whoinow

I will give that a shot. Right now the lower voltage limit seems to be working. Thanks for the help, much appreciated.

Ok, so I lowered the low voltage cutoff of the Orion to 11.7v since it dips down there for a 'bit when starting up but when it is on at full tilt, the voltage at the Orion is steady at ~12.5v, but at the starter battery its still ~14v. So there is some decent voltage drop on the wire from the fuse/relay box to the Orion in the back. I checked the body ground for the input of the Orion and that is nice and tight. I bypassed the relay and no voltage drop difference, so that is not where resistance is coming from. So I guess it is what it is. I might consider replacing it with the 18A version as 60w of heat somewhere on the line (most of it is buried at this point, so hard to tell where exactly) from the front to the back is a little alarming.

I replaced the battery since it was old anyway and cheap enough at Costco, same behavior. I had the alternator tested at autozone and battery/alternator passed as good.

This is a new install and I just started monitoring the Orion. I can measure the resistance at the Orion, but its not just a voltage drop at the Orion (of course the Orion sees it) but the system is dropping as I am measuring at the battery. While the drop in voltage happens, the RPM of the motor also seems to dip, and adding some throttle up to 1-3k RPM doesn't seem to change the voltage either. I will get my alternator tested. The over-night resting voltage of the battery is 12.34v, and this is after driving it all weekend. If I am reading the date sticker on the battery, it looks like 10/2020 and even though its a "84month" Nissan branded battery I don't believe it, specially with the resting voltage. I think I am just going to replace it. Also of note, I 3D printed a fan shroud for the Orion which houses 3x 30mm fans, as I know the Orion will thermal throttle (or even in some cases, fail completely) if not cooled properly. Lastly, the Orion is on a 40A relay (I think, can't find a data sheet for the Hella/Nissan model 25230-9F915), the standard 60A fuse, and the wiring from the rear inverter (removed) so it only has power when the van is running. I know the Orion has voltage sense, but this way the fans are only on when the engine is running as well (they are noisy and in the garage right below the bed).

Yes the engine is running (the Orion is only on when the vehicle is running). The voltage was measured at the starter battery as I mentioned. Victron does show the voltage drop. If it was a voltage drop just at the Orion, I would assume some resistance over the wire from the power source to the Orion (wire size, connector, bad connection, etc), but I am using the positive wire that was for the rear inverter which is 7-8awg. That being said, the voltage drop is at the starter battery, so the whole vehicle voltage is dropping. Does the 5.6L have a smart alternator? I have ready those can drop to 12.5-13.5v (I am not sure of the conditions for this).

My van has ~94k miles and I have a Victron Isolated Orion 12|12 30 and whenever it kicks on to charge, the voltage at the battery starter drops to below 12v and the charger stops. From the reading of this forum, the stock 130A alternator should be sufficient. Is the alternator going bad or what else could it be? Thanks.

I got the button in and the TOW MODE light turns on at least, however I haven't driven with it yet. Should work...

Thanks for this. Feeling around on the seat, I don't feel anything really to attach to (I have the fabric seats).

Hey All. I have been searching for a captains char for the driver side. I removed the center storage for better access to the cargo (living) area and miss my arm rest. I did a search here and haven't found anything, which doesn't bode well. Any insight?

I found the part number for the switch here. I am going to order one and see what happens.

I took the dash apart and I think I found the tow mode button connector, it was just taped to a wire harness. I searched for the connector on google and it appears to be the correct one. This is what I found. I am going to find a button and see if it works. It appears, with all the other options installed, that was never installed from the factory…

I should have mentioned it’s the v8. (I didn’t know the 3500 came in a v6).

So I searched the forums and didn't really find my situation, plus the threads related to this, were so old I didn't want to necro them. I bought a 2013 3500 HD a couple months ago and it has ALL the options that the tow package includes (wiring harness under the dash, class IV hitch, front tow hooks, extending side mirrors, 7pin connector, etc) but, I don't have a Tow Mode button. I haven't taken apart the dash yet to see if there is a harness, which I will do tomorrow. I have the window sticker / build sheet and it includes the full tow package (and the VIN matches the vehicle). I do plan to tow with this van, and I know tow mode isn't required per-se, but I figured it would be useful and really should be there. Thoughts?