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Date:         Tue, 9 Mar 1999 09:40:02 -0000
Reply-To:     Frank LaHorgue <lahorgue@IX.NETCOM.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Frank LaHorgue <lahorgue@IX.NETCOM.COM>
Subject:      Another hazard -- battery acid
Comments: To: vanagon@vanagon.com
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Greetings Vanagoners:

Well, I had heard about exploding batteries, but it was far from my mind last week when I pulled off I-5 with noxious fumes coming from beneath the passenger seat. I jumped to the conclusion that I had developed a short in some wires I had installed to run my ham radio rig.

I slid the passenger seat forward and then made a big mistake. I lifted the metal door over the battery. Doing that released pressure on the top of the battery, the plugs on the cells then opened up and acid blew all over the place. Fortunately, I had a water supply a hundred yards away and some in the van to remove the stuff from my hands.

The cause of the problem was a defective alternator that was putting out 18 volts, overcharging the battery to the boiling point. Five hours into a six hour trip, the pressure in the battery became too great. The alternator was a rebuilt Bosch with about 110,000 miles of use.

Life with a vanagon is certainly an adventure -- Frank LaHorgue


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