Isuzu Dmax 2017 active wiring for electric brakes and CB ,caravan battery charging ETC
Philby said
05:02 PM Dec 13, 2017
I have just purchased a 2017 Isuzu Dmax Tour mate and thought I might explain how to access the engine bay from the cab interior without wrecking the vehicle and setting off the airbag,This is my 3rd Dmax so have explored various options ,this has proved to be the easiest yet.
Before starting a couple of things to note,The 2017 Dmax is equipped with a smart alternator,wiring of Red arc and Cteck 250s (Silver and Black models)devices need to be explored on their various websites for wiring diagrams.I use a silver Ceteck 250S dual for charging my Caravan batteries,up graded wiring is necessary using simple 30 amp automotive relay ,easily installed if your Dmax has a smart Alternator .Google up Cteck 250 250S dual and smart alternator its all there to see.Unfortunately I dont know about the Redarc unit so cant comment ,I'm sure there is something about it on line.
Accessing engine bay from cab for wiring .
Looking into engine bay from front of vehicle on LHS of motor directly behind the turbo unit and to the upper right of where steering rod comes through fire wall is a diamond shaped plate about 75 mm high and about 50 mm wide,this is where we are bringing the wiring through from the cabin.The plate is bolted through the firewall and two 12 mm headed nuts need to be removed from the cab side,carefully remove the two nuts making sure they dont drop down behind the floor matting impossible to retrieve unless all the matting is removed (I know)had to find a new one .Nuts removed ,the plate is stuck to the firewall with a rubber gasket,getting down under the driver side dash I used a wooden broom handle and hammer to drive the plate free into the engine bay.
Modifying the plate.
Retrieve the plate,I drilled a 18 mm hole through the centre of the plate and silicon-ed a piece of agriculture PVC pipe into the hole about 25 mm each side of plate,smaller pipe or other devices could be used to protect wiring from chafing on the plate reinstall the plate with a gasket of silicone to the firewall (replaces the rubber seal probably damaged on removal). I used 18-19 pipe as I intend to silicone the wiring inside the pipe to prevent water ,dust and fumes entering the cab when all wiring complete.
Picking up a Ignition switched power without doing too much damage in the Cab.
I decided to pick up my switched ignition power off the cigarette outlet in the top glove box .To access the wiring off this outlet ,open the lower glove compartment,grasp each side with your thumbs inside the box gently pull the whole glove box upwards it has two plastic clips on the bottom a fixing it to a hinge,a bit of strength is required when it comes off the hinge,remove the G/box.
Behind where the glove box is a plastic plate with 4 securing screws 3 recessed across the top the 4th is located about the centre of the plate in front of you.This plate is integral part of the glove surround ,it pulls outwards towards the rear of the cab and has plastic knife like clips on the top and bottom of the sides ,gentle pull and work the plate/surround out ,the clips will release ,make sure you pull backwards so as not to damage these clips,its a bit of a fiddle ,dont be in a hurry,when Plate /surround is removed access to the cigarette lighter is easily seen.pulling the plug off the lighter is a another story, I didn't work it out .
Connection to the wiring behind lighter was achieved by splicing into Yellow/brown positive side 12 Volt ,single black is negative.I used crush connectors and red black 3 mm twin flat its rated at 10 amps same as the cigarette lighter for my switching leads ,I ran two of these as its easy to pick up the second one at a later date if needed ,than doing the G/box removal. insulate your splicing and feed your wiring across the transmission hump to the drivers side and into the engine bay via your pipe though firewall.I used a couple of zip ties to secure the wiring from moving around. carefully Replace glove box .Hey your done !
Think about installing CB Antenna ,Power cable,electric brake wiring through the Ag pipe /plate before sealing up with silicone.Use split loom to cover all wiring in engine bay and keep wiring as far as possible from turbo maybe some heat shield wouldn't go astray over wiring in this vicinity
Points to remember make sure ignition is off and keys removed before cutting into wiring behind lighter.if your not completing your other wiring straight away insulate the ends with tape so they dont short out when next you turn on the ignition .Dont want to have to replace fuses for being slack
Cheers Philby
Delta18 said
09:57 AM Dec 14, 2017
All good info, but like skinning a cat, there is more than one way.
I ran my wiring including uhf antenna via the existing grommet in the passenger firewall.
I picked up the ignition power for Dash Cam, uhf, Tyre Pressure Monitor, Caravan Rear View Camera, TowPro Elite Brake Controller from the fuse panel located behind the flip-down storage drawer.
To Tap into the fuse panel I used Piggyback fuse leads bought from Auto1 (WA)
This is my 2nd D-Max so, yes, it gets easier each new car
Cheers Neil
-- Edited by Delta18 on Thursday 14th of December 2017 09:58:01 AM
Philby said
06:20 PM Dec 14, 2017
Neil good to see your reply ,hope you didnt push your wiring through the wiring loom grommet, I did this on my second 2015 Dmax ,it was easy and seemed to be plenty of space to get the addition wiring through into the cab,problem was when first time It rained ,I found water on the passenger side floor, as it was anew vehicle I was looking for a leak,and had decided it was entering up under the dash so took it back to the dealer for warranty claim.
