Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2000 17:45:58 -0700
Reply-To: Davidson <wdavidson@THEGRID.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Davidson <wdavidson@THEGRID.NET>
Subject: Re: Disconnect 12V System?
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Frank,
The easiest way to disconnect the fridge from the 12 v system is to pull the
two fuses in the small fuse box behind the driver's seat... (at least there
is one on my 90 Westy Syncro).
Have you perhaps been leaving the fridge on 12v since your camping trip?
Check the three way toggle switch inside the fridge door. Or one of the
lights... like the dome light or the map light near the glove box?
Perhaps the easiest way to check your battery is drive your van to the place
where you bought your battery... if it the place has a shop... like a
mechanic or Sears... etc.... they can test the battery. It is possible for a
battery to go bad in one year... It happened twice to me on my SUV.
To test for a short you could use a digital miltimeter to check each of the
fused circuits one at a time. Make sure everything is turned off. Go to the
main fuse panel and pull one fuse at a time. Use the probes of the digital
multimeter to check for current across the two sides of the fuse holder
slot.
I'm sure there are other ways like checking for continuity, but my mind is
rubber right now.
Bill
90 Westy Syncro.
-----Original Message-----
From: frank & susan malinowski <yakers@EARTHLINK.NET>
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Date: Monday, April 10, 2000 5:32 PM
Subject: Disconnect 12V System?
>Is there an easy way to disconnect the 12V connection to the refrigerator
>and maybe the whole 12V system? Like just pulling a plug line? On my Westy
>there are three connections to the positive terminal. One is very thick and
>the obvious lead, one is fairly thick and red and then there are two
>thinner red wires sharing the same attachment . If I disconnect one of
>these will it break the cooler circuit? I am having a problem keeping the
>battery charged. I charge it up overnight and it will start but if it sits
>more than one day it will not start. The battery is fairly new (1999). The
>connections look good, the ground line was retightned, the started replaced
>with a known working unit. But there is something draining power or the
>battery is bad in that it will not hold a charge. Any suggestions? This all
>started a week ago after our first camping trip so maybe there is a
>connection to the 12V system.
>
>
>
>
>Frank, Susan & Michael Malinowski
>1985 Westy, Pasadena CA
>
>"A man with one watch knows what time it is,
>a man with two watches is never sure..." - Albert Einstein
>
