Date:         Fri, 15 Jul 2011 10:41:28 -0700
Reply-To:     Daniel Rotblatt <d.rotblatt@VERIZON.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Daniel Rotblatt <d.rotblatt@VERIZON.NET>
Subject:      Re: Is my Aux Battery Charging - NOT
In-Reply-To:  <1698765432.579042.1310527029303.JavaMail.root@sz0063a.westchester.pa.mail.comcast.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

OK - my aux battery is not charging.  It looks like the relay (description of my examination below).  I know there are better options for a relay then the original one.  Suggestions? I'm going to Mammoth Lakes on Thursday next week - I'd like to get this working for then so I can hook up an inverter and the kids can play with computers, watch videos and such.

My examination: 

From what I could see, the relay is under the drivers seat.  The only wiring diagram I could find for the aux battery was for an '86 camper on page 97.138 (I have an '85 weekender).  Wires look right, 4 of them into the relay (red, blue red/black) but the wire to the aux battery is red rather then red/white (just to make this harder to describe).

Also there is a second red wire that runs from the aux positive down under the seat with the one that goes from the relay.  I would assume that that goes to the plug on the passanger seat (which is no longer connected).

When the car is running, the red wire from under the seat to the relay shows 13.8 V, when off it shows 12.8 volts or so - it's obviously the wire from the starter battery.  No charge with the Aux connected (12.8v with or without the car running), and with the pos disconnected I got .08 v coming to that lead in the relay, but after trying to shift the connectors to see if it was a contact problem I got no power at all from it.

There is also another red wire (fairly heavy duty size) laying near the relay that seems to be attached to nothing (the end is corroded green with a connector sitting on the ground next to it).  It shows 12+v with ignition on or off - don't know what it is for.

Thanks again all!

Dan
Los Angeles, CA
'85 Westy Weekender