Turned out the water ingress was coming in through the wiring grommet where I had pushed the extra wiring,which has distorted the seal .Because of this it had voided the warranty on water entry into the cab. My dealer was sympathetic and sealed it up with Silicone ,it didnt do a perfect repair ,as it leaked again,I tackled it again with Silicone and the problem disappeared .While it was a fix I was disappointed the warranty was compromised .
I do not recommend your procedure ,for access to the cab.
As far as your electrical connections go I explored it on my 2013 model but ,decided to go for my splice to the rear of the cigarette lighter ,the lighter connection in front of the gear shift ,is a nightmare to access ,and you run the risk of damaging the heater blower controls which are easily damaged when dissembling the dash,and wont be covered by warranty if the dash has been removed
It is great to see people commenting on these blogs it helps those contemplating self done installation,theres plenty on the forums, very few actually give much help to the would be installer ,a lot of smart Alec comment very few with proper experience or help
Philby
Delta18 said
11:17 AM Dec 16, 2017
Strange how things work out isn't it.
I did the same cable entry point in my 2015 D-Max and never had a water leak problem.
I can't comment on the difficulty of using the ciggy lighter as a power source as I found using the fuse panel to be the simplest way, as I also did in the last car.
I reckon whatever works for anyone is the best way.
Another 'heads-up' for the DIYer on these cars is ....do NOT under any circumstances use the Neg (-) battery pole for earthing any accessories, use the chassis or body for that.
Cheers Neil
aussie_paul said
01:18 PM Dec 16, 2017
Delta18 wrote:
Another 'heads-up' for the DIYer on these cars is ....do NOT under any circumstances use the Neg (-) battery pole for earthing any accessories, use the chassis or body for that.
Cheers Neil
The reason being please?
Aussie Paul.
Delta18 said
07:48 PM Dec 16, 2017
aussie_paul wrote:
Delta18 wrote:
Another 'heads-up' for the DIYer on these cars is ....do NOT under any circumstances use the Neg (-) battery pole for earthing any accessories, use the chassis or body for that.
Cheers Neil
The reason being please?
Aussie Paul.
I'm not techie enough to explain properly, but in my words, these cars, Isuzu MY16.5 onward, and many other makes as well, use a 'smart' alternator.
To help the car comply with Euro6 Emission quota this alternator drops charge current (voltage) as soon as possible to reduce engine load.
To achieve this it closely watches the SOC of the battery, dropping the charge rate as the battery fills. It senses the charge via the Negative battery cable and a component - forgot the name - attached to it.
If you attach earth (-) leads from a DC-DC charger for example to the (-) battery post the alternator won't 'sense' what it is pulling from the battery & so will not try to replace that loss.
Maybe a spark can put this into words that you can understand .
I have just purchased a 2017 Isuzu Dmax Tour mate and thought I might explain how to access the engine bay from the cab interior without wrecking the vehicle and setting off the airbag,This is my 3rd Dmax so have explored various options ,this has proved to be the easiest yet.
Before starting a couple of things to note,The 2017 Dmax is equipped with a smart alternator,wiring of Red arc and Cteck 250s (Silver and Black models)devices need to be explored on their various websites for wiring diagrams.I use a silver Ceteck 250S dual for charging my Caravan batteries,up graded wiring is necessary using simple 30 amp automotive relay ,easily installed if your Dmax has a smart Alternator .Google up Cteck 250 250S dual and smart alternator its all there to see.Unfortunately I dont know about the Redarc unit so cant comment ,I'm sure there is something about it on line.
Accessing engine bay from cab for wiring .
Looking into engine bay from front of vehicle on LHS of motor directly behind the turbo unit and to the upper right of where steering rod comes through fire wall is a diamond shaped plate about 75 mm high and about 50 mm wide,this is where we are bringing the wiring through from the cabin.The plate is bolted through the firewall and two 12 mm headed nuts need to be removed from the cab side,carefully remove the two nuts making sure they dont drop down behind the floor matting impossible to retrieve unless all the matting is removed (I know)had to find a new one .Nuts removed ,the plate is stuck to the firewall with a rubber gasket,getting down under the driver side dash I used a wooden broom handle and hammer to drive the plate free into the engine bay.
Modifying the plate.
Retrieve the plate,I drilled a 18 mm hole through the centre of the plate and silicon-ed a piece of agriculture PVC pipe into the hole about 25 mm each side of plate,smaller pipe or other devices could be used to protect wiring from chafing on the plate reinstall the plate with a gasket of silicone to the firewall (replaces the rubber seal probably damaged on removal). I used 18-19 pipe as I intend to silicone the wiring inside the pipe to prevent water ,dust and fumes entering the cab when all wiring complete.
