morphious
New member
Electrical Upgrade and Rebuild Complete (12/110volt)
Background: Had a dual battery and inverter system that was not isolated and lack of 12volt outlets throughout the vehicle and inverter only accessible through the glove box.
Goal: Isolate batteries, add 12volt and 110volt outlets throughout vehicle, use inverter without having to leave glove box open, separate all outlets from vehicle’s main battery, maintain as much as the factory interior appearance, clean up previously installed electrical wiring, and monitor battery levels of both batteries.
This build/rebuild was inspired by the passing of the original Panasonic battery, so it was time to replace and create a system that I could run electronic goodies while camping. All this while not having to worry about the truck not staring in the morning because something got left on like that has happened in the past. Lots and lots of time and research for what would work for me went into this so I thought I would share for all that maybe interested in some of these mods.
I first started by getting 2 Duralast batteries to replace to 2 old ones, 1 a Gold starter and 1 a Marine deep cycle. I went with these as they have good numbers, good price, good warranty, and there is pretty much an Autozone anywhere you go if replacement is required and that I have ran these batteries in the past with no problems.
After replacing the batteries, I installed an isolator so I could keep both batteries maintained properly while running my electronics without fear of a dead vehicle.
To help with this, I also decided that I would move all my power from main battery to aux battery and add outlets so that while on the road there is no longer a need to fight for who needs to charge what more. I also wanted to have the ability to charge or use whatever I wanted at each location so I added 110volt outlets at each 12volt outlet location. 2 big key areas for me and most of us is that there is only 1 outlet in the front center console and none for the backseat passengers. There is the “Smokers Kit” which is a great upgrade to add an extra outlet, but for me I didn’t care about using the factory wiring as I made all new wiring harnesses and I like the look of the console with the door closed when the stock 12volt outlet is not in use. I found a small self-contained dual outlet unit that fit perfectly in the small storage compartment in the console that I never use, and by adding this I was still keeping the factory outlet thus giving me a total of 3 12volt outlets in the front center console area. I did not install any USB outlets as I wanted as many options as possible but I plan on buying a few of the USB adapters to plug into some of the outlets. Of course I wanted 110volt as well, so I decided the best place to install an outlet was in the location that is normally reserved for the heated seat switches. 110 is not used as much so for now I only installed 1 outlet, but if the need arises installing 1 on the passenger’s side would be a snap. While at all this I wanted a way to monitor my battery levels anytime I wanted so I installed a couple of LED voltage meters and a switch which is linked to each battery. ( I did a small post on this here: http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/197217-mod-teaser.html )
To address the lack of power for the rear passenger area I wanted to install 2 outlets in the rear of the center console, but as we all know, air ducts are in the way so it took me a while to figure this out. I found a post by Asmara (thanks for giving me the inspiration) http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/132027-rear-seat-usb-install.html and started from there. I pretty much did what is posted in the link, the only things different was I made 2 holes and I sleeved each hole to make like a pocket so the air would go around the holes and not through them.
The final area that I wanted 110 was in the rear cargo area, and since there was already 12volt power there, it only made sense that the outlet be located next to the existing one.
To power the 110 outlets I am using a 400 watt inverter which is mounted in the glove box. I have had this here for a while, but now I have rewired it so I no longer need to access it in order to use. I wired a switch to the panel on the left side of the steering wheel (the one that isn’t labeled yet) and placed the on/off led in a hole that I drilled in the past to install my Sat Radio but never used.
For protection I added 2 fuse blocks to my system, 1 up front and the 2nd in the rear. Both are hidden behind panels and are not visible with the front one being behind the passenger floor kick panel. The rear one took me a while to find a location that would fit and I could access easily without having to remove the whole rear cargo panel if adding a new circuit or replacing fuses. Since I don’t have Nav or a Sub I have the storage boxes over each rear wheel well which ended up being the perfect location to install the rear fuse block. I removed the 2 screws that attach from the bottom of the box to the cargo panel so all I need to do for access is simply remove the 1 screw on the inside and pop out the box.
