Date: Fri, 7 Jul 2017 10:38:15 -0400
Reply-To: Stephen Engel <sengel543@YAHOO.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Stephen Engel <sengel543@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: Re: What's wrong with GoWesty's auxiliary battery kit?
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Thanks Dennis and Karl.
I've got the GoWesty head light upgrade, so I'd better upgrade the alternator harness. Curiously, my local parts store (Burlington Foreign Car Parts, BFCP), told me the increased wattage of the bulbs the kit allows is too much for Vermont road use. So I dropped down to a wattage just above the stock wattage. I can't recall the specific wattages off the top of my head.
I'm sitting in the waiting room at Manchester VW for my TDI buyback appointment. Hopefully, I'll have a fair bit of coins to put into the Syncro soon.
Steve
87Syncro tintop
Sent from my iPhone
> On Jul 7, 2017, at 8:20 AM, Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM> wrote:
>
> I agree with Karl on many points here. I'll just add a few extra details.
> For the solenoid, there is really nothing wrong with alternator running based contactor operation. Many modern RV still operate the solenoid off the ignition switch. The relay used thug should be one more suitable for battery isolation charging operation.
> For the 6 gauge connection from the chassis battery to the house battery, a better choice is to go direct to the alternator. Otherwise at least upgrade the alternator harness to the starter post-chassis battery. This should be dome regardless especially if high wattage headlights are used.
>
> Dennis
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of Karl Mullendore
> Sent: Wednesday, July 5, 2017 5:46 PM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Re: What's wrong with GoWesty's auxiliary battery kit?
>
>> On Wed, 5 Jul 2017 16:22:34 +0000, Stephen Engel <sengel543@YAHOO.COM> wrote:
>>
>> In the recent auxiliary battery thread, the GoWesty auxiliary battery
>> kit
> received some criticism - again. So, what's so bad about it? Because its designed for the Interstate SLA1161 battery with only 44Ah of capacity?
>> I purchased the kit for my 87 tintop a couple of years ago, but never
> installed it. The few camping trips I took were for weekends at well appointed commercial campgrounds and I found I didn't really need the electrons. That's all part of getting away for me.
>> Someday, I reckon I'll venture out into the "wilds", but still I can't
>> see
> myself using a lot of amps, just cell-phone charger, lights, radio. I doubt I'll be investing in an ARB, a Truckfridge, or even an Engel. They cost more than my home fridge. Yeti has really started marketing heavily, they're sold almost everywhere, and have been on sale a couple of times this year already.
>> Thank you all for your shared wisdom.
>> Steve Engel87 Syncro tintop
>
> Several problems: A cheap solenoid with high failure rate. 'Old' technology that needs an alternator signal to combine, whereas every other modern combiner senses voltage to combine. Noisy. The 'kit' itself as designed uses charge current that arrives to the solenoid through a circuitous path from starter battery through harness and fuse/relay panel then under the carpet to the area behind the driver's seat. Through this path resistance claims .7 to 1.0 volts. The alternator in stock form will provide around 13.5-13.9 V at the main battery, so by the time charge arrives to the aux battery, you can see the AGM battery (requiring 14.2-14.4 V) will never become 100% charged, leading to reduced capacity and early failure (there are tons of threads supporting this on Samba). It is possible to run a 6-ga cable (with appropriate fuse!) from the main battery, under the floor and into the aux battery box to remedy the power loss, but the antiquated solenoid is still there. An adjustable regulator can be installed in the original alternator to help somewhat but even then...
> A Blue Seas or Victron or Surepower and a couple cables and a fuse, FAR better and not much more $. The adjustable regulator still a given if you want the aux battery to receive enough charge voltage.
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