Date: Thu, 30 Sep 2010 22:52:06 -0500
Reply-To: John Rodgers <inua@CHARTER.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: John Rodgers <inua@CHARTER.NET>
Subject: Re: Battery placement alternatives
In-Reply-To: <AANLkTi=4tpdVHgnA4Cnb=r0A_2kFjNoxqw-HKFtrFcVS@mail.gmail.com>
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A thing or two about the battery.
First and foremost - make sure your battery is fastened down in the box.
That battery, properly installed, should not move. In the event of a
roll-over, it should stay put. May leak some acid, but the battery,
properly installed, should stay locked to the floor and not bash about.
We lock them down in airplanes with a strap or even special box, to
avoid problems. Same applies in the van.
If the lid doesn't fit properly, and the gasket doesn't fit - then you
need to do some maintenance. You fix the other things on the van when
needed. Fix this, don't just complain about it. Make it right. That is
what maintenance is all about - repairing and fixing that which is
broken or worn out. Don't just grumble and ignore the problem. Fix it.
As for seat movement - again, a maintenance issue. Make it right. Lube
the seat tracks with a paraffin block, and repair and make right the
seat adjustment handles. No sense in having things that are half of how
they need to be.
Preventive maintenance - that's what it's called. Fix it before it
become un-fixable.Avoidng trouble ahead of time.
John Rodgers
Clayartist and Moldmaker
88'GL VW Bus Driver
Chelsea, AL
Http://www.moldhaus.com
On 9/30/2010 8:10 PM, Annie wrote:
> Yes, one of the issues for me is that the seat is a helluva bugger to move
> sometimes. It doesn't slide nice and as you mention, the lid doesn't fit the
> greatest anymore.
>
> I thought about the rear passenger seat too but I have too many other things
> under there - antifreeze, jumper cables, tool box, rags, paper towels,
> gloves, oil, trans fluid and on and on - LOL. Not to mention that damn rear
> heater (which is another thing I don't really like the location of.)
>
> I was thinking of some kind of permanently placed box in the rear corner
> above the engine compartment on the left side (at least for my van since
> it's not a Westy and there's no cabinetry there) or something like that.
> Easy to get to, mostly out of the way and close at hand when needed.
>
> There has to be some way to make it more accessible without creating further
> hazard. Kinda seems like placing it in the engine compartment would be less
> than optimal, though. Almost as inconvenient as under the passenger seat.
>
> Hmmm . . . any other thoughts, folks?
>
> *Annie Anderson* Blogger, Designer, Thinker& Mom
> web: annieandersonblog.com email: lsandrsn@gmail.com
> twitter: silverlunace<http://twitter.com/silverlunace> facebook:
> anniesanderson<http://facebook.com/anniesanderson>
> *Blazin' a trail where there is no path.*
>
> On Thu, Sep 30, 2010 at 5:47 PM, Dave Mcneely<mcneely4@cox.net> wrote:
>
>> ---- B Feddish<uprightbassghost@HOTMAIL.COM> wrote:
>>> How about moving it under the drivers seat?
>>>
>>> Seriously, what is wrong with the current battery location? You could
>> put it under the passenger seat but that is where most of us keep their aux
>> batteries.
>>
>>
>> But, with regard to " .... what is wrong with the current battery
>> location?": One thing is the outgassing of hydrogen from the battery.
>> Hydrogen is explosive when mixed with oxygen. VW addressed the problem by
>> small vents in the battery box, and a gasket on the lid (to keep the gas out
>> of the van). But for most of the vans, the lid no longer fits tightly, so
>> the gasket is not functional. The other thing is, what happens when the van
>> rolls, and the battery case fails to contain the battery acid? Such failure
>> is not likely, but it only takes one time to be a tragedy.
>>
>> I, too, have thought about the battery location. Some compound the concern
>> by adding an auxiliary battery under the driver's seat, or under the rear
>> passenger seat.
>>
>> I think Scott Daniel has frequently commented on this, or at least has
>> commented on it, if not frequently. His solution is to use space in the
>> engine compartment, in front of the right tail light, for the battery. I
>> don't know if he has actually put one there. It would mean a much smaller
>> run of cable to the alternator, for sure.
>>
>> BTW, prior to the 1950s, it was common for American built sedans and
>> pickups to have a battery box under the floor of the passenger compartment.
>> Only in the early fifties were batteries moved to the engine compartment in
>> nearly all cars.
>>
>> David McNeely
>>
>
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