Date: Sun, 14 Oct 2012 10:45:20 -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: <507AD477.1010905@gmail.com>
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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.
Re: the wiring junction box you wrote of. David B had posted of this
before, and directed this tip to me as well.
The 2.1 WBX has B+ running to a threaded stud in the driver side
junction box on firewall. David had had an issue with the B+ wire(s)
running to that box on his (1.9?). He suggested that adding a fuse to
the supply wire to this post is not a bad idea. I did so.
Caveat: if this fuse blows, the engine stops. (power stops flowing to
the ECU relay. Same for 1.9?)
Not saying everyone should run out and do this, but IMO, it's food for
thought and possibly related to your observations.
And for anyone inspecting this junction box, beware that the
nut/stud/wires are "always" live!
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.
>
> Though the heavy current draw through that route will no longer exist,
> because I am adding a new 0-gauge wire from the alternator directly to a
> new relocated charging circuit right at the new house battery, I still
> bypassed that weak link by installing a new wire directly from the
> alternator to the starter using a pre-made cable from Van-Cafe (search
> for VC.ALTCABLE***), leaving the old wiring in place for whatever the
> heck else gets powered off Connection 21.
>
> I hope this will encourage owners of the 1.9l van to at least take a
> look inside the connector box to make sure their charge wire isn't
> showing signs of heating. The box snaps open, it's easy.
--
Neil n
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