Date: Sun, 14 Oct 2012 11:36:52 -0700
Reply-To: neil n <musomuso@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: neil n <musomuso@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Overheated wire junction on 1.9
In-Reply-To: <507B0009.9060804@cox.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Thanks for pointing that out. My apologies to all for such an inexact post!
I neglected to write what I was "seeing".
Right. Ok. In that incorrect scenario, if starter battery was low,
starter would pull power from aux. battery.
In past I've connected loads to the starter motor post (engine swap
stuff). I would do same for a new aux. battery as well as include an
isolator and fuse.
Neil.
On Sun, Oct 14, 2012 at 11:10 AM, mark drillock <mdrillock@cox.net> wrote:
> There is some danger to that as a general suggestion and it should not be
> commonly done because of this.
>
> Connecting another battery with heavy wire directly to the alternator runs
> the risk that someday that battery will be called on to supply the majority
> of the starter motor current! While the new heavy wire could support this
> the next wire segment between the alternator and starter motor was never
> intended for starting current! It is safer to connect the new heavy wire
> from the new battery to the starter post, and then to beef up the wire from
> the starter to the alternator to allow better charging of both batteries.
> The previously linked to product from VanCafe fills the role of the beefed
> up wire from alternator to starter.
>
> Mark
>
>
>
> neil n wrote:
>>
>> That's useful info.
>>
>> I can't state this as a fact, but IMO, it seems the OEM aux. battery
>> setup was designed for low draw appliances. It works fine for that.
>> But. If one plans to install higher draw appliances and/or lots of
>> "bells and whistles" (i.e. digital ice cream maker), as per your
>> comments and observations, IMO, installing a new (fused?) large gauge
>> wire from alternator to new battery(s), is a great start.
>> .............
>>
>> Neil.
>>
>> On Sun, Oct 14, 2012 at 8:04 AM, Rocket J Squirrel
>> <camping.elliott@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> I want to describe an issue I found while working on my van. Most will
>>> probably not have this problem unless they are running an '83 or '84
>>> digijet (1.9) camper van and draw a lot more out of the alternator than
>>> a stock van does. But if this fits your situation, it bears inspecting
>>> for this potential problem.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>> I found the second problem when poking around in the connector box
>>> located in the engine compartment on the firewall forward of the engine
>>> on the driver's side.
>>>
>>> Bentley 97.56 shows a pair of 12-gauge wires coming off the alternator's
>>> B+ terminal and going to the plus connection** in that box.
>>
>>
>>> When I opened the box I saw that the last inch or so of the wire pair
>>> had darkened insulation, and the connector used to connect them to the
>>> plus connection was nearly black.
>>>
>>> Clearly the heavy load I'd been placing on the wiring had overheated
>>> that connection, increasing its resistance and further reducing the
>>> charge voltage on the engine battery.
>>>
>
--
Neil n
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