XPLOR Hull# 634 - (2) Epoch 300ah batteries and complete Victron System Install

[Trailerjohngo]

I just posted a general discussion question about the electrical in the Oliver Elite II. I’m going to view one tomorrow. I read through a lot of this build and may do something similar. I was wondering about the converter. What exactly was replaced? Does the multiplus sense when shore power is plugged in. I assume the Xantax 2kw was the inverter or? I read something about a converter replacement for lithium upgrade. I’d rather swap in Victron equivalent components or go with the new RV5 bluetti. Still need to do homework on that and figure out if it needs a step down from 48V to 12V. 

[jd1923]

16 hours ago, Trailerjohngo said:

I just posted a general discussion question about the electrical in the Oliver Elite II. I’m going to view one tomorrow. I read through a lot of this build and may do something similar. I was wondering about the converter. What exactly was replaced? Does the multiplus sense when shore power is plugged in. I assume the Xantax 2kw was the inverter or? I read something about a converter replacement for lithium upgrade. I’d rather swap in Victron equivalent components or go with the new RV5 bluetti. Still need to do homework on that and figure out if it needs a step down from 48V to 12V. 

This thread show an excellent inverter/battery upgrade installed by a local service company. If you are going to DIY, I've documented installation posts that show these installations step-by-step.

You asked, "I assume the Xantax 2kw was the inverter or?" Yes, in my case you can see that on page 1. No more Xantrex 2KW inverter (only) with the small PD charger in the power panel (kept it there for back-up). No more lead acid... Now the Victron MP2 and 900 Ah (3x 300) Epoch LiFePO4. You will find mine is a simpler installation. Did not spend on Lynx products and I did not want a cabin screen (we seek battery info 98% of the time outdoors, while towing or from the living room of our home). IMO, Bluetooth apps are all you need, but many like having screens.

When doing so, I also removed all fuses and breakers from under the streetside bed so they can be conveniently accessed under the rear dinette seal.

The best addition that several Oliver owners have added is the DC-to-DC Charger! Every time we tow we add at least 40 Ah for every hour towing. This is about 4x what we get from 320W in rooftop solar. See this for the complete installation. =>

Hope this helps! 😎

Edited February 20 by jd1923

[Patriot]

@Trailerjohngo

Shoot me a private message and I will be more than happy to discuss with you details of my install via phone call or PM. As you will see from my first post,  I opted to have a complete Victron system installed professionally by an excellent company in White House, Tenn. My main reasons for a professional install is all components and install are warrantied by the company doing the work as long as I own my Oliver. The warranty also conveys to the next owner should we ever sell.

My system allows for the company to remote in should I have any issues as long as we have a WiFi signal. We have a SL mini so that’s not an concern. I am not nor claim to be a DYI guy when it comes to this level of electrical work. I also wanted to be able show that Victron system was installed by experts should we ever sell. I opted to have the Victron DC to DC charger installed as well which eliminates having to carry a generator. Shoot me a PM if you I can help with additional questions!  

 

And welcome to the fourm!! 

Edited February 21 by Patriot

[jd1923]

23 hours ago, Patriot said:

I am not nor claim to be a DIY guy when it comes to this level of electrical work. I also wanted to be able show that Victron system was installed by experts should we ever sell.

These are very good reasons. We're all different and we all have choices.

I am the DIY guy in anything automotive, electrical and mechanical systems. For example, I only pay for an alignment after I've replaced every suspension part myself.

I learned solar/inverter system installations on a Bigfoot Class that had none to start. Installed rooftop panels using only VHB tape, drilling only two 1/4" holes for the wires, a dab of Dicor on each. Installed a PD 1800 KW inverter/charger and customized the AC power panel to be a split bus panel (sawed the bus in two, one for A/C and one for inverted circuits)! The graphic below from PD gave me the insight I needed to do so.

