Please let me know if I'm posting in the wrong place. I have three questions related to a few upcoming projects.

1.
How many amps does the stock alternator put out? I want to use a battery isolator and add a second battery for my accessories when the car is not running and to protect the starting battery.

2.
How difficult is it to remove the front passenger seat? Besides the four bolts, what hassles will I have to deal with when unplugging the seat belt and airbag sensors in the seat? I want to be able to camp out in the Fit for extended periods of time, without having to worry about my airbag and seat belt lights bugging me for months on end.

3.
With the new key less entry...What happens if I'm inside the car and the car isn't running. What happens if someone outside the car tries to open a door? Will that person be able to get in or can I override the locks when I'm inside the car?

 

Will take #2.

Aside from the 4 bolts/seat, there is a harness you have to remove. That's not difficult.

Have to exercise care if you don't want the main factory ziptie/clip combo ruined (gray colored).

The driver's side seat belt is completely connected to the car while the driver's side is connected to the seat. Remove a panel covering the seat bolt and your done.

Both doors will come out of their respective doors easily.

Good luck on your upcoming project. Post developements and pics.

 

I'm not going to do anything with the drivers side. I just want to pull out the right passenger seat. Hopefully this won't disable ALL the airbags. Hopefully I won't hear or see airbag/seatbelt warnings the entire time the seat is out.


CAUTION: When working with anything electrical, its prudent to unhook the negative terminal of the battery. Even if the airbags get disabled (depends how long it had no power), its easy enough to reboot. You'll know cause the airbag light will continually stay on. Don't risk the airbags deploying. It won't be covered under warranty and that is "pricey" to replace. - rttby

 

Yeah, when my bags deployed in the 2007 model (sorry, forgot letter designation), they said they had to replace the whole system to the tune of about $4300.



Comment: "(sorry, forgot letter designation)" - 2007 is GD. - rttby

 

Would you be willing to post pics of the car once you have it all set up? I would also like to camp for extended periods of time and I'm curious what your set up will be! Second batter sounds like an awesome idea.

For number 3, no, if the remote is in the car, touching the outside doesn't do anything. So if you are in the car with the key and it's not running, say sleeping in there, nobody from the outside can just unlock the car. The sensors know whether the key is inside or outside.

Keep in mind, the street goes both ways. If the remote is in the car, pushing the exterior lock buttons will not lock the doors, so you can't lock the key in there from the outside. HOWEVER, if you push the interior lock button and close the door with the key in the car, you are SOL; touching the door handle will not unlock the car when the remote is inside.

All of this is in the manual, but I couldn't find it just now when I skimmed through. Give it a read, or just take my word for it Welcome to the GK!!

 

I'm curious what these "accessories" are that would be powered off the second battery. Thanks.

 

The main accessories would be my laptop (<3 amps) and a 12 volt fan (.2 amps).

I will take pictures.

I hope the airbags don't pop out at me. I will defiantly disconnect the negative on the battery before I remove the seat.

How much hassle will I have when I reconnect the negative? I don't mind if I have to reset the clock and radio, but will all my other settings remain?....trip and gas mpg?

The battery isolator that I'm using to charge both batteries: Battery Isolator Series - Wirthco Engineering, Inc.
Diagram: http://www.wirthco.com/documents/200...diagram150.jpg

 

Look at it this way it's gonna be hellva alot cheaper than replacing the airbags and wiring at $4k

So yeah I wouldn't worry about the hassle. lol

 

ah, another question. How much amperage does the stock 2015 alternator put out?

 

I've not seen a graph for the alternator output vs speed. However, I've read somewhere, and I can't remember where, it's ECU controlled and can be as much as 95 amps when the A/C clutch is engaged.

 

Yeah, I wasn't sure. I figured since the batteries in these cars were about the same size of a golf cart battery, the amp requirement would be low.

