New Enthusiast From California

[OCBlue88]

Hi All from Southern California. Been a closet Camper Van enthusiast for years. But life often gets in the way until this year. We bought our very first Camper Van. Not my first experience with vans as I grew up with fond memories in my Uncle's VW Westfalia that he took me on trips all around California. Never really forgot those great times and as I get older I long for those happy memories.

Got a relatively well cared for 1988 Ford E350 Falcon 190. The van was once featured in Barn Finds back in 2020. I bought it from the 3rd owner, who bought it from the 2nd owner who was an automotive "flipper" (buys and sells used vehicles). The van is lovely but time parked on the street for 6 years haven't been too kind to it. The foundation is still there and nothing is beaten to death. Mostly all original. But lots of mechanical work ahead of me though.

What does one do in California when you get a camper? Go to the beach! First trip right on the sand.

Untitled by Jordan Christopher, on Flickr

Untitled by Jordan Christopher, on Flickr

 

[Jackiemac]

That looks awesome! Welcome to the forum. Ask whatever you need to if you get stuck.

 

[OCBlue88]

Thank you. She's got the Vintage Patina going on! It's amazing the decals remained mostly intact. I'm thinking of doing clay bar treatment and sealing with wax. She needs it.

I'll be asking tons of questions for sure. The original 3-way Fridge don't work. The upgraded AGM coach batteries are dying and I'm thinking of upgrading to a LiFePo to save weight for the same power. Transmission leaking at Speedo cable end. Suspension is barely hanging on and so is the steering joints and rubber bushings. But she's running! Powertrain is damn smooth...so far.

 

[DonTom]

The original 3-way Fridge don't work

On all three modes? If so, start my checking for the 12V at the fridge. All three modes require 12VDC.

-Don- Auburn, CA

 

[OCBlue88]

On all three modes? If so, start my checking for the 12V at the fridge. All three modes require 12VDC.

-Don- Auburn, CA

I don't really know because I've never tried to turn it on. Previous Owner just said it wasn't cooling recently. And she also mentioned one of the four AGM Coach batteries died and so the whole coach has no power. I'll bet it's why the Fridge "stopped working". At least I hope that's the case. So first order of business is to fix the dead AGM battery.

It currently has 4 Leoch 240 Ah AGM batteries hooked up to a GoWise PS1005 Inverter and I assume there's a charger near the batteries somewhere (I see a blue box in there next to the batteries under the Sofa/Bed). Those batteries are 6+ years old and I'll bet they're at end of useful lives. So I would prefer to chuck all 4 and replace with one single 300 Ah LiFePO4 battery. Save money and weight instead of replacing the 4 AGM's. I just need to make sure the charger can handle the lithium. Suggestions? Sound idea? Bad idea? I have zero experience with this stuff.

Pic for attention. Another day at the beach doing interior Disinfection and clean up. The previous owner put all kinds of velcro stick on pads for privacy covers and they all left gooey glue leftovers! Got all that crap out thank God! It's nice to do work with Ocean Waves crashing in the background.
Untitled by Jordan Christopher, on Flickr

 

[Vanbrat]

That looks like an adventure waiting to happen.

 

[DonTom]

one single 300 Ah LiFePO4 battery

Each of my two motorhomes use an Amperetime (now called "Litime") 300 Ah LiFePO4 battery. They cost me twice the price of today when I purchased mine a few years ago. A good decent battery, IMO.

And these are designed to be left 100% charged for storage, which makes things easier.

In my Y2K RV, it is the only house battery. In my 2022 Class A, I did this as an added 2nd house battery system for more power for things such as the MW oven, hair driers, and other high current items that were well above the current the stock system could handle. I also use it for my 12 volt ham radio junk and other stuff. So now 500 AH total in that motorhome.

I left the 200 AH L/A battery as stock but when they crap out, perhaps I will then change them also to a single LiFePO4 battery. But I expect even LifePO4 to be obsolete by then with the new solid state batteries soon hitting the market. L/A for house batteries will also be obsolete soon, IMO.

-Don- Auburn, CA

 

[SMR]

Welcome to the forum!