"Should we ever sell? No way, never! 🤣 I still have my 1984 Goldwing Standard restored to factory condition. Two Lexus, a 1992 SC400 and '08 GX470 both restored. Call our son Adam lucky, as none of these, especially our Oliver, will ever be sold. They will one day be his, always kept in the family. When you put 100s or in this case 1000s of hours in our now amazing hull #113, she's here to stay, and should in its present condition outlive me!

That hull named XPLOR has had only the best of love and care! Likely the best looking, best outfitted hull out there! My bet is... David will never sell! 😎

[topgun2]

7 hours ago, jd1923 said:

I still have my 1984 Goldwing Standard restored to factory condition.

A number of years ago I stopped in one of the few turn-outs on the Tail of the Dragon to watch bikes coming through the few corners that I could see.  Of course, most of these bikes were sport bikes but the bike that impressed me most (or perhaps I should say the rider that impressed me most) was riding a Goldwing of about your vintage.  He had all kinds of sparks flying off that Goldwing!  Really impressive what that bike can do in the hands of a skillful rider.

Bill

[jd1923]

1 hour ago, topgun2 said:

Goldwing of about your vintage…

Thank you, Bill!

1984 was a landmark year for the Goldwing mark! It was the first year of the 1200, and the last year of what was called in that year alone “the Standard!”

All since have been full-dressers, OEM fairings, saddlebags, etc. Goldwings from the GL1000 first year in 1975 to the GL1100 in 1983 were naked bikes and if you wanted to dress out your ride you would add Vetter accessories.

I had purchased one new back in the day, and after 20 years, it needed work, sold it when we left VA to move west to AZ!

Found this pristine bike with only 6K miles on eBay in 2008! There is not another example like it! 😎l

[jd1923]

14 hours ago, topgun2 said:

Really impressive what that bike can do in the hands of a skillful rider.

The center of gravity of the standard models (75-84) is VERY LOW and nothing else rides as they do. The have a faux tank and the actual fuel tank is between and under your knees. The boxer-style engine also keeps weight low. This "skillful rider" as you wrote had a great machine at his hands.

Summer of 1986, when I purchased mine, my cousin and I drove to NYC for the anniversary celebration for the Statue of Liberty and to visit family. Taxi cabs were on strike, so the streets in Manhattan were empty, an odd site. I rode a 5-borough cruise myself one day. Driving through Brooklyn on a 4-lane 45 MPH road, a women in a Camaro pulled out from a stop sign instantly and she then stopped directly in my path. I stomped on the rear brakes followed by the front HARD and the bike started into a skid! I stopped sideways right at her drivers door, on bike still standing, yelled profanities into her open window, then goosed the throttle and pulled around her in an instant, my heart beating fast! 😎

The years before I rode a Yamaha XS-850 Special. It was a taller bike with it's 3-cylinder engine straight up, fuel tank up above. I realized that if I had not traded up and was still riding the Special, I would have crashed directly into the driver's door of her Camaro. They did handle extremely well. But years later as they added fairings and bags and 100s of LBS they weren't the same. Same thing happened re Harley full dressers. 

[2008RN]

I have another question related to upgrading to Lithium.   My 2020 LEII  came with a Xantrex Freedom XC 2000.  Can the Xantrex Freedom XC 2000 be used with lithium? The 2000 watts has been sufficient for our life style although I would like extra capacity with the batteries that lithium would give.

[dewdev]

@2008RN

I belive the answer is yes.

See the youtube video below on how  to set it up.

 

Edited February 26 by dewdev

[Ronbrink]

19 hours ago, 2008RN said:

Can the Xantrex Freedom XC 2000 be used with lithium?

Yes, only requires a setting change via the Xantrex’s wall-mounted remote screen. Upgraded our 2020 OLEll with two LFPs, totaling 460 AH, and a dedicated transfer switch to enable running the a/c on battery. 

Edited February 27 by Ronbrink

[2008RN]

On 2/26/2026 at 12:15 PM, dewdev said:

@2008RN

I belive the answer is yes.

See the youtube video below on how  to set it up.

Thanks,  I checked out the remote controller, and found the setting thanks.

