Date: Sun, 13 May 2007 18:00:23 -0700
Reply-To: Loren Busch <starwagen@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Loren Busch <starwagen@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Newbie battery questions
In-Reply-To: <699b6e3f0705131512h1d3640a8i7e85aede75581ace@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
>
> RE:
> Here's a picture of the aux battery.<http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i263/edtech2000/Westy/Westy_AuxBat-03.jpg>
> It looks like the driver's seat had to be removed in order to install it.
> (I'm not looking forward to this, although I HAVE removed car seats before.)
>
Okay, you have the equivalent of an Optima battery, virtually identical
except for the name. There should be nothing wrong with it for that job BUT
is should be wired right so that the two batteries are not connected when
the engine is off.
As for removing the aux battery, not a big deal. First, you remove the
drivers seat by sliding it off to the front. There a a little spring loaded
metal tab on the side of the track that has to be depressed to allow the
seat to come off. Next, you turn the seat base around 180 degrees and that
will give enough clearance to pull the aux battery. If the seat mounting
plate wont' turn you can loosen the four nuts holding it down. I mention
this because the drivers seat rarely gets turned and can be quite stiff,
almost impossible to rotate with the seat out.
Here's a view looking down into aux battery cavity from the driver's
door.<http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i263/edtech2000/Westy/Westy_AuxBat-06.jpg>
> It looks like there are 2 large cylinders at the
Thats probably the battery...
bottom.
>
> This is the "makeshift" cover<http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i263/edtech2000/Westy/Westy_AuxBat-05.jpg>that was set on top of the battery, which protrudes above the cavity. It
> has a 12 volt socket
Better solutions have been made but that does the job. The original cover
was hinged and is probably missing now.
> It looks like the auxiliary battery was "Mickey Moused." Is it ALWAYS
> necessary to remove the seat to install an auxiliary battery, or should it
> just fit in the cavity like the main battery does? If so, I'll just remove
> the Mickey Moused aux battery - as long as I won't have to remove the seat
> AGAIN to put in a new one. If I have to remove the seat, I'll leave it in,
> but disconnected, until I have the replacement on hand.
I think you will find that removing the drivers seat is not that big a deal
once you have done it.
Your first concern is to find out what is draining the starting battery.
The problem couild be associated with the aux battery but it's not likley
the PO was having the same problem.
