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Date:         Sun, 14 Oct 2012 14:52:50 -0400
Reply-To:     Rocket J Squirrel <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Rocket J Squirrel <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Overheated wire junction on 1.9
Comments: To: mark drillock <mdrillock@COX.NET>
In-Reply-To:  <507B0009.9060804@cox.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

JUst to be clear, the new house battery is not directly connected to the alternator. I simplified the description for the sake of brevity. Here's the actual new setup:

alternator > fat wire > stancor contactor (relay) > house battery.

The contactor is driven off the relay under the driver's seat which provides 12 V once the alternator lamp goes out, as per usual.

-- Jack "Rocket j Squirrel" Elliott 1984 Westfalia, auto trans, Bend, Ore.

On 10/14/2012 02:10 PM, mark drillock 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. >>>


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