frig and battery

[liwesty]

i have an 86 westy and only 1 battery if the frig is on dc power does it still draw power when the ignition is off

[Sodo]

This is confusing for everyone. I'll make it more complicated, then try to simplify it.

================
The Dometic never draws from the battery at all.

And it does NOT draw from the battery when ignition is off.
It ONLY draws from the battery when the engine is ACTUALLY running.
The only time it ever draws 12v is if the Alternator is putting out an excess of 12v (and to have that condition the engine must be spinning).

=========================

SIMPLIFIED: The Dometic will draw 12v (thus operate) only when the engine is running.

Read this: (Reefer Madness on vanagon.com) http://www.vanagon.com/info/articles/Refrigerator/Reefer_Madness.htm#12Volt
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'90 Westy EJ25, NEW oil rings (!) 2Peloquins, 3knobs, SyncroShop pressure-oiled pinion-bearing & GT mainshaft, filtered, cooled gearbox.
'87 Tintop w 47k 53k, '12 SmallCar EJ25, cooled filtered original gearbox
....KTMs, GasGas, SPOT mtb

[Dogpilot]

There is one caveat. If the relay and Aux battery are installed, many of the relay mods allow powering the reefer from the Aux. It just depends which of the hundreds of ways to do this it has been set up. I have personally killed an Aux battery with the 12 Volt position and my lack of useful neurons.

But yes, the starting battery is isolated from the reefer with the standard wiring, unmolested, installed. A quick test at the little black fuse box with a meter will show you what is powered , when. Not a bad thing to do, as the wiring may have been attacked by more than one industrious previous owner.
_________________
Geology with a Syncro rocks!
86 Syncro Westy AKA "The Bughunter"
98 Disco I
08 Range Rover SC
08 VW Rabbit S
1951 O-1G

[Points Mean Prizes]

I don't know if this is the same question but I have just got my first Westy, it's an '81, and I noticed that the fridge works on mains and on gas but not on battery. Is this why and how can I check? I have a leisure battery also.

[mightyart]

[crazyvwvanman]

Since you have an early Westy you have a different electrical layout for the fridge 12 volt and kitchen 12 volt. You still have a fridge relay that allows the fridge to run on 12 volts only when the engine is running but your relay is not easily accessible and you don't have a separate fuse on the output side of it.

Mark

[Vanagon Nut]

[Points Mean Prizes]

thanks for the replies but the pic isn't showing up.

[Vanagon Nut]