 

So is the plan something like driving X hours a day, heating water for something like Mountain House food for dinner, and working Y hours or so on the notebook in the evening?

edit to add: we've used a pair of these Hella Turbo Fans in every sailboat we've owned--one above each berth. The draw mere milliamps and are very effective on hot nights. Not sure you'd wanna put one of these on your Fit, but they keep the cabin filled with fresh air 24 x 7 and have their own battery.

 

Im pretty sure the alternator is 90 amps. The issue is its not 90 amps continuous. The windings will overheat. Im pretty sure its about 55-60amps at 100% duty cycle. The full 90 amps is less than 50% duty cycle. Be aware that a 2nd battery will wear out your alternator faster.

 

Camping out ?.......like this ?.......Napier Sportz Dome to Go Tent, Car Tents, Hatchback Tents

 

Nice!! Would have to install a switch for the cargo light tho or did somebody say it automatically goes off like 10 minutes if the hatch isn't closed?

 

OK, forgive me, as I am terribly ignorant in all things Fit, and new to the forum. I remember being told you can lay the front seat flat somehow to be able to sleep? Yet, you want to remove the front seat entirely... it sounds like because of airbag and seatbelt lights? What exactly happens with those if you are sleeping in the car? I love the idea of going on a roadtrip with my Fit and camping in it, so I am here to learn





Here's a link: When I got delivery of my Fit, they wanted me outta there so fast, the salesman assigned to do the turnover did it in 5 minutes. Didn't mind cause I knew more than he did. So here's what they missed for you. Seating variations for your Fit. Sleeping is REFRESH MODE. - rttby

2015 Honda Fit - Seating Modes - Official Site

Enjoy your new Fit and congrats - post pics and welcome to FF - rttby

 

The seats don't fold good enough for me. I have a mattress that will use the full length of the passenger side and right cargo area.

The battery will be primarily used for my laptop and my 12v, <.25 ah, fan that will sit in the sunroof for exhaust. Maybe some phone charging also.

Fan: 3.6 watts, 12v, 200mm, 700RPM, 110 CFM, 19 dBA. I only paid $12.

Cooler Master 200mm Case Fan - 700RPM, Red LED (OEM) - RA-FAN-20030-4P at TigerDirect.com

As long as I keep the primary starting battery charged and the secondary battery behind my smart isolator, I hope that the stock alternator will keep its cool. "Priority charging for starting battery". I need to contact the wirthco.com company to see the details on the isolator. Does the isolator charge the second battery only after the primary battery is charged? Thus the altinator will really only have one battery to keep up with?

Battery Isolator Series - Wirthco Engineering, Inc.

 

No, most isolators are a high amp SPST time delayed relayed that is energized to connect each battery in parallel. You cannot use the remote battery while the ignition is off. It will sense the voltage drop of the lower battery and compensate to boost back to ~14VDC. The Fit cannot charge each battery separately, to do so would severely damage the starting battery if multiple car accessories are running. It is not meant to be deep discharged. All accessories run off the alternator when engine is running. Battery is for short reserve power and starting the car.


Honestly your power needs are small, I highly doubt you will need that much charging power that the alternator will be fine. The battery isolator you could probably forgo and just remote locate a bigger battery somewhere connecting both bats in parallel, and size the wires and fuses accordingly. Even a battery disconnect will work well. It will keep the starter battery from dying, you can use the remote battery as extra reserve power with the ACC on and engine off.


The better way for the setup you need is to run dual alternators. The 2nd alternator is separate from the load demand regulator of the Fit. Trouble is where to fit a sizable alternator on the engine?

 

The second battery will be a 100AH deep cycle battery. I'm going to try to stay above 75% charge on the deep cycle. I'm just trying to do what is safest for the starting battery and alternator. I guess my three options are putting an isolator between both batteries, putting a isolator and a cutoff switch between the two batteries (to guarantee no flow-back into the starter battery), or to just put a cutoff switch between the batteries and manually monitoring both batteries with a volt meter...then cutting off the starter battery when the deep cycle is charged, or when the ignition is off.

Here is a rough drawing of my basic system: