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Date:         Mon, 12 Apr 1999 11:43:51 -0400
Reply-To:     David Katsuki <dkatsuki@WORLD.STD.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         David Katsuki <dkatsuki@WORLD.STD.COM>
Subject:      Sliding door remote lock (was Batteries & MXT's)
Comments: To: Kevin Sullivan <ksull@MBARI.ORG>
In-Reply-To:  <002101be829e$4e646ac0$570b5986@mbari163.shore.mbari.org>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

On our 87 (with central locking), periodically, the brass contact pins on the side door get dirty and stop making good enough contact to throw the latch motor inside. The locking motor keeps drawing power until it completes the locking cycle, so I've always been worried that the car will sit in that state and discharge the battery (hasn't happened to me yet, but it sounds like it can happen.) Scraping the pins and the contact pads makes the connection good again for a while, but I'm always listening for confirmation that the sliding door lock has cycled when I lock the car.

Dave

At 08:33 AM 4/9/99 -0700, Kevin Sullivan wrote: >Our Westy is not a daily driver and has eaten two batteries in the last >six years. I mounted a blade switch on the narrow panel between the >sliding and passenger doors and wired it in series with the ground >terminal. I didn't do any previous testing for parisitic current, just >figured >it was sucking the battery slowly since I've wired in variety of electrical >devices (amps, converters etc). It starts every time now even after sitting >for a month as long as I remember to disengage the switch. > >Kevin > >-----Original Message----- >From: George Nahrebecky <George.Nahrebecky@STMARYS.CA> > > >>Hi folks, >> >> I put my camper in heated storage last fall with an almost-new >Sears >>battery that seems to lose most of its charge within six weeks (red >>LED).The alarm system is off, and the radio detached. I used a 2 amp >charger >>to get it back up to snuff (green LED)a couple of times, but the last time >I >>tried, I couldn't get it back up to full (green) charge, even after more >>than 24 hours. The guy at Sears said that low amp chargers sometimes won't >>bring batteries back up, and that I should drive the van on the highway to >>see if that does the trick. I won't be ready to do that for another month >or >>so. >> >>I have two questions: Are Westfalias prone to parasitic current losses >>because of all the stuff on board? I know the battery should be >disconnected >>if the van is to be stored for an extensive period, but even so, six weeks >>seems like a short time for it to go flat in. >> >>Is the Sears guy right? Does it need a blast on the road? I have doubts >>about this, because my little charger never failed to bring even the old >>dying battery up to green before. >


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