I also tried the FXC app, I thought that would be cool.  After playing and looking thing up for 1/2 a day, I found out the remote controller the was shipped with the Oli doesn't have the bluetooth function.  Not sure if I will spend the $100 for a new controller to have a cool function.

[Ronbrink]

12 hours ago, 2008RN said:

Thanks,  I checked out the remote controller, and found the setting thanks.

I also tried the FXC app, I thought that would be cool.  After playing and looking thing up for 1/2 a day, I found out the remote controller the was shipped with the Oli doesn't have the bluetooth function.  Not sure if I will spend the $100 for a new controller to have a cool function.

I thought the same and even ordered the BT capable remote only to find out my model Xantrex would not support it and thus, an Amazon return. 

[2008RN]

I am getting close to upgrading to the epoch essentials 300AH.  Planning on 2 batteries.  Seems like they fit the batteries slide the best.

I have a question.  I was reading about when installing multiple lithium batteries they said all should be charged up up completely before the installing.  Meaning each battery is completely full.  I do not have a Lithium stand alone battery charger. So I got to thinking should I buy a separate battery charger for lithium batteries?   Do I go with the Epoch that is only designed for epoch,  or is their other good  lithium charger that would work?  I feel like an infant when dealing with all of the different manufacture specs for chargers.  Epoch charger looks like it would only  fit an epoch battery and nothing else. 

Thanks everyone,

Bob

[jd1923]

12 hours ago, 2008RN said:

they said all should be charged up up completely before the installing

Bob, IMHO this is unnecessary. I assume your Oliver converter (charger) is setup or will be reprogrammed for LiFePO4 batteries with Epoch charging specs. Just install them (they come at 50% SOC), plug in and charge overnight to 100%.

Want a portable charger for all battery types? I got this one 2 years ago and have used it on all our vehicles when needed. Keep in mind, this is only a 10A charger. But more amps means much more money! 🤣

https://www.amazon.com/NOCO-GENPRO10X1-Waterproof-Maintainer-Desulfator/dp/B08G3M697M/

Our Victron Inverter/Charger can charge up to 120A. It can add 20% SOC to a 600 Ah battery bank in one hour! The 10A portable charger will take 12 hours to add the same 20%. 

Edited May 9 by jd1923

[topgun2]

When I purchased my two LiTime lithium batteries I also read about charging to 100% prior to installation.

It just so happened that I "needed" an additional battery charger at the time, so, I purchased one of THESE from Amazon. 

As JD mentions above, I needed to charge the batteries overnight in order to get to the 100% and the charger worked perfectly.  For general battery charging (i.e. regular battery maintenance on the vehicles that are not driven enough) I prefer NOCO battery chargers.  But, they are generally more expensive and charge at lower amps.

Bill

[jd1923]

The NOCO went up quite a bit! Mine was $86 two years ago. The new GENPRO model is now $123. The link I posted above was not working. I edited the post above and copied it here again: 

https://www.amazon.com/NOCO-GENPRO10X1-Waterproof-Maintainer-Desulfator/dp/B08G3M697M/

I also got a couple of these for the tow vehicle (and my Goldwing) to connect the charger without "popping the hood" or on the motorcycle, without removing side covers.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004LWWNLC?ref=fed_asin_title&th=1

On a budget, the one Bill showed should do the trick. On Bill's suggestion, I would go that way, $45 for a 20A charger is much more reasonable.

Edited May 9 by jd1923

[2008RN]

Well I had an interested 19 day trip to Yosemite, Arches, Canyonlands and dinosaur monument National Parks. I had 4 different failures.  I hadn't used my truck in a month before the trip and I have an alarm system in the truck the uses a lot of energy communicating  with  me and the factory and it drew the batteries in the truck way down.  I tried starting the truck a few days before the trip and the batteries were dead.  I recharged the batteries and they  settled down to 12.6 volts after the charge instead of 12.8v.   Just for safety sake I took a 660 Amp jumper battery along, but never had a problem again with the truck batteries the whole trip.

