Is there a voltage booster option for the Gen 1

Hello
I am thinking of getting an AGM battery in my 97 Taco. I would like to boost the voltage to be able to fully charge the battery. Does anyone know a way how to do this??

 

Test your alternator, you may not need it. I didn’t on my 2003 TRD Offroad as my alternator put out voltage within spec that the AGM required.

 

My alternator is putting out between 13.9-14.1 volts. I think 14.5 is optimal for AGM.

 

Not so sure pushing voltage on the rest of the truck would be a good thing....
but here is a link I found about the topic.

 

That thread was from back in 2016. Im wondering if it's become a more common upgrade for 2nd and 3rd gen Taco's. Not finding anyone reporting issues, at least not that I can find. Here is a thread. https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-northstar-agm-battery-voltage-booster-upgrade.604478/

 

I run AGM batteries on my 98 4Runner and 2000 Tacoma no problems with charging

It was not till the 2nd generation trucks the smart alternators were used.

 

My '95 has an X2Power AGM since Dec 2019.
Gets driven once a week for errands in town.
Never been hooked to a maintainer but she lives in climate controlled garage 65F, currently.

Drove her yesterday with about five stops. It was around 35-40F ambient.


It's a little low, but my NOCO 5 went right to green when I plugged it in.

Group 35. Totally stock truck.

 

My truck lives outside sadly never a problem starting though it seldom gets cold here in Eastern Pa

Very few stretches below zero for days on end .

I never checked the battery voltage before starting

 

I have a big X2Power AGM in my utility-class tractor that lives under an overhang. Checked it early last winter and it was reading 13.0v. I'm south of you, and our weather is totally random, but never deep cold for extended periods.
I do connect to a maintainer Dec-Feb, but that's a pretty big diesel.

 

Thanks for the replies. I've been using a yellow top the past 4 years to help run the lights in my camper shell. Obviously it would be best to be able to charge it up to 100% but yes it still is functional without a voltage booster. After 4 years my yellow top is down on capacity and its time for a new battery. This season I am upgrading my igloo cooler to a low wattage electric cooler. To go with the added electric demand I am upgrading the battery to the Northstar group 27, and adding a portable 100 watt solar panel to keep the battery topped off. I already have an auto cut off switch for the battery (Priority start promax) that cuts the battery under 11.8v. If anyone is wondering im way to lazy to add a house battery lol.

 

Thanks for that pic! I was wondering if the Northstar 27 was a drop in fit.

 

running optima and odyssey AGM in 2 separate trucks with stock alts and have had zero issues. batteries in one are 4 years old and still going

 

Yea I know. But you are not getting 100% out of the battery.

 

I mean, on paper, yeah?

still starts my truck below zero and runs the winch without flinching

 

How long had it been sitting when it read 13.0v? I've never had any battery sit static at 13.0v for more than a few seconds. The Odyssey batts in my diesel truck drop below 12.6v within a minute of shut down. I can definitely tell that the AGM in my Tacoma is under charged. It only gets driven occasionally and for short distances. Max charge output shows about 14.2v, not enough to keep the AGM charged up.

 

but for my set up I am looking for 100% battery capacity for running my camper lights and fridge.

 

@Jermzfree I incorrectly labelled that picture of my 1G Taco battery as a Group 27... it's a Group 35. Apologies. I have corrected the original post.

 

I don't recall how long the tractor had been sitting.

But I did go back through storage and found that I completely neglected to hook my FJ60 up to its maintainer when it was put away over Thanksgiving weekend.

So seven weeks later, this is what I got. Obviously zero drain in that old rig. Again, stored inside climate control building. Group 27
X2Power AGm, purchased in Dec-2019.

 

https://www.hkbelect.com/product/474-mk3-mini-blade-75a-electronic-fuse-version-2002/

this voltage booster is what I've been using with the 24F X2Power battery since 2018, highest output I see is 14.7 and lowest about 14.2. So pretty much a solid 0.5v boost from factory alternator output.

 

As long as you have a alt-s fuse location in your fuse box in the engine bay, it should work. All the voltage booster is is a diode to put a extra load on the circuit to fool the voltage regulator. @TnShooter or @crashnburn80 can give you more insight on that and correct me if i'm wrong. All the credit on the voltage boost mod goes to @crashnburn80 he did a amazing write up on it. You'll easily find it in the 2nd gen fourms.