Right, well like I say, I will go about chubbying up the wire to the
dash one of these days. I doubt the existing wire will burn up in the
meantime. And are you saying that a halogen bulb lasts longer at 100%
voltage than at 90% voltage? I'd like to see a reference.

--
Jack "Rocket j Squirrel" Elliott
1984 Westfalia, auto trans,
Bend, Ore.

On 11/17/2013 05:35 PM, Dennis Haynes wrote:
> Most auto equipment will work over a large voltage range but performance
> does suffer. However it is not by accident or even cost savings that the
> wiring is "undersized". As the system gets loaded down thee resistances help
> to control the load on the alternator. Also, as so much wiring is not over
> current protected the smaller sizes also help to limit or control fault
> currents. Yes those wires can act as fuses hopefully burning up enough to
> open before the van is gone.
>
> For lighting getting as little as a 1 volt improvement can make a
> significant difference in performance. Halogen bulbs also need full voltage
> get full output and life.
>
> Motors are interesting. When they can't get sufficient voltage to do the job
> the current will actually increase causing even further drop etc.
>
> Dennis
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Rocket J Squirrel [mailto:camping.elliott@gmail.com]
> Sent: Sunday, November 17, 2013 8:22 PM
> To: Dennis Haynes; vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Re: High beams not working-lighting upgrades!
>
> "The ultimate would also be to upgrade the wiring all the way to the
> lights."
>
> I have an analog voltmeter on the dash, with a switch so I can monitor the
> voltage on the house battery and the engine battery. Well, to be accurate,
> the "engine" position actually connects the meter to the dash, not the
> battery. The voltage drop on the battery > dash wire is pretty significant
> when the headlights are turned on.
>
> One measly 8-gauge wire feed the dash, headlights, radiator fan. Been
> meaning to upsize that wire for a while now. But then . . . there's nothing
> up front that really cares whether the voltage is a bit low, is there?
> Headlights are bright enough for me.
>
> This on an '84.
>
> --
> Jack "Rocket j Squirrel" Elliott
> 1984 Westfalia, auto trans,
> Bend, Ore.
>
> On 11/17/2013 08:25 AM, Dennis Haynes wrote:
>> Actually it is not that difficult to improve the wiring to more of the
>> alternator output available for lighting. Start with the harness from
>> the alternator to the battery cable at the starter. If you were wiring
>> a house or building a 100 amp circuit would probably be #2 or larger.
>> As a test turn on everything for .5 hour so and then check that wire to
> see how hot it is.
>> The insulation will actually soften. Rev the engine and measure the
>> voltage drop. You will be surprised. So upgrade this with a #4. Now up
>> front for all the 87+ Vanagons with AC there are two wires going from
>> the battery terminal to the fuse box area. One goes to the box and the
>> other is the feed for the super high speed radiator fan.  Since this
>> fan speed is rarely used this can be a tap or better yet parallel the
>> two together. Now you have a good feed source for your headlight
>> relays or eve the stock headlight switch. The ultimate would also be to
> upgrade the wiring all the way to the lights.
>> You could also just run another wire from the alternator to the front.
>> I ran 2. One goes to the fuse box and the other to charge the auxiliary
> battery.
>>
>> Dennis
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On
>> Behalf Of Frank Condelli
>> Sent: Sunday, November 17, 2013 5:46 AM
>> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>> Subject: Re: High beams not working-lighting upgrades!
>>
>>           The relays are not installed to make it possible to add high
>> watt bulbs, that's just a side attraction.  The main reason for adding
>> the relays is that the headlamp circuit has too many resistance
>> gouging devices in the path to the headlights.  Just go measure the
>> voltage at your headlights without the relays, you will find it's about
> 9.5v not 12 as it should be.
>> AND, since some of these resistance gouging items are switches with
>> small contact points surrounded by plastic which melts when the
>> contact points are overheated the switch fails.  Headlamp switch and
>> ignition switch are the ones that normally fail.  So..the real reason
>> for installing the headlight relays is to save those two switches from
>> melting and to get more voltage to the headlights.  With my relay kit
>> you will get 11.5v at the headlights.  To get the full 12v you need to
>> redo all the OEM wiring with larger gauge wire, not really worth the
>> trouble unless you like doing that sort of thing for the extra 1/2v.
>>
>>
>> On Nov 16, 2013, at 8:32 PM, Automatic digest processor
>> <LISTSERV@GERRY.VANAGON.COM> wrote:
>>
>>> With all above said, I think relays are a good idea though,
>>> especially if you're constantly running high wattage units on a sustained
> basis.
>>> I've just never had the need for it.
>>
>>
>>
>> Cheers,
>>
>> Frank Condelli
>> Almonte, Ontario, Canada
>> '87 VW Westy, '00 Kawasaki 250 Sherpa, "98 Ducati 750 Monster & Lionel
>> Trains (Collection for sale) Frank Condelli & Associates -
>> Vanagon/Vanagon Westfalia Service in the Ottawa Valley BusFusion a VW
>> Camper camping event, Almonte, ON, June 05 ~ 08, 2014
>>