Mark,
If you want to read some more about the refrigerator relay,
and dual battery systems, you can take a look at my website.
http://www.geocities.com/harald_nancy/index.htm
There are also many photos. I will update the section on the
battery isolator soon, but currently there is a section explaining
the relay. Hope this helps.
Harald
'90 westy

----- Original Message -----
From: "radish150" <radish150@EARTHLINK.NET>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Friday, April 06, 2001 8:59 PM
Subject: Re: refer madness update

> David, I mussed about a bit on that relay. What I determined may be pretty
> non-specific but I think it points out the basic function of the white
wire.
> When the relay is activated (thru the white wire) it adds voltage to the
refer
> system rather than taking it away. I suppose that was predictable given
the
> usual function of a relay, but hey, I'm an amateur. Definitely more pins
of the
> relay are hot with power to the white wire/relay when it's inactive. Does
this
> mean that the likely function was to insure that the refer runs only ran
when
> the car is running (alt charging)?
>
> This is where I'm leaning, but I'm unsure of where this would mean I
should
> hook up too.  Are there wires in this ignition that are only hot when the
car
> is running? Me thinks the answer is yes, yes? What might these look like
:)
>
> So, if this is all correct, the simplest way would be to hookem both up to
a
> fused 12 (using the refer switch as the only switch) and just make sure I
don't
> run the refer on 12 unless the van is running. Later I get more
sophisticated
> and proper when I hook up a second batttery with isolater.
>
> If I'm off base here "somebody stop me"!
>
> mark...
>