![]() So you could listen to the radio and use all the 12v accessories you wanted while camping and even run it dead but the Westy would still crank. I'm not a bus/Westy expert by any means but we rented one last year that was set up with a "camp battery." No idea whether that is OE or not but the camp battery came online while the ignition was off. The amount of current which flows into each battery is then determined by the battery’s own state of charge (based on voltage regulator settings). This will ensure that the battery you dedicated for starting never gets drained.Ī Battery Isolator will also allow you to simultaneously charge both independent power sources at the same time. This problem is known as multiple battery drain and could leave you with dead batteries.Ī Battery Isolator will prevent current from flowing from one battery to the other and each battery will act as an independent power source. Without a Battery Isolator, a battery with a lower charge will draw power from a battery with a higher charge, until the batteries equalize. Many vehicles have multiple batteries: one dedicated for starting the engine and the other to power accessories. Here's a good quote from the amazon page that sums up why NOT to run parallel batteries since you obviously don't need that much amperage to start a VW: Because of the VERY heavy starting current needed, the batteries were often connected in parallel VIA the starter so you had two heavy cables to the starter instead of one. Now they all had a cutoff relay/solenoid so the electrical system was completely disabled when you turned the isolator switch off outside the truck, but the batteries were still all connected together permanently. Weeelll - I'm a truck driver and every Kenworth/Ford/Sterling (American) truck I ever drove always had 3 or 4 batteries direct connected in parallel - no isolator in sight. ![]() You need a battery isolator to run two batteries in a car…these have been used in trucks forever…Ħ9 Beetle, (1/2 ton), 59 Ford Ranch Wagon (for the wife and kiddos), 92 Motorhome for vacationing. Repairs and maintenance for the home mechanic ![]() You'll need to upgrade your wiring from the alternator to the battery, and from battery to the high power items you add. There are others, but that will give you a start. There are 75 and 90 amp alternators available for the VW - try Or you can use an isolator system to separate the batteries as noted in the first paragraph. In most other countries, they connect the batteries in series to give 24v electrical systems for trucks, because that does not need such a current flow for starting, and provides less voltage drop to the lights on 2 or 3 trailers (road trains). It's common to do this with trucks/tractors etc (especially in the USA where they like to use 12v even in the largest trucks) but that's mostly because they have extremely high amperage starter motors to crank 12 to 16 litre diesel engines. That will increase the reserve capacity (how long they can provide power before going flat), whilst remaining a 12v system. If you REALLY need an extra battery (I can't see why though), the simplest connection is to put one under the other side of the rear seat, and wire it in parallel to the main battery (positive to positive and negative to negative). That's quite a lot of spare amps to play with. So the stock 55amp alternator has about 30-35 amps "spare" for powering add-on accessories and for charging the battery. The stock electrical system uses about 20 amps when the engine, lights and normal radio are on, and more than that momentarily when you use the brakes, horn etc. These keep your main battery separated and charged for starting the car, then a voltage sensitive relay connects the extra battery into the charging circuit, once the alternator is producing power. If you want to keep the batteries separate - using the extra battery only for the add-on electrical load, but still get charged by the alternator when the engine is running, you can buy battery isolator systems from camping (trailer/caravan/4WD) supply places. Why do you think you need a second battery? All that does is increase the time it takes for a battery to go flat if there is a higher current drain than the alternator provides for charging. I wanted to add the second battery for accessories that I may add later.Īlso is there somewhere to buy a high output alternator? I am adding a high end sound system and need a little extra. I am wondering if there is an installation kit or a way to add 2 batteries to my 69 bug. Posted: Sun 10:04 pm Post subject: 2 batteries on my 69 bug & high output alternator Quick sort: Show newest posts on top | Show oldest posts on top 2 batteries on my 69 bug & high output alternator
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