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Tico engine and a auxillary battery
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Maine
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Joined: September 21, 2010
Posts: 150
Location: Maine
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 07, 2018 1:35 pm    Post subject: Tico engine and a auxillary battery Reply with quote

I posted earlier about issues with my auxiliary battery system and received a lot of helpful information, thank you. Further trying to educate myself I was reading a thread about a poster who had issues with his auxiliary battery not charging and his setup used a Go Westy auxiliary battery kit and his van had also undergone a Subaru engine conversion. Apparently a Subaru engine does not do well with the Go Westy kit.
Trying to solve my problem which is basically more load than my current system will handle I am thinking about a larger battery, solar etc. Before I go to any additional expense my question is do the parts in my "system" work together.
They are: Tico engine conversion (i know but it seems to work well in my van), Go Westy auxiliary battery kit, a Coleman 1200 W inverter (which we rarely use) and a cigarette receiver located just below the inverter (see pics) for my Norcold 30 fridge which is the main draw on the system.

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So are these compatible? Thank you.
Maine
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Paulbeard
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Joined: July 10, 2015
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Location: Seattle
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 07, 2018 2:25 pm    Post subject: Re: Tico engine and a auxillary battery Reply with quote

Nothing wrong with a Tiico if the installer knew to shore up the weaker parts of the kit.

Mine came with a dead 44aH aux battery and some kind of barnyard charging system that was the cause of death, by all accounts. Better to get a real aux system build your aux charging system around a device like a Yandina or BlueSeas ACR. I would replace the GoWesty stuff with that, disconnect the inverter (or remove it if you doubt you'll use it), and the plug for the fridge should stay operational. I put my battery (150 aH) under the rear bench as nothing useful wlll fit under the driver's seat. Even the 44aH Odyssey I replaced was too big to fit there. But people seem to have a love of symmetry: if the starter battery goes under the passenger seat, the aux must go under the driver's seat, even if there is not enough room.

So you'll want
• a better battery
• the ACR/combiner of your choice
• some wire (stout to connect the battery/alternator/ACR or combiner) and some not so stout to reconnect your fridge plug and whatever else you have.

You can add solar panels and good controller once you get that sorted. You might not need it if your draw isn't so great as to run the battery down. Figure out your draw, replace the stuff that isn't getting it down for you now, then build on that, as needed.
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Currently -> Frida: 87 Tizian Red (mostly) Vanagon GL Westfalia w/ 2.0L ABA conversion
Formerly -> Steward of a 73 Super Beetle (Beater) and 67 Beetle 1300 (Little Max) both names by POs

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Last edited by Paulbeard on Tue Aug 07, 2018 7:25 pm; edited 1 time in total
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crazyvwvanman
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Joined: January 28, 2008
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 07, 2018 2:38 pm    Post subject: Re: Tico engine and a auxillary battery Reply with quote

The Yandina or BlueSeas ACR are only devices. They by themselves won't charge an aux battery any better than the GoWesty POS can, and they may at times do it worse. It is all about the wiring. Screw up the wiring and you get screwed up charging, no matter what device is involved. It takes a decent wiring job, not just using the wiring that came with the GW kit.

The aux battery needs a dedicated charging wire from the starting battery or other point in the main charging path. That is where most GW aux kit installations fall short.

Mark
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Paulbeard
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 08, 2018 3:36 pm    Post subject: Re: Tico engine and a auxillary battery Reply with quote

crazyvwvanman wrote:
It takes a decent wiring job, not just using the wiring that came with the GW kit.

The aux battery needs a dedicated charging wire from the starting battery or other point in the main charging path. That is where most GW aux kit installations fall short.


Exactly. I edited to reflect that. I didn't have the GW kit but there are so many complaints about it, I would either R&R it with something more robust or take some good pictures/draw some diagrams of how it was wired. I suspect the appeal of the GW kit is the cost and convenience and the old saw — choose any two, cheap, fast, or good — is always in effect. There are lots of diagrams on here that will get OP where they want to be.
_________________
Currently -> Frida: 87 Tizian Red (mostly) Vanagon GL Westfalia w/ 2.0L ABA conversion
Formerly -> Steward of a 73 Super Beetle (Beater) and 67 Beetle 1300 (Little Max) both names by POs

Quote:
Git 'r DONE!
— dhaavers
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crazyvwvanman
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 08, 2018 4:43 pm    Post subject: Re: Tico engine and a auxillary battery Reply with quote

My point is that the GW relay is plenty capable for most installations but the GW wiring isn't. No need to replace the part that IS up to the job with some other ACR. It is the GW wiring that should be reworked.

The GW relay and others like it have advantages over the BluSeas ACR and Yandina ACR. And vice-versa. Small advantages for most people.

Mark
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