At 11:04 AM 7/12/2002, Rodney Woten wrote:
>Van is @ the shop right now so I'm going from memory.  Base is round,
>about 6" in diameter about 1.5" deep.  On top, concentric with the base,
>is a knob about 3" in diameter and 2" deep, also black.  Knob has a large
>silver tear drop on top that indicates which battery is selected.  Base is
>marked "BATTERY 1", "BATTERY 2", "BOTH" AND "NONE".  You simply rotate the
>knob to select your battery.  It's mounted vertically in the pantry,
>behind the driver's seat, below the sink.  I haven't removed it to examine
>it any further, so those are the only markings I've seen so far.

That's a marine-type manual battery switch.  Might be Perko or one of
several other makes -- no practical difference.  Works fine, until you
switch it off with the engine running, which will probably toast your
alternator and quite possibly ECU and other electronics -- do
DON'T.  Perfectly ok and normal to run in BOTH while charging, but
ordinarily should shift to one or the other the rest of the time.  If it
has two extra small terminals on the back, that's for a field disconnect
which will prevent the above -- you have to modify the alt and bring out
the field line to the switch.

david

--
David Beierl - Providence, RI
  http://pws.prserv.net/synergy/Vanagon/
'84 Westy "Dutiful Passage"
'85 GL "Poor Relation"