Thank You Dana, Once again you have proven what I mentioned. Your van was ok from the factory until it was converted and someone hooked up wires to the wrong spot. The lift should be powered directly from the battery and protected with a "automotive circuit breaker" The doors and ez lock should be on their own circuits and protected with a fuse, relay or a circuit breaker. Automotive tires are for comfort and smooth ride. Truck tires are for all terrain and rough driving. They can also cost 20 percent more. Ask your Chevy Dealer for the proper size battery based on all your new additions. Best Wishes In a message dated 1/21/2011 5:59:06 P.M. Central Standard Time, [email protected] writes:
What is the best battery for a full-size van? My battery is not working but they said because the cigarette lighter was hooked up to the battery and charging all the time. Chevrolet had to order new parts from the people that did the automatic doors, lift and easy lock. It was wired incorrectly. Is it best for full size to have a truck tire? Dana In a message dated 1/21/2011 5:49:57 P.M. Central Standard Time, [email protected] writes: Amen Wheels! How was it that YOU were able to find this and those "several others" were not. Rarely, will this apply to an OEM product. It usually gets messed with during conversion. A coated wire that carries energy gets burnt or grounded to the frame during fabrication and oops "There Goes Another KerPlop" Best Wishes In a message dated 1/21/2011 5:40:48 P.M. Central Standard Time, [email protected] writes: HERE IS WHAT I FOUND ABOUT checking for "key off" drain......Read #1 If this checks out, you should check whether or not the battery is holding a charge, or if something on the vehicle is discharging the battery. There are three likely scenarios to explain the problems you're having: 1. A high parasitic draw ("key off" load).This can quickly discharge a battery and decrease its service life. This may be caused by a trunk light, cigarette lighter, clock/radio, alarm system or any other electrical device. Current drain on the battery can be checked with an ammeter. With the ignition off, disconnect one of the battery cables. Connect one ammeter lead to the battery and the other to the cable. The normal current drain on most vehicles should be about 25 milliamps or less. If the key-off drain exceeds 100 milliamps, there's an electrical problem that requires further diagnosis. If you don’t want to take your car to a mechanic, the easiest way to isolate the problem is to pull one fuse at a time from the fuse panel until the ammeter reading drops. 2. A problem with your battery is causing it to not hold a charge. To check this, remove the battery from the vehicle, charge it to the full voltage, wait 12-24 hours then measure its voltage. Another faster, but less preferable way to do this, is to turn on the high beam headlights for 15 seconds, turn them off, wait five to 10 minutes, then check the voltage. If you measure the voltage of the battery the next day, week, or even a month later, the voltage should be close to the max voltages listed above. If the voltage holds when not installed in your vehicle but drops when it is in your vehicle, see #1 above. 3. The battery was somehow discharged, and your maintenance charger is not able to properly charge your deeply discharged battery. Please see the directions for charging a deeply discharged battery. ----- Original Message ----- From: [email protected]_ (mailto:[email protected]) To: [email protected]_ (mailto:[email protected]) Sent: Friday, January 21, 2011 4:50 PM Subject: [QUAD-L] optima red top battery "You had people look at your van" doesn't say a lot about the quality and professionalism of those in the trade that are certified specialist with a miliamperage draw meter. The test is performed under the hood in the fuse/circuit breaker box... on each circuit. The test is performed with the key or ignition off and done with the ignition on. Its a timely process. Not man people on the street can perform this specialized task. I can understand that. So your resolve is to purchase a premium battery... and hope. I will also be there with you hoping. I hope the company that sells you that battery has a 24/7 hotlines to service your emergency needs too. If you have sensitive EMC control panel, jumping the primary battery is a NO, NO. If you have a backup battery in your system, you can jump that, if needed. Best Wishes In a message dated 1/21/2011 1:59:42 P.M. Central Standard Time, [email protected] writes: Thanks everyone for your ideas. With all my EMC equipment and lift, I plan to buy the yellow top optima. I've had people look at my van and nobody coluld say if there is a trickle discharg happening or where. EMC now makes the 2nd battery usable if 1str battery dies. My old equipment with 2nd airplane battery will not take over to start the van.
