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Date:         Thu, 30 Sep 2010 20:59:45 -0700
Reply-To:     Annie <lsandrsn@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Annie <lsandrsn@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Battery placement alternatives
In-Reply-To:  <4CA55AE6.3090205@charter.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

John,

I totally understand what you're saying. To this point, since I've owned the van, I've been fixing and repairing every.little.thing. and then some. And I will fix the handle as soon as I get a few other things crossed off the list that I think are more important at this point - like fixing the heater levers, the exterior slider door handle and a couple of other things that we have to use nearly every day.

At this point, the seat stays put much of the time so it's not a huge issue - just a little inconvenient. Rest assured, I'm not merely complaining - I'm looking for alternatives and solutions. I may find that it does the job just fine where it is and leave it there. That's the point of my inquiry - to decide what will work best for me and then ensure it's properly working, whatever that may entail. ;-)

*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 8:52 PM, John Rodgers <inua@charter.net> wrote:

> 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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