Now the AGM batteries in the Oli are just over 6 years old.  I haven't had any problems with them, in fact last  year we are out for more than 60 day total boon docking on them over half the time and they did great.  This trip out they failed  the first night at 3AM with an alarm going off after using 34 Amp/hours. I was down to 10.4 volts from a full charge..  I was using a CPAP and the furnace was on set at 57 degrees.  I isolated and checked all 4 batteries.  Their volts were within  0.1 volts total so it wasn't one battery taking them all down, they are all just tired.  I was planning the Epoch upgrade next year, but Oli forced my hand.   

Luckily I packed the jumper battery  and hooked it into the system at night and recharged during the day. We went down to 11.9 volts in the morning heating the olive oil back up to 65 degree to take the chill off.  No more alarms going off.  I figured that the jumper was 5 years old and was the price of a good lead acid battery. So if I fried the jumper on the trip it was not a big loss.  The jumper battery is still running good and holding a charge.

Here is the jumper batter hooked into the system.

That took care of the first failure.  I had been using the  heated truck mirror at Yosemite.   The last day at Yosemite they blew a fuse and I didn't realize it until we were a 200 miles away from the park and my auxiliary diesel tank pump wouldn't work (same fuse).  We got to our  destination  with a 1/8 in the main tank. I shotgunned the problem after blowing a couple of fuses and found it was the mirror heaters.  I disconnect the heaters from the circuit and then we  could pump fuel from the auxiliary tank. I will find the short this winter when I have the time to disassemble the dash and doors to trace it down.  That night we pulled in and my wife tells me the Fridge would not work on gas.  O' no what next.  It was late that night and we had hook ups that night, so I waited until morning.  When I looked  in the compartment everything was very dusty.  So I start by physically cleaning out the lower compartment. with a windex and paper towels.  After everything  dried, I reset all the spade connector in the compartment.  Next I  took the shield off around the burner and wipe off around the burner and then used canned air to blow out the burner from the air intake holes then the outside of the burner and the rest of the compartment.  I tested it out and the first 2 clicks I heard the 2 relays into the electric box click, then the gas solenoid click the  flame started on the first click of the ignitor.  Nice full blue flame and no flickering or yellw/orange colors. Wow was I happy!

OK 3 failures, I'm done now for the trip. Right!  Well not quite I had one more minor failure; I bought these white/Blue LED lights for the interior lighting, and one failed the next to the last day of the trip.  It stayed on with the blue light.  The only way to turn it off was turn off the main switch controlling all the lights.

I am now planning a couple  weeks of maintenance and upgrades to the trailer and truck.  Planning on attacking the Colorado Rockies this summer during the hottest time of the year with lots of long hard climbs and some boon docking .  I ordered battery wire and lugs to make cables and  i'm going to order Epochs on Monday.  I will do a fan upgrade to the fridge, repack axle bearing and check brakes, again. We still have the original brakes with 23K miles on the Oli , just want to make sure every thing is working correctly and checking wear on drums and shoes. Will also fix a few small items on the Oliver.  I also have regular maintenance on  the truck and  the  boost is down little on the turbo, and oil temp is up little.  So I am taking the truck in to get the turbo boots checked for leaks  and the oil heat exchanger replaced on the old Ford 7.3 engine.  

I know all of this info does really belong in this thread, but I did want to start a new thread about thing that happen.  This is the first real major failures since I bought the Oli besides the window tracks  overflowing with water.

 

 

 

 

[topgun2]

45 minutes ago, 2008RN said:

Next I  took the shield off around the burner and wipe off around the burner and then used canned air to blow out the burner from the air intake holes then the outside of the burner and the rest of the compartment.  

Never leave home without that can of compressed air if you have anything that has a burner and igniter in the Ollie.  

Shame that you had so many "issues" but love the way you attacked each "issue" in order to get/keep things working.

Not so bad on those AGM's - they really didn't owe you a lot.  You're going to love the Lithiums and the extra power.

Bill 

[Mike and Carol]

Congratulations on overcoming all those issues and continuing with your trip.  You’re going to like the Epoch batteries.  Enjoy the Rockies, there’s so much to see and do!  Mike