Jeff,
Sounds like your camper is a so called "weekender"
model.
Those were the only U.S. vanagon campers factory supplied
with a auxiliary battery system.
The lighter socket is for the removable refrigerator.
If you would like to read some more about
auxiliary battery systems, you can check out my website:
http://www.geocities.com/harald_nancy/
Harald
'90 westy
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jeff Warner" <jwarner@NETWALK.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Thursday, May 24, 2001 6:52 AM
Subject: Aux. Battery Pondering

> Fellow Listees.
>
> I finally picked up a Westy.  Got a GREAT deal on an '86 Wolfsburg
Weekender
> with 97000 miles.  Made an interesting discovery soon after bringing it
home.
> The PO had just put in a new battery and had complained about the previous
one
> always running down.  I checked and sure enough there was auxilary battery
> under the drivers seat.  It looked to be original and was stone dead.
From
> what I've been learning the two batteries will try to equalize each other
while
> the vehicle is running.  Meaning that the dead battery will eventually
kill the
> good battery.  I pulled out the aux. battery last night and disconected
the
> signal wire from the relay so the positive cable wouldn't be hot when the
van
> is running.
>
> So here's the question(s) to ponder:
>
> This is a base model Westy.  The only accessory I can find inside that
might
> have been wired to the aux battery is the lighter socket mounted in the
base of
> the passenger seat (I haven't checked it yet).  The aux battery was
factory
> installed and even has venting which I didn't think was done.  So the
question
> is, why would this vehicle have been assembled this way with an aux
battery and
> nothing for it to operate?  I suppose it could have been specifically
ordered
> this way but it seems unlikely.  I'm debating whether to put a battery
back in
> there any time soon.  If I do, it would seem prudent to install it along
with
> an entire suite of aux powered devices such as converter, extra lights,
> charger, meter, etc.
>
> Anyone have any thoughts?
>
> Jeff Warner
> '87 Vanagon GL
> '86 Westfalia Wolfsburg
> Camper
>