At this point in time, there are no "no brainers" regarding the Westy!
(LOL)  However I did read this in the user manual.  My husband told me that
I have to disconnect 1 battery terminal in order to charge the battery, but
I don't understand exactly why.  He said something about if I don't
disconnect the main battery, the charger will charge the auxiliary battery
instead of the main one, or something like that  I need to get my aux.
battery system checked.  I don't know if it's working properly.
Patti
*********************************
On 4/26/07, Matthias Kuster <matthiaskuster@verizon.net> wrote:
>
> This might be a no-brainer but you also want to turn the seat (at
> least the passenger one) 180 degrees if you have a swivel mechanism.
> My 84 Westy has the metal all bent obviously because someone tried to
> get it out without turning the seat.
>
> Matthias
>
>
> On Apr 26, 2007, at 3:54 PM, Tom Young wrote:
>
> > Patti:
> >
> > If you have a home battery charger then just charge it in place.
> > If you
> > have to remove the battery to take it somewhere to be charged, and
> > it's a
> > Group 41 battery, then it can be something of a struggle to get it
> > out and
> > back in.  The problem is that the battery*just* fits in the spot
> > behind the
> > passenger's seat so there's no way to easily grab hold of it with your
> > hands.  The Group 41 batteries I've seen have a pair of "ears" with
> > slots in
> > them on each side of the battery which are designed, I guess, to
> > allow a
> > carrier to be attached to the battery.  However, the carrier takes
> > up enough
> > room on top of the battery that you can't cover up the battery
> > compartment
> > properly with the carrier in place.  If there's a Group 42 battery
> > in there
> > then you can easily get your fingers around it to lift it out.
> >
> > When I replaced the Group 42 battery that came with my used Westy
> > with a
> > Group 41 battery I tied some thin nylon rope through the holes in
> > the two
> > ears; using the rope as a flexible handle (you can leave it in
> > place and
> > still close up the battery compartment properly) allows you to pull
> > it out
> > and drop it back into the battery compartment.
> >
> > Tom Young
> >
> > When I installed my battery in my W
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "PB" <pbrattan@GMAIL.COM>
> > To: < vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
> > Sent: Thursday, April 26, 2007 3:27 PM
> > Subject: Charging the battery
> >
> >
> >> I've had my 1990 Westy for 2 weeks and I already have a dead battery.
> >> This
> >> doesn't alarm me very much because I had the stereo on with the van
> >> parked,
> >> thinking the stereo was on the auxiliary battery.
> >>
> >> I read that it's an "ordeal" to remove the battery.  (I just can't
> >> wait to
> >> start!)  Is there any kind of a "pigtail or other type of easy
> >> connect
> >> gadget just in case the battery goes dead?
>