Delica Canada | Mitsubishi Van Club

I recently replaced my old and tired dual Panasonic Japanese issue batteries with a single new Odyssey 34/78 PC1500 from Polar Battery on Boundary Rd in Burnaby. It's a high quality glass mat battery that performs excellently for both cranking and deep cycle use. I chose the one with both top and side posts to accommodate accessories.

I also added an Anderson genderless connector and heavy duty 12V socket on the vertical riser behind the passenger seat similar to what Tardis Jay has done with several Delis to date. I used a hole saws to mount them easilly and I'm willing to lend the pricey little saw units to anyone else who wants to do this mod. I can now do jump starts and add a fused inverter feed from this connector. It isn't fused so it needs the cover on at all times to stop anything metallic from falling into it.

Step by step followed by photos:
1 Assemble materials and tools
2 Remove carpet from behind passenger seat
3 Open engine cover to highest position
4 Don safety glasses, gloves, old clothes (NEVER short battery terminals OR POS to metal on Deli when NEG lead is connected to Deli)
5 Disconnect hose and remove coolant overflow reservoir
6 FIRST, carefully disconnect and clear BOTH NEG terminal connectors (this order is very important for safety)
7 Then SECOND, carefully disconnect and clear both POS terminal connectors
8 Remove dual battery hold-down bracket
9 Carefully remove both batteries and store out of the way, don't spill any acid
10 Assess battery tray and replace if necessary (I kept mine) or cleanup and paint as Falco did
11 Remove any accessories (alarm and C-Tek charger lead in my case)
12 Drill holes for 12V socket and leads for Anderson connector (use rubber grommet if possible, I used split loom, to avoid chafing)
13 Replace carpet and install 12V socket and Anderson connector
14 Cut leads for correct length and add connectors
15 Decide on Odyssey orientation (I chose back left corner of tray for ease of access to top and side battery posts) and place battery
16 Secure battery with clamps bolted to tray at front and side (Crappy Tire $6.99 ones fit perfect in existing holes in tray, need longer bolts)
17 Connect accessories (alarm, C-Tek charger, heavy duty 12V socket, changing connectors as required) to bus bars and side post terminal assemblies
18 Wire brush and clean battery posts and terminals (I used new ones for better fit than those on old batteries
19 Connect and postion all existing leads plus Anderson lead to respective battery top terminal connectors, very tight on POS top terminal
20 Tape up second (now spare) connection on Delica NEG battery lead
21 FIRST, connect POS top terminal connector with attachments to Odyssey POS top post (with anti-corrosion pad from Crappy Tire) and tighten
22 Then SECOND, connect POS side terminal connector with attachments (with anti-corrosion pad) to Odyssey POS side socket and tighten
23 Then THIRD, connect NEG top terminal connector with attachements (with anti-corrosion pad) to Odyssey NEG top post and tighten
24 Then FOURTH, connect NEG side terminal connector with attachments (with anti-corrosion pad) to Odyssey NEG side socket and tighten
25 Reconnect battery hold-down bracket (may need new j-bolt with more thread from Crappy Tire)
26 Coat exposed metal on all terminals with petroleum jelly
27 Cover all wiring pairs with split loom for protection and neatness
28 Check tightness of all connections and clamps, check leads for possible chafing
29 Test start Delica and check new connectors with volt meter or 12V tools, test accessories (alarm, C-Tek charger lead in my case)
30 Re-install coolant overflow reservoir and re-connect hose
31 Close engine cover
32 Go for a drive to Polar Battery to drop off old batteries for recycling














The black box on top of the old batteries and on the right front of the tray is my alarm siren.

Wire sizes used were #8 AWG for 12V socket and 1/0 AWG for Anderson connector.

Two Odyssey's will fit side by side on the existing tray (expensive and unnecessary) or one Odyssey and one old battery but they would need to be well isolated to avoid the old battery prematurely aging or destroying the Odyssey.

