Date:         Sun, 11 Apr 2010 23:18:38 -0600
Reply-To:     Steve Williams <steve@CELINEANDSTEVE.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Steve Williams <steve@CELINEANDSTEVE.COM>
Subject:      Re: 91 Camper - Factory Default Aux battery install help
Comments: To: mark drillock <mdrillock@COX.NET>
In-Reply-To:  <4BC21AF3.4090206@cox.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed

Hi,

Thanks so much for the information.  It actually makes sense to me now.

How much current does it take to charge the battery up in a "reasonable"
time?  Of course, it's limited by the total system/alternator output,
but I have absolutely no clue.

I guess what I am really asking is what current should the larger relay
be able to handle?

Thanks again for all the help.

Cheers,
Steve

mark drillock wrote:
> Either way works for the blue wire relay trigger hookup with 2 small
> relays. I prefer to let the blue wire control just the stock relay and
> then use the output of that relay to trigger the second one because I
> often use larger sizes of second relay. The stock fridge and aux battery
> relays are a small type that draw very little current from the blue
> trigger wire but bigger relays draw a lot more from it than was intended.
>
> The main aux battery issue is where the charging power for the aux
> battery will come from. Using the existing 12 volt power wire to the
> fridge relay to also charge an aux battery just does not work well. It
> can work to keep a charge on it until you camp for a while but once you
> drain the aux battery that shared power wire won't charge it back up in
> a reasonable time, particularly if the fridge is also running and/or the
> headlights are on. You need a separate power wire from the main battery
> to the aux battery relay to re-charge a drained aux battery consistently.
>
> Mark
>
>
> miguel pacheco wrote:
>> That bit about the factory relay being wired to the fuse panel makes
>> sense to me Mark. So this second relay would get it's signal from
>> terminal 87 on the factory relay? Or could the blue wire energize two
>> relays or is it too weak?
>> Miguel
>>
>> I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.
>>    - Thomas A. Edison
>>
>>
>>