The NorthStar AGM Battery + Voltage Booster Upgrade

What's the benefit of the adjustable one? I'm running a 24F Northstar and just don't want to deal with plugging in every month.

 

The ability to adjust it to best match your vehicles stock output with the battery requirements. I would recommend the fixed 0.5v model.

 

Where did this end up?

 

I had it hooked up on a manual switch in the tent which worked great. When I went to wire to a remote transmitter it went a little sideways. It took forever to figure out the multipurpose transmitter wiring which had poor instructions, then once I had that done and installed the lights would remote turn on, but I couldn’t shut them back off without manually disconnecting from the power source. Required more troubleshooting. It was the end of the RTT season and after I took the tent off I haven’t troubleshooted it any more. Figured I’ll pick it back up in the spring. I was using 2 transmitters, one above the tent door on the inside for quick access, and one I’d carry on me. The wireless above the tent door switch was far easier to find than fumbling around the sleeping bags on the floor for a wired switch. Really happy with the lighting performance, just need to get the remote control bugs worked out.

 

I've had the 0.5V booster fuse now for a few weeks and have definitely gotten the boost needed. Mostly seeing 14.7 and down to a low of 14.4. My Northstar battery which is a little over a year old, is only showing 12.3 - 12.4 after sitting overnight.

Before the booster was installed, it was in the 12.2-12.3 range. Looking at some charts for AGM batteries it looks like 12.8 is for a fully charged battery and mine appears to be only 75% charged. I thought the booster would get the battery more fully charged but that doesnt seem to be the case. Do you think my battery is doomed to an early death?

 

If you see 14.7 after the booster mod, that would tell me your alternator is operating correctly. Not running the booster causes the battery to charge below required voltage, which leads to sulfation, or build up on the internal battery plates which causes a loss of capacity/voltage and eventually early death. I just checked mine with a voltmeter and I am at 12.85v. Sounds like your battery may have sulfating that the late added booster is having a difficult time resolving. It is supposed to be reversible:
https://www.batterystuff.com/kb/articles/charging-articles/make-the-bad-sulfation-go-away.html

Though you also have a very good warranty on the battery if you choose replacement. There is always a chance the battery is defective.

 

Thanks OP for that reply. I'm learning as I go here, so which of those chargers in the link you provided would you recommend? I also have seen mention of the CTEK chargers in this thread. And am I correct in assuming that 12.8V is optimum for a battery thats been at rest for say 12 hrs or more.

 

Just did the fuse swap I got the fixed rate one worked perfectly.

 

I don’t have a specific charger recommendation. I’ve been meaning to call NorthStar back to get theirs.

12.8v is the ideal resting voltage.

 

FWIW, I've run a CTEK MULTI US 7002 universal charger for years. Very versatile - a fully-automatic 8-step charging curve; desulphation function; low ripple; and dedicated AGM, Supply & Recondition modes, make it suitable for just about any 12V lead-acid battery (e.g., Wet, MF, AGM, GEL and Ca). Designed for safety, it's protected from reverse-polarity connections and is short-circuit proof. Highly recommended.

 

Thanks for replies. Guess I need to do something sooner than later to try to save my battery. So off to register those Amazon gift cards and order that CTEK 7200 you recommended. Been driving around for past year with total peace of mind thinking I have the best battery set up I could have, not realizing until I came upon this thread that I was slowly killing my battery by under charging it.

 

I was thinking the same thing (haven't installed mine yet tho) and then I ran into this thread......damn! Probably going to buy a CTEK as well and hook it up once a month or so.

 

How frequently are you charging the battery with the CTEK?

 

The CTEK is usually connected to my Shelby, but I swap it over to the Tacoma 1-2 times per month, generally over a weekend.

 

Thanks.

 

I’ve noticed that my resting voltage, after about 12 hours, settles out to just under 12.7v. Do you think this is a problem?

 

Nope! You can see mine is about the same after a couple supercharger pump cycle runs while resting as indicated in the chart (minor annoyance of the OEM supercharger). I wouldn’t worry about a 0.1v difference, in scheme of things that is pretty small.

 

Right on. Thanks for your help...again!

 

Im curious what that supercharger pump is..?

 

The factory supercharger uses a water to air intercooler, which uses an electronic pump to cycle the coolant. The pump is tied into an emissions circuit that also runs a purge cycle when the truck is off, so the supercharger pump also runs for short intervals seemingly at random when the truck is off.