Date:         Thu, 24 Jul 1997 13:17:33 EDT
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Jim Thompson <uvx196@JUNO.COM>
Subject:      Re: Battery and Battery compartment

Stephen -

You don't mention the year of your Westy, but it sounds like a Vanagon
version.  Since the main owners manual does not address the fact of the
optional swivel seat on the Westy submodel, I have found that if you move
the seat entirely forward, then rotate it 180 degrees (front facing the
rear), you have excellent access to the battery.

This is not a DPO Conversion - this is factory on ALL Vanagons, except
Diesels, where the battery is in the engine compartment.  Not the
greatest place, mind you, but it is factory.  I like it there because I
can tap off of it directly for other electrical accessories that I use on
the dash and throughout the camper.  Later model Vanagon Westy's have an
auxilary battery beneath the driver's seat as well.

There is no such thing as a true sealed maintenance-free battery.  All
automotive batteries require some H2o maintenance (distilled water
preferred).  Even on so-called sealed batteries, the covers can be
removed with a screwdriver to access the cells to top off.  Water level
max on most batteries is just a little over the tops of the visible
plates in each cell (use a flashlight).  Each cell's water should be
clear - cloudy ones indicate the plates are sulphating and the battery
life is on the wane.  A battery hydrometer can tell you the state of
charge and condition in each cell - they're cheap from any FLAPS.  During
the hot weather of summer, you should check your battery at least once a
month.  Check the archives for heavier duty deep-cycle batteries.  They
cost 2 to 3 times more than the standard automotive battery, but are
worth it if you are using a lot of 12V accessories both on the road and
at the campsite.

The Bentley Factory Manual (VV91) shows some general, but good tips on
battery maintenance.  Don't have a Bentley?  Take my advice as an owner
and not as a person who sells parts and manuals:  Spend the bucks and get
one anyway - there's a lot of great factory info to learn from this book.
 Buy it from me, buy it from Ron, buy it from your FLAPS or buy it at a
local flea market (I did) - Just get one.

Jim
84 Westy 2.1
62 Beetle (Father was original owner)
90 Fox Wagon
Sherwood Automotive * The Old Volks Home (oldvolkshome1@juno.com) (916)
221-5342

On Thu, 24 Jul 1997 08:38:51 -0600 Stephen Jones <sjones@TETONDATA.COM>
writes:
>While exploring my new Westy, I stumbled upon the primary battery
>compartment.  Could this be in a more inconvienient to get to?
>Am I missing sonething?
>
>The owners manual says to push the passengers seat all the way
>forward to access.  Even all the way forward I can't access the front
>screws on the plate that covers the battery.  Swiveling the seat 45
>degrees allows access to these screws, but I don't see how it would be
>possible to remove the battery if need be (Without removing the
>entire seat).  The manual implies that there is a storage compartment
>under the seat with bolts to remove the seat, but I can locate no
>storage compartment.
>
>Under the drivers seat is a nice hinged panel to acces the second
>battery compartment.  Is the passengers side a DPO conversion?
>
>Any tips on battery access would be appreciated.
>
>If you needed to jump start the vehicle, where would you ground
>the negative terminal to?  (I'm used to grounding it on the engine)
>
>The battery also requires some maintenace (add water, etc?).  I have
>never owned a battery like that, nor do I have a manual.  How do I
>check
>the water level?  How much to add?  Is tap water OK?  Can I replace
>this battery with a maintenace free battery?  Any reccomenendations?
>
>Thanks
>Stephen Jones
>