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

It currently has 4 Leoch 240 Ah AGM batteries hooked up to a GoWise PS1005 Inverter and I assume there's a charger near the batteries somewhere (I see a blue box in there next to the batteries under the Sofa/Bed). Those batteries are 6+ years old and I'll bet they're at end of useful lives. So I would prefer to chuck all 4 and replace with one single 300 Ah LiFePO4 battery. Save money and weight instead of replacing the 4 AGM's. I just need to make sure the charger can handle the lithium. Suggestions? Sound idea? Bad idea? I have zero experience with this stuff.

You would be cutting the battery capacity from 980AH down to 300 AH. The better power delivery of the LiFEPO4 would buy back a little of that, but it's still a lot less stored power. Are you sure that's enough? What will be run via the inverter and for how long?

Any 12v charger will work with the new battery but may not be optimal for either max charge or least charging time. Assuming it is charging those AGM LA batteries ok, it's probably "good enough" for the new one even if not ideal. Find out what make/model it is and we can make a more educated guess.

 

[ButchW1]

You would be cutting the battery capacity from 980AH down to 300 AH. The better power delivery of the LiFEPO4 would buy back a little of that, but it's still a lot less stored power. Are you sure that's enough? What will be run via the inverter and for how long?

Any 12v charger will work with the new battery but may not be optimal for either max charge or least charging time. Assuming it is charging those AGM LA batteries ok, it's probably "good enough" for the new one even if not ideal. Find out what make/model it is and we can make a more educated guess.

This was my thoughts...
Butch

 

[OCBlue88]

You would be cutting the battery capacity from 980AH down to 300 AH. The better power delivery of the LiFEPO4 would buy back a little of that, but it's still a lot less stored power. Are you sure that's enough? What will be run via the inverter and for how long?

Any 12v charger will work with the new battery but may not be optimal for either max charge or least charging time. Assuming it is charging those AGM LA batteries ok, it's probably "good enough" for the new one even if not ideal. Find out what make/model it is and we can make a more educated guess.

Thank you I appreciate it. I'm so illiterate about this stuff and information is just scattered online. I do consistently get the information that in order for the LiFePO to be charged correctly, my charger needs to have the switch between AGM and LiFePO the handle the difference in chemistry. I have to open up the sofa in and get a good picture of the charger. So much to do on the van so this has been 4th or 5th on the To-Do list.

Another issue I'm dealing with is the location of the GoWise PS1005 Inverter behind the driver's seat, which is preventing me from pushing my seat further back. It also prevents me from rotating the driver's seat so I can remove the Dog House completely. It's minor but yet extremely annoying. My instincts are telling me to just rip out all 300+ lbs. of AGM batteries, the Inverter, and the charger, all sitting under my sofa and behind the driver's seat. And just replace with an equivalent Bluetti Power Bank. Re-purpose the existing wiring. Possibly eliminate 275 lbs., and get my Driver's Seat adjustment range back, and get an all in one solution. The van also has four 100 watt Renogy solar panels, which I plan to keep.

 

[CharlesinGA]

Many people are getting away from the absorption fridge in favor of a 12v compressor fridge. If you have limited solar (and you don't have much roof for solar) the absorption will run forever on a little propane and a bit of 12v for control circuits. If the cooling unit if failing, they can be replaced or rebuilt. Think long and hard before you get rid of it, they are the best off grid/boondocking fridge you can get.

Charles

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

My instincts are telling me to just rip out all 300+ lbs. of AGM batteries, the Inverter, and the charger, all sitting under my sofa and behind the driver's seat. And just replace with an equivalent Bluetti Power Bank. Re-purpose the existing wiring. Possibly eliminate 275 lbs., and get my Driver's Seat adjustment range back, and get an all in one solution.

The Bluetti will have lithium batteries and optimal charger and inverter, but still isn't going to be a lightweight or tiny. Mine (an AC200l) is bulky, weighs 66 lbs and produces just 2 kwh. Might be easier than revamping what you have, but you need to do a lot of figuring to determine how many Kwh you need. And most stuff in an RV runs on 12v, