Club 80-90 Forums

Hello. I am a very new newbie with lots to learn. I bought my van (1980 T25 2l air cooled Devon conversion) in april from a guy in Sussex. It didn't reach edinburgh ( my home)without lots of smoke and an engine that needed to be rebuilt. So! -- lots of learning , toil and trouble and money later and i am trying to get myself sorted and understand the van and rebuild my confidence too! It is left hand drive and has the van battery under the passenger seat, there is a box with a lid for a battery under the driver's seat and this has just one lead going into it - red inside a black 'tube'- I guess there should also be a negative wire too?? I have asked a couple of friends but they can't help. I have seen the postings giving suggestions about good batteries that should fit but don't know how I would connect it! I wld be very grateful for some help. Julia

you can use an earth strap direct to the body. i personally like to wire a negative but i aint normal.

I do it a lot also - comes of messing about with boats all my life.

Hi. Sounds pretty straightforward when you know how!Wondered if something was missing.
Can you tell me what wiring a negative involves?

Thanks again, J.

you need to check all the split charging system is working ok but to fit an earth strap is very simple. just buy a kit off of ebay or the like. something like this
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/12-KIT-CAR-EA ... 3a68f28c48" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

you need to make sure it fits your terminal on the battery and then you need to drill a hole in the battery box/chassis, clean all the paint around it and bolt it to it.

if i were you i would take it to a local garage and get them to do it or see if anyone on here is local to you unless you are 100% confident. if you do it you will be making a circuit for something that you dont know what it does and what someone has done before you if you see what i mean.

jamie

That's really helpful Jamie. much appreciate your time and advice.
I'm due back with van to the garage next week so will be able to chat with the mechanic then. Think i would be well over stretched in my understnding of safe electrics to have a go myself!


Julia

if you have a devon then you probably have a zig cf6 cut into the wardrobe. just make sure the live goes into terminal 4 on that from the leisure battery.if it is then flick it over to 12v charge when the engine is running and you should have 12-13v at the battery to show it is charging. then flick it back to mains and it should isolate it from the van charging circuit and the voltage should drop slightly. keep it on 12v charge when driving it and switch it to mains when parked up. that way it wont drain your starter battery and when you plug in the 240v it will charge your leisure battery through the zig.

jamie