Date: Tue, 26 Nov 2002 11:10:58 -0500
Reply-To: Richard Golen <rgolen@UMASSD.EDU>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Richard Golen <rgolen@UMASSD.EDU>
Subject: Re: westfalia 2nd battery question
In-Reply-To: <587420B0.2ED774DA.10C3CA4A@netscape.net>
Content-type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=us-ascii
Neil,
You might want to check the aux. battery relay. It is my understanding that
the relay puts the aux. battery into the charging circuit when the ignition
is on...and removes it from the charging circuit when it is off. Go to
vanagon.com and look at the wiring diagram for the aux. battery to make
sure that the relay is set up properly as well.
As to the florescent light...it is hooked up to the same fuse/circuit as
the interior dome light...I found that much to my dismay this summer when I
was running the interior light for 5 days (while the westy remained
stationary) and tried to start to westy to go home .... and
NADA...fortunately I have a trickle charger on the aux battery (keeps it
nice and charged while at a campground) and I jumped one to the other..
I'm not sure if there is an easy fix. I guess you can run a new + wire from
the light to the aux. battery....or run a + wire to the circuit that feeds
the dome light/florescent light.
Ric
At 10:41 AM 11/26/2002 -0500, Neil Wasbrikoff wrote:
>Hello Vanagon community,
>
>I've run into a recent issue with my 1987 Westfalia camper's 2nd battery.
>I thought I will ask for suggestions here.
>
>On a recent road trip to California, over hundreds of miles ... my brand
>new second battery failed to charge. We used it till it was low, when we
>were camping the day before, and thought it would charge on the 800 mile
>road trip we took the following day. It didn't.
>
>Any suggestions for what to check, to allow my aux battery to charge when
>I drive? Should the aux battery charge when being driven?
>
>I have the camper with no appliances, and am wondering also ... what all
>does the second battery power?
>
>I ask, because, when our second batter died, my interior fluorescent light
>kept shinning bright, as if it were running off my main battery under the
>passengers seat. I thought the fluorescent light in the main area was
>powered off the aux battery. So, I tried and experiment. Knowing my aux
>was low, I disconnected my main batt. My fluorescent light went out,
>suggesting it was powered off the main batt.
>
>Would this occur, because my aux battery was low/dead? I am trying to
>figure out, what the aux battery powers, if my fluorescent light seems to
>be wired to my main battery. Can I change the wiring easily, so that my
>interior lights can be wired off my aux and not my main?
>
>just trying to learn more about my van and it's wiring...
>thanks,
>Neil
>
>
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