Club 80-90 Forums

I've been toying with this project for a while so just an initial question for anyone who has added solar to charge the starter battery. Where did you route the wires to get into the engine bay?

I have LHD drive westy and it looks like I have a factory fitted hole with a grommet top left corner as you look into the back of the van at the top of the boot door. I think I can route wires through here from the roof into the gap just above the cupboard area, but curious how people get that wiring into the engine bay.

Thanks,
Mike

You could put a grommet in the roof to feed the wires down into the top cupboard then to whatever MPPT controller you have. As for getting into the engine bay, you can drill a hole on the inside behind the vents then fit a rubber grommet to it and feed the wires into the engine bay that way.

Iv gone through the top of the. rear air vents where the snorkel isand into the engine bay and then through the bulkhead into under the seat.. No drilling required.. Previous owner drilled through west roof and fired a junction box and silicone... Which obviously eventually leaked.. So i removed filled and. Rectified

Thanks both. So if I get into the vents I can feed into engine bay I guess is what your saying?.

Stesaw are you suggesting drilling from inside into the vent/outside then run cable down through the vent?

Rascal - If I drill the poptop it would be on the edge, outside of the tent but under the poptop, run to factory fitted hole/grommet into the top cupboard area, into controller. Then by the sounds of it get into the vent area to get into the engine bay for starter bat and through bulkhead to leisure bat

I went externally from the gutter into the top slat of the p[lastic vent , dropped down into the engine bay , no holes needed to be drilled and water runs that way anyway ….. i then went up into the cupboard from the engine bay deck, but you wont need to as your battery is in the engine bay anyway . I put my mppt controller in a water tight box infront of the tail light so i can access it by removing the light cluster to get to the fuse if need be

Thanks Mocki - out of interest how did you fix the cables in the gutter? Do they flap about?

I might do as you suggest but route cables through bulkhead and mount controller where the Victron is located (old BBB spot) then back again to the starter.

Gorrila glue actually held with a bit of masking tape while it set .
No flapping or movement at all .