, whether alternator with engine running or converter with engine off, just sees another battery that needs charge (or not). The smart charging circuitry prevents overcharging. I think the picture above is just a wiring harness with an inline fuse. The "Toad Charge" units are, IMHO, a waste of money.

With one smart charger is in the motorhome, why would one need another smart charger - that, IMHO, would be a waste of money. The above system cost far less than a smart charger and will do the job!
Thanks,

dengraham · 03-12-2013, 06:53 PM

It was my understanding the motor home system could over charge the car battery because if they were low then current would continue to both the motorhome batteries and the car battery. Also, without a diode, if the motorhome battery was low the current would run from the car battery to the motorhome battery and therefore drain the car battery. Both of these will not happen with the Toad Charge because it has it's own "controller" to limit the charge to the car battery and has diodes to prevent "back feed" back to the motor home batteries if they are at a lower charge.
Both of these items would not be noticed with new batteries but as they get older either item can happen and shorten the life of your car battery.
That said, there is nothing wrong with inserting the "shut off" switch described above. All you are doing is disconnecting the fuse with a switch rather then pulling the fuse.
I hope this helps.

scooterbob · 03-15-2013, 09:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JCM

You take a standard minature fuse - not a minature honda fuse. When it is pluged in, the main body will still be above the fuse panel. Grind down the upper cornors so that the metal shows - not too much. Solder wires to the exposed metal and hot glue them together - for strctural strength.
Run one wire to the fuse switch and another to a in line fuse holder - any size. Put in a 7.5 amp fuse and then connect it to the other wire coming off of the original fuse (soldered wires to it). Lastly short out the fuse that you soldered wires to - to blow it and create an open circuit. Plug it in and now you can turn it off and on from the dash. I used a radio shack switch and a hole saw to make a hole in the panel so that it would simply plug in.
I would show you pictures of the fuse but it is installed. Using a standard mini fuse allows you to easly insert it in the Honda fuse panel.
The hardest part is exposing some of the metal on the tops of the fuse so that you can solder to it.
Have fun.

I tried sodering wire on the fuse but had no luck, the soder gun kept melting the fuse body.

I have done searches on pc to find a mini fuse with wire connectors, but no luck. Can't figure how you managed to soder the wires on?

JCM · 03-15-2013, 10:48 AM

I tried 2 before I got it right. Try tinning your wire ist so you won't have to put too much heat on the metal and possibly place all but the exposed part of the fuse in a vice - to act as a heat sink. Also clean the metal that is exposed with a sharp knife.
Don't give up. If I can do so can you.

scooterbob · 03-15-2013, 11:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JCM

I tried 2 before I got it right. Try tinning your wire ist so you won't have to put too much heat on the metal and possibly place all but the exposed part of the fuse in a vice - to act as a heat sink. Also clean the metal that is exposed with a sharp knife.
Don't give up. If I can do so can you.

I think my biggest problem is the soder gun is to big, need a small pen type gun..

market · 03-23-2013, 01:20 AM

My selection of the Toad-Charge system was that it relieved me of any concern (right or wrong) of running both the coach engine (and alternator) and the toad engine (and alternator) with the electrical cord connected between the two electrical systems. We occasionally have the coach engine running at the same time while doing the 3 minute engine run on the CRV. Toad-Charge is understood to have an isolator system to protect against any "fight" between the two separate charging systems. Whether this is a concern when simply running a charge wire from the coach battery to the toad battery is unknown. Also the Toad-Charge comes with a breaker for protecting the coach electric from any short in the wiring harness to the Toad.