All that is left is some labeling of the new circuits and the switch and I should be done.
Background: Had a dual battery and inverter system that was not isolated and lack of 12volt outlets throughout the vehicle and inverter only accessible through the glove box.
Goal: Isolate batteries, add 12volt and 110volt outlets throughout vehicle, use inverter without having to leave glove box open, separate all outlets from vehicle’s main battery, maintain as much as the factory interior appearance, clean up previously installed electrical wiring, and monitor battery levels of both batteries.
This build/rebuild was inspired by the passing of the original Panasonic battery, so it was time to replace and create a system that I could run electronic goodies while camping. All this while not having to worry about the truck not staring in the morning because something got left on like that has happened in the past. Lots and lots of time and research for what would work for me went into this so I thought I would share for all that maybe interested in some of these mods.
I first started by getting 2 Duralast batteries to replace to 2 old ones, 1 a Gold starter and 1 a Marine deep cycle. I went with these as they have good numbers, good price, good warranty, and there is pretty much an Autozone anywhere you go if replacement is required and that I have ran these batteries in the past with no problems.
After replacing the batteries, I installed an isolator so I could keep both batteries maintained properly while running my electronics without fear of a dead vehicle.
To help with this, I also decided that I would move all my power from main battery to aux battery and add outlets so that while on the road there is no longer a need to fight for who needs to charge what more. I also wanted to have the ability to charge or use whatever I wanted at each location so I added 110volt outlets at each 12volt outlet location. 2 big key areas for me and most of us is that there is only 1 outlet in the front center console and none for the backseat passengers. There is the “Smokers Kit” which is a great upgrade to add an extra outlet, but for me I didn’t care about using the factory wiring as I made all new wiring harnesses and I like the look of the console with the door closed when the stock 12volt outlet is not in use. I found a small self-contained dual outlet unit that fit perfectly in the small storage compartment in the console that I never use, and by adding this I was still keeping the factory outlet thus giving me a total of 3 12volt outlets in the front center console area. I did not install any USB outlets as I wanted as many options as possible but I plan on buying a few of the USB adapters to plug into some of the outlets. Of course I wanted 110volt as well, so I decided the best place to install an outlet was in the location that is normally reserved for the heated seat switches. 110 is not used as much so for now I only installed 1 outlet, but if the need arises installing 1 on the passenger’s side would be a snap. While at all this I wanted a way to monitor my battery levels anytime I wanted so I installed a couple of LED voltage meters and a switch which is linked to each battery. ( I did a small post on this here: http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/197217-mod-teaser.html )
To address the lack of power for the rear passenger area I wanted to install 2 outlets in the rear of the center console, but as we all know, air ducts are in the way so it took me a while to figure this out. I found a post by Asmara (thanks for giving me the inspiration) http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/132027-rear-seat-usb-install.html and started from there. I pretty much did what is posted in the link, the only things different was I made 2 holes and I sleeved each hole to make like a pocket so the air would go around the holes and not through them.
The final area that I wanted 110 was in the rear cargo area, and since there was already 12volt power there, it only made sense that the outlet be located next to the existing one.
To power the 110 outlets I am using a 400 watt inverter which is mounted in the glove box. I have had this here for a while, but now I have rewired it so I no longer need to access it in order to use. I wired a switch to the panel on the left side of the steering wheel (the one that isn’t labeled yet) and placed the on/off led in a hole that I drilled in the past to install my Sat Radio but never used.
For protection I added 2 fuse blocks to my system, 1 up front and the 2nd in the rear. Both are hidden behind panels and are not visible with the front one being behind the passenger floor kick panel. The rear one took me a while to find a location that would fit and I could access easily without having to remove the whole rear cargo panel if adding a new circuit or replacing fuses. Since I don’t have Nav or a Sub I have the storage boxes over each rear wheel well which ended up being the perfect location to install the rear fuse block. I removed the 2 screws that attach from the bottom of the box to the cargo panel so all I need to do for access is simply remove the 1 screw on the inside and pop out the box.
All that is left is some labeling of the new circuits and the switch and I should be done.
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