---- B Feddish <uprightbassghost@HOTMAIL.COM> wrote:
> How about moving it under the drivers seat?
>
> Seriously, what is wrong with the current battery location?   You could put it under the passenger seat but that is where most of us keep their aux batteries.

But, with regard to " .... what is wrong with the current battery location?":  One thing is the outgassing of hydrogen from the battery.  Hydrogen is explosive when mixed with oxygen.  VW addressed the problem by small vents in the battery box, and a gasket on the lid (to keep the gas out of the van).  But for most of the vans, the lid no longer fits tightly, so the gasket is not functional.  The other thing is, what happens when the van rolls, and the battery case fails to contain the battery acid?  Such failure is not likely, but it only takes one time to be a tragedy.

I, too, have thought about the battery location.  Some compound the concern by adding an auxiliary battery under the driver's seat, or under the rear passenger seat.

I think Scott Daniel has frequently commented on this, or at least has commented on it, if not frequently.  His solution is to use space in the engine compartment, in front of the right tail light, for the battery.  I don't know if he has actually put one there.  It would mean a much smaller run of cable to the alternator, for sure.

BTW, prior to the 1950s, it was common for American built sedans and pickups to have a battery box under the floor of the passenger compartment.  Only in the early fifties were batteries moved to the engine compartment in nearly all cars.

David McNeely