Picking up a Ignition switched power without doing too much damage in the Cab.
I decided to pick up my switched ignition power off the cigarette outlet in the top glove box .To access the wiring off this outlet ,open the lower glove compartment,grasp each side with your thumbs inside the box gently pull the whole glove box upwards it has two plastic clips on the bottom a fixing it to a hinge,a bit of strength is required when it comes off the hinge,remove the G/box.
Behind where the glove box is a plastic plate with 4 securing screws 3 recessed across the top the 4th is located about the centre of the plate in front of you.This plate is integral part of the glove surround ,it pulls outwards towards the rear of the cab and has plastic knife like clips on the top and bottom of the sides ,gentle pull and work the plate/surround out ,the clips will release ,make sure you pull backwards so as not to damage these clips,its a bit of a fiddle ,dont be in a hurry,when Plate /surround is removed access to the cigarette lighter is easily seen.pulling the plug off the lighter is a another story, I didn't work it out .
Connection to the wiring behind lighter was achieved by splicing into Yellow/brown positive side 12 Volt ,single black is negative.I used crush connectors and red black 3 mm twin flat its rated at 10 amps same as the cigarette lighter for my switching leads ,I ran two of these as its easy to pick up the second one at a later date if needed ,than doing the G/box removal. insulate your splicing and feed your wiring across the transmission hump to the drivers side and into the engine bay via your pipe though firewall.I used a couple of zip ties to secure the wiring from moving around. carefully Replace glove box .Hey your done !
Think about installing CB Antenna ,Power cable,electric brake wiring through the Ag pipe /plate before sealing up with silicone.Use split loom to cover all wiring in engine bay and keep wiring as far as possible from turbo maybe some heat shield wouldn't go astray over wiring in this vicinity
Points to remember make sure ignition is off and keys removed before cutting into wiring behind lighter.if your not completing your other wiring straight away insulate the ends with tape so they dont short out when next you turn on the ignition .Dont want to have to replace fuses for being slack
Cheers Philby
All good info, but like skinning a cat, there is more than one way.
I ran my wiring including uhf antenna via the existing grommet in the passenger firewall.
I picked up the ignition power for Dash Cam, uhf, Tyre Pressure Monitor, Caravan Rear View Camera, TowPro Elite Brake Controller from the fuse panel located behind the flip-down storage drawer.
To Tap into the fuse panel I used Piggyback fuse leads bought from Auto1 (WA)
This is my 2nd D-Max so, yes, it gets easier each new car
Cheers Neil
-- Edited by Delta18 on Thursday 14th of December 2017 09:58:01 AM
Turned out the water ingress was coming in through the wiring grommet where I had pushed the extra wiring,which has distorted the seal .Because of this it had voided the warranty on water entry into the cab. My dealer was sympathetic and sealed it up with Silicone ,it didnt do a perfect repair ,as it leaked again,I tackled it again with Silicone and the problem disappeared .While it was a fix I was disappointed the warranty was compromised .
I do not recommend your procedure ,for access to the cab.
As far as your electrical connections go I explored it on my 2013 model but ,decided to go for my splice to the rear of the cigarette lighter ,the lighter connection in front of the gear shift ,is a nightmare to access ,and you run the risk of damaging the heater blower controls which are easily damaged when dissembling the dash,and wont be covered by warranty if the dash has been removed
It is great to see people commenting on these blogs it helps those contemplating self done installation,theres plenty on the forums, very few actually give much help to the would be installer ,a lot of smart Alec comment very few with proper experience or help
Philby
Strange how things work out isn't it.
I did the same cable entry point in my 2015 D-Max and never had a water leak problem.
I can't comment on the difficulty of using the ciggy lighter as a power source as I found using the fuse panel to be the simplest way, as I also did in the last car.
I reckon whatever works for anyone is the best way.
Another 'heads-up' for the DIYer on these cars is ....do NOT under any circumstances use the Neg (-) battery pole for earthing any accessories, use the chassis or body for that.
Cheers Neil
The reason being please?
Aussie Paul.
I'm not techie enough to explain properly, but in my words, these cars, Isuzu MY16.5 onward, and many other makes as well, use a 'smart' alternator.
To help the car comply with Euro6 Emission quota this alternator drops charge current (voltage) as soon as possible to reduce engine load.
To achieve this it closely watches the SOC of the battery, dropping the charge rate as the battery fills. It senses the charge via the Negative battery cable and a component - forgot the name - attached to it.
If you attach earth (-) leads from a DC-DC charger for example to the (-) battery post the alternator won't 'sense' what it is pulling from the battery & so will not try to replace that loss.
Maybe a spark can put this into words that you can understand
.
It makes sense to me anyway ha ha.
Cheers Neil
ps: just found this which may be clearer. https://www.redarc.com.au/forum/discussion/185/earthing-a-bcdc-1240-lv-battery-charger
-- Edited by Delta18 on Saturday 16th of December 2017 07:53:18 PM