Date: Thu, 4 Oct 2012 16:44:18 -0700
Reply-To: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Subject: Re: Hazards not working properly 84 Westy
In-Reply-To: <SNT141-W5466A1C821398DE6D7FC19A0840@phx.gbl>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
That's very strange,
that anyone would put the 4 way flashers connected to the Aux Battery ..
which just might be dead at some point, as you've found evidently.
Makes about as much sense as connecting the back-up lights to the aux
battery to me ..
in other words ...not practical or logical at all.
One thing I've seen a few times is people using wires at the 4 way
flasher switch for radio power ..
and making a mistake there somehow.
In general ....the majority of added-on wiring I've seen in VW's and
Vanagons is often just awful.
Just gotta laugh .
On one of my vans about 3 feet of extra speaker wires were wrapped
around and around the heater controls ..
I'm not joking either. I could not do that with a gun held to my head ..
it's just beyond me how people can do stuff like that.
Like typical gauge wires that are just drooped across the engine ..(
rather than routed and tied to existing wire bundles
etc. )
I'm sure no one on this list does work like that though !
It's amazing more vans don't burn to the ground. I have one fine 85
.....there were large heavy wires looped in circles under the rear floor
rug ....and probably not fused until they got to the high power sound
system amp under the back seat.
The guy was driving along ..
on board fire, smoke in the cabin .... ...oh crap ! .....all he could do
was pull over, get out, and call the fire station. The fire was so bad
it blew out every single window in the entire van. Goodbye one nice
Vanagon.
All for lack of ..
- fusing at the power source...
- not having a fire extinguisher on board that is mounted in a bracket
and readily accessible,
- and no super fast way to get the battery disconnected - which could
sure save your butt and your vanagon sometime.
I've noticed that many people have it in their mind that they don't
understand electrical things much.
DC circuits are pretty straightforward.
If there is ever a place to do solid clean good work ..it's on wire
routing and mounting, and fusing.
You learn in aircraft and off road race cars ..
and diesel vanagons ..vibration is a real enemy ..
I've seen a hot battery cable rub on an oil filter in a DV until it
zapped through and caught the oil on fire.
If a power company hadn't come along with a fire extinguisher just then,
woulda been bye bye diesel vanagon.
Electrical stuff is at least as critical as fuel system considerations
where fire is concerned.
Do good work ! It pays off.
Scott
www.turbovans.com
On 10/4/2012 4:20 PM, Jamie Fitterer wrote:
> That's what it is. The AUX was shot as I had a drain in the system that drained the battery, So I must have added the hazard lights to the mix following their Directions.
>
>> Date: Thu, 4 Oct 2012 15:49:21 -0700
>> From: mdrillock@COX.NET
>> Subject: Re: Hazards not working properly 84 Westy
>> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>>
>> I thought you might mention an aux battery kit. In the early vans it is
>> more difficult to move interior lights, cig socket, and radio over to
>> the aux battery without involving other items in the vehicle. The
>> hazards are one of those items that could get moved to the aux battery
>> but shouldn't. Is your aux battery charged up now?
>>
>> Mark
>>
>
