Delica Canada | Mitsubishi Van Club | Dual to Single Battery Replacement

One of the dual batteries in my L300 Jasper is almost dead (and the other isn't far behind). Alternator and starter both tested fine. I have to charge every night in order to start in the morning.

I researched all the battery topics on this forum and went out and bought a single Odyssey 34/78 PC1500 with top and side terminals. The price at Polar Battery on Boundary Rd has gone up since jfarsang bought his ($294 now vs $210 then, before taxes). This is an amazing battery with lots of CCAs as well as deep cycle capabilities in one box.

I haven't found a step-by-step installation for dual to single replacement on this site. Can anyone shed some light on this (pics would be nice)? Will the existing hold-down bracket work on the Oddysey, assuming my tray isn't rusted out and I don't have to put in a new plastic one like delicat did? I want to keep the Odyssey as close as possible to one side so I can use the 2nd battery space on the tray for other things.

What about all the existing connections at the postive terminal? Can I simply move the existing post connectors to the new posts (removing the tie straps between the 2 existing batteries of course), or are there complications? I obviously haven't removed the existing stuff yet but want to plan ahead so I don't have to make too many extra trips for connectors, missing parts, etc. I'm hoping to use the extra side terminals on the Odyssey for other accessories like alarm, charger, inverter, etc. I may even mount separate distribution blocks like delicat did to keep the terminals cleaner. I'll also be mounting fuse holders for the inverter and skookum 12volt socket, hopefully where I can easilly get at them by simply lifting the engine cover.

The Odyssey does say "Not recommended for inverted use". Will that be an issue for occasional inverter use while camping?

Thanks in advance for any advice or insights,

You'll be happy with the Odyssey.

Take both batteries out. Take all the positive connections and put them together. Kind of like a mini-jigsaw puzzle but they will line up. The negative I just looped one over the other.

Install the new battery. Connect the pos/neg and that's it.

It's easy and straightforward. The Delica's are a 12V system and the dual battery system is not a system. It's just two plain batteries connected in parallel for higher ah's.

You may have to alter the bracket. David (delicat) and I had to. Jay (tardisdeli) did mine and he used a generic marine $10 single battery tray. You can find them at auto parts stores.

what no pics!!?? j/k

i look forward to doing this when my batteries pack it in.
i would still like to slip a smaller isolated house battery in the remaining space that's left. i just hate the idea of having to use up valuable space in the back for a house battery. i doubt it'd be possible, but i can dream.

The Odyssey does say "Not recommended for inverted use". Will that be an issue for occasional inverter use while camping?

I would guess that means that they recommend that the battery be installed/used right side up. I don't think it has anything to do with inverter use.

Rod

are the batteries in the L300 linked together the same as the batteries in the L400? if so then just remove the terminals you don't need. you can take a single battery out of the L400 dual set up and it will run fine if the battery has a large enough cca to start it.

They are the same. Both 12V. Single battery configuration with an optional 2nd battery hooked up in parallel.

Thanks for the input and to tardisdeli Jay as well who I talked with on the phone.

The Odyssey can be mounted anyway but upside down. Of course, I guess I was thinking Engrish when I saw 'inverted' and thought it referred to 'inverter'.

Looks like I may have to get a new tray and hold-down bracket for this battery to fit it properly, easy enough to do.

I'll post pics after I get around to doing the replacement and also measure to see if two Odysseys are possible side by side on the existing tray.

Cheers,

This theory won't work for the OP.

L300 dual system uses 2X medium sized batteries installed "back to front".... as opposed to 1X Single Larger battery that installs "left to right" (hope this illustration makes sense). This is the stock set-up.

Like the other guy said... it will take some effort. Make sure to disconnect EVERYTHING in the battery compartment before you attempt to slide the dual batteries out. There is a mess of wiring under there. Do not try to bend 15+ year old cables. They may look OK afterwards but may be damaged or cut internally. I would also suggest changing the battery terminals as they are inexpensive (under $10) and can make a huge difference. One thing that Jesse didn't mention was the battery hold-down. The 2 versions are slightly different.

what size batteries are in the L300? the L400 dual system uses two 80/85 batteries side by side and can be replaced by one 115 long ways.

Though we use a different sizing system in Canada, that sounds about right for the L300 also.

When I got new batteries for Gumdrop I popped the engine hatch, pointed, and told the guy at Polar Battery "I need two of these, please!" They know Delicas and had just what I needed.

Getting the old ones out and the new ones in was a bit of a fiddle (and you need a strong back), but no problem if you take your time and work logically. I did maintenance on the new batteries when I got them home before I installed them, top up the electrolyte (they needed it) and charge them up (ditto).

...laura

In my L300 when replacing the batteries I measured the physical size of the batteries (and how much extra room there was in any direction (hint, not much!)), and took note of which end the positive vs negative terminals were on, then went in to walmart with a tape measure. I bought the highest capacity batteries I could find that fit in the same physical spot, worked really well for me, and didn't cost all that much either, each battery was rated at 1000 Cranking Amps (800 Cold Cranking Amps) for a total of 2000 Cranking Amps (1600 Cold Cranking Amps) and cost under $100 each.
never had any electrical issues since.

If you wanted to mod it to have a "starting" and a "leisure" battery, there is lots of room to do it, just involves some creative re-wiring to get the wires to fit right, but as long as the batteries are of a similar physical size, the hold downs and trays will work very well to hold the 2 new batteries.

Do you know a place locally (Canada) thats sells the odd shaped positive terminals that are used on the dual battery setup? Easy to find the negatives.