86 Wolfsburg Vanagon AUX battery

[Arlo Breezy]

I have a 86 Westfalia Vanagon wolfsburg edition. The auxillary battery cables are still in good condition. What is the best battery to add to the existing set up? I have a lot to learn but I have to start somewhere.

[kourt]

Nice first post! Welcome to The Samba.

Tell us what you want to do with your aux battery--refrigerator? Charging things? Fans?

Maybe a picture of your aux battery cables would help guide our answers.

You're probably going to get a lot of advice to change and upgrade that aux battery wiring. Be prepared for change.

kourt

[vanagonjr]

With the stock set-up, I believe you are pretty much limited to a lead acid battery because of physical size and the charging voltage from the stock set-up.

There is an Odyssey battery that fits, or nearly so - worth searching this forum for. It’s likely the best option for the stock set-up.
I could not find an AGM battery that fit in the stock battery box (which ideally would require a higher charging voltage anyway.).

You could do what I have done. I bought a new starter battery and moved my old battery into the aux location. Depending on your needs, this may be sufficient.
_________________
John - 86 Wolfsburg Westfalia "Weekender"
Flint reversed 1.8T W/Passat 5-Speed
LiMBO (late model bus club) www.limbobus.org
LiMBO is on Facebook too! https://www.facebook.com/groups/
FAQ thread: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=525798

[Arlo Breezy]

Wow what a supportive forum and community! This is exactly what I wanted to hear. I thought I needed a deep cycle battery but I am going to go ahead and try getting a new battery and use the existing cables. In the near future I would love to upgrade. I'm excited to try it out.

One day I would love to have some usb ports to plug in a charger for my phone, a switch connected to a mini cooler/fridge. It would be amazing to have a heater that i can turn on when the van is off and not drain the battery. Along with this dream a solar panel,inverter, and battery charger would all be amazing but I might as well try to use the existing cables to see how it works. Will I then be able to plug into my outlet in the dash and not drain the starter battery? Here is what the existing cables look like.

[vanagonjr]

The aux battery in the Weekender only runs the outlet on the passenger seat base (used for the stock portable fridge).

I ran a wire under the van to a BlueSeas auxiliary fuse box under the seat to power a port that has a 12V receptacle (to power my ARB portable fridge) and a couple of USB ports.

There is a mode to run to a fuse that controls the radio and some (all?) interior lights.

I e really just started using an aux battery fall of 2019. Funny is I bought a lithium ion battery, but that stupid old lead acid has run my fridge for 2-1/2 days with still 12+ bolts showing.

I do employ heavy wool blankets over the fridge and when driving dial it down real cold, then up to a reasonable temp when stopped.
I’m willing to bet these actions buy me a 1/2 to 1 extra day.
_________________
John - 86 Wolfsburg Westfalia "Weekender"
Flint reversed 1.8T W/Passat 5-Speed
LiMBO (late model bus club) www.limbobus.org
LiMBO is on Facebook too! https://www.facebook.com/groups/
FAQ thread: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=525798

[Arlo Breezy]

This sounds like the set up for me. Where's the best place to get a blue seas auxiliary fuse box? Online? Thanks again

[MarkWard]

Amazon or West Marine.

[Arlo Breezy]

How do i go about connecting a switch to the wiring under the passenger seat? Here is my existing wiring under my passenger seat.

[MarkWard]

Electricity flows in a circle to and from the battery. To add a switch, you just need to insert it into the loop. What is shown appears to be a fuse holder and one of the leads has backed out either on it's own or by someone. No way I can tell where those go.

[vanagonjr]

[Arlo Breezy]

My van wasn't designed with a kitchen and fridge. It's a weekender so it just has a little table but there is a place for an auxiliary battery and i would love to figure out how to connect it to a modern set up with a cooler/fridge . There are cables under the passanger seat i just need to figure out what else i need to make my van complete.

[Yellow Rabbit]

You will need to trace the wires to see if the previous owner has made modifications. If it is a completely stock weekender there was factory wiring to the outlet on the side of the passenger seat pedestal. It’s isolated so you can run it without worrying about depleting the starting battery. It’s sole purpose was to power the portable refrigerator that came with weekenders.