Date:         Wed, 14 Jun 2000 11:41:46 -0700
Reply-To:     Bill Davidson <wdavidson@thegrid.net>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Bill Davidson <wdavidson@thegrid.net>
Subject:      Re: hella 2nd battery kit
Comments: To: Jay L Snyder <Jay.L.Snyder@usa.dupont.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

The 15 amp fuse will blow the first time you deeply discharge your auxiliary
battery (I actually did experiment with a deeply discharged Optima auxiliary
battery and measured the current draw... as I remember there was a surge to
75 amps or more when the engine started, then it drew around 40 amps for
awhile and then settled in at 25 to 30 amps... this from memory) ... then in
order to get the charge up on the auxiliary battery you will have to either
use jumper cables or charge it with a battery charger.

If they are supplying 14 to 16 gauge wires then I can't imagine these
running back to the starter battery since the stock wiring is about 13 gauge
(2.5mm as I remember for the non-Weekenders).

This appears to be a cheesy system... and not much better, if any better,
than just adding a fuse to the existing fridge relay set up.

Bill
90 WEsty Syncro
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jay L Snyder" <Jay.L.Snyder@usa.dupont.com>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Wednesday, June 14, 2000 11:26 AM
Subject: Re: hella 2nd battery kit


> The 15A fuse would protect the wiring and the relay, but it seems to me a
> drained aux. battery would exceed the 15A fuse rating.  A circuit breaker
> would be better (however more expensive) as it could be reset.
>
>                                                         Jay
>