Date: Sat, 2 Oct 2010 18:49:24 -0700
Reply-To: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Subject: Re: Westy aux power straight from the dealer
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="UTF-8"; reply-type=original
I'm pretty sure the 85 Wolfsburg Weekender I had ..
was originally delivered with two batteries.
it has the under-driver's seat relay for charging an aux battery.
and it had one of those white plastic case, 'vw-audi' batteries with blue
lettering , if anyone remembers those.
I saw tons of these exact batteries in VW's in the late 80's, early 90's...
but hadn't see one in years and years.
I am pretty sure I was the first person to ever inspect that 2nd battery
under the driver's seat ...it had been cooked dry a long, long time ago, and
sitting there dead for years. Pretty sure no one ever even knew it was
there at all.
There's no indication that the relay under the seat wasn't factory
installed..
pretty sure it came with two batteries, from day one, in germany.
The reason it had that two battery system is it comes with a 12volt / 110AC
fridge ..
that attaches to the floor just inside the sliding door with two screws ...
ones you can undo with your fingers.
the relay keeps starting battery voltage from being drained by the fridge
when engine isn't running.
Only power from the aux batt can get to the fridge with engine
off,...........then then when alternator charges, relay energizes, and # 2
batt is charged .
I think it was pretty clever of them to make aux battery charging happen
only after alternator is charging.
Makes total sense of course.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Loren Busch" <starwagen@GMAIL.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Saturday, October 02, 2010 6:26 PM
Subject: Re: Westy aux power straight from the dealer
> On Sat, Oct 2, 2010 at 6:10 PM, Mark Hineline
> <hineline@ocotillofield.net>wrote:
>
>> There are so many permutations (and problems) with providing auxiliary
>> power that I wondered how Westies were equipped when they left the
>> dealer's lot, and how they performed as campers when new (and
>> presumably fitted with only one battery).
>>
>
> From the factory, Westfalia camper package, with single battery, used one
> realy, in the aux battery compartment, that would provide 12v to the
> refrigerator when the engine was running only. At least that's what I
> understand. All the rest of the aux stuff (radio, lights, etc) had to
> come
> off the starting battery.
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