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Date:         Sat, 5 Nov 2005 11:37:28 -0500
Reply-To:     Roger Sisler <rogersisler2000@YAHOO.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Roger Sisler <rogersisler2000@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      Re: Think I have an electrical problem here.

Here is how the relay is hooked-up.This is a 4 blade fused relay by Hella,from BD.The origional relay was 5 blade. The difference between the two relays is that there two 87 labeled blades on the origional relay.This extra blade provides a power supply to the westy stuff directly from the main battery at all times,without the engine running.With the auxillery battery installed, this extra 87 blade is not needed, as power for all the westy stuff comes directly from the aux battery.The two batteries are now isolated.This battery is downstream from the relay.The relay is between the two batteries.This is my understanding about how the relays work for an auxillery battery.

Here is how I installed the Hella relay: 87-smaller red wire to auxillery battery.This is the actual down stream power supply to charge the auxillery battery. 86 and 85 are the two blades that are in circut with the electro magnet inside the relay, that closes the relay.Thats all they do is close the relay so power may then come through the 30 and 87 blades. 86- Blue wire from the alt.(D+).This supplies current to close the relay.

85- Red/black wire to iginiton. I am hoping that this provides a proper ground for the relay closing circut when the key is turned, and the engine is running.The auxillery battery charges ok and the circut closes with a "click"

30- larger Red wire from the main battery. This is the 12V supply from the main battery. The other side of this circut at the relay is the 87 wire described above.The relay is at the intersection of two circuts so to speak. When the key is turned, the relay closes and power comes from the main battery(30) , through the relay and to the 87 wire that goes to the auxillery battery,charging it.

From the auxillery battery I have two heavy wires that go to the two circut westy fuse box behind the drivers seat.The negative post of the auxillery battery is grounded to the chassis of the van.So,at the auxillery battery, I have hose clamped, the 87 red wire from the relay ,along with 2 wires that go to the westy fuse box.With this set up the frig will operate with the key off and on the 12V setting, as power comes directly from the auxillery battery.I think the 12V setting for the frig only works with the key on(engine running) with the origional relay.The upside to this Hella set up is that I can operate the frig with the van parked,key off, on 12V.The down side seems to be that the replacement of power to the auxillery battery may not may not be fast enough to replace the power losted due to frig operation.Wire gage sizes in this circut differ.The frig will suck power from the auxillery battery faster that the main battery can replace it.In other words, I cant use 12V while the van is running or parked for more than a few hours, as opposed to indefinant lenghts of time with the origional relay set up.Is this correct?

The Bentley shows the stock relay set up (with 5 blade) as follows. 87a-red wire to westy fuse box, then to 12V heater relay 87b-heavy red wire to main battery. 86- Blue wire(D+)from alt. 85-red/black wire to ignition switch. 30 red wire to frig

One comment here is that the blue wire and r/bk wire are different gages. It would seem to me that the wire sizes should be similar gages if they are to be in the same circut.

The Hella instructions that came with the relay shows this configuration:87- to auxillery battery 86-blue wire(D+) from alt to ignition switch.The instructions quote:"This lead should be connected to a 12V power supply that is alive when either the ignition is switch on , or when the engine is running". So I used the blue wire on this 86 blade. 85-Brown wire to ground. Well, I got no brown wire except what came with the relay,so I used the red/black to the ignition(I hoped this had the proper ground). 30- red wire from main battery.

Well , thats it.I have 3 sets of instructions ,and all are different.With the way I hooked everything up,the o2 and alt. lights will work, and light up with the key in the on position(engine off),along with all the other lights(parking brake, oil,ect) , just before start up.The 02 and alt lights are supposed to remain on after start up and until I hit the gas. They dont.They go off with the other lights.I suppose I have done something wrong here, but I have no idea as to what?


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