Sorry for all the detail, but this assumes an electrical novice and safety is of prime consideration. Battery disconnect and connection steps are critical to avoid potential injury or battery explosion. NEVER short out POS to NEG battery terminals or POS to metal on the vehicle when NEG battery lead is connected.

Hope this all helps someone else.

Good write-up and great pictures. Do you know if the Anderson connectors come in a rear entry model?

lrp, not sure what you mean by rear entry. The metal lugs either crimp or solder onto the conductor. QuickCable has some pre-soldered lugs for easy make-up.

Here is the Anderson site. http://www.andersonpower.com/products/multipole-sb.html

There are many knock-offs. All are a little pricey. Quick Cable has a good selection. Princess Auto has a few and Lordco has a few more to choose from.

Quick Cable (page 19 of Commercial Catalog) http://www.quickcable.com/catalog.php - available at North Shore Auto Parts in less than a day's notice.

danfromvan wrote:Two Odyssey's will fit side by side on the existing tray

Thanks for the great write-up! Do you know what maximum size of batteries would fit next to to each other in the compartment?

Hi fexlboi, two Odysseys without the side terminals are about the max you would get in there.

My Odyssey has both top and side terminals and is 10.85" L x 6.99" W x 7.82" H. The 34R-PC-1500 (same battery) with only top terminals is same dimensions except for 6.76"W, so two of those would be less tight. Side terminals would be pretty much unusable with duals, even if they might fit physically.

The replacement dual Interstate 'mt 24's that I know have been used in some rides are spec'd at 10.25"L x 6.88"W x 8.75"H and they fit OK. Of course, everything is very tight with duals and the extra battery height, especially all the connections to the POS terminals like alternator, fuse box and (I think) glow plug bus plus any accessories.

Thanks Dan! Just thinking about where to put a second leisure deep cycle battery. Right know I have it in the trunk, but would prefer to hide it somewhere else.

Just a note about the quick connects you used. I used the same ones for the power and ground wires which supply my Amp and sub. My Amp is mounted onto my sub-box so I can easily remove them when I need the extra space for camping etc. The wires then are tucked into the convenient space compartment on the opposite side of the jack in the rear.

Although the leads are crimped onto the provided electrodes I pre-saudered the wire ends before inserting them to be crimped, not sure that is necesary but I thought it a good idea at the time.

Thanks for the Web sites Dan. I looked for a rear entry and I don't think they exist in this in this type of connector. I was looking for something similar to the low current receptacle adjacent to your Anderson plug to hide the wiring. Found out lots of other stuff though!!

Larry

fexlboi wrote:

danfromvan wrote:Two Odyssey's will fit side by side on the existing tray

Thanks for the great write-up! Do you know what maximum size of batteries would fit next to to each other in the compartment?

That photo above of the batteries compared in size is great.

http://www.odysseybattery.com/documents ... 3_1009.pdf
The 34/78 PC1500's are 10.85" x 6.76" x 7.82" (or, for you Felix, 276mm x 172mm x 199mm). That's an 880 CCA battery (1500 pulse).

You could get any of these and it would surely fit:
75/86-PC1230
25-PC1400
34-PC1500 (same as 34/78, minus the side terminals)

The 35-'s are wider (might fit?) and taller (not good in this tiny space). Every other model in this class is quite a bit bigger.

Note: Looks like the 34/78 is such a common choice that it might actually be cheaper in Canada than the 34.

A Odyssey 35-PC1400 fits well beside a second auxiliary battery. http://dinoevo.de/2010/06/dual-battery-system/

p.s. Thanks for the conversion Rich

fexlboi wrote:A Odyssey 35-PC1400 fits well beside a second auxiliary battery. http://dinoevo.de/2010/06/dual-battery-system/

p.s. Thanks for the conversion Rich

Great. So the verdict is that the entire Odyssey line through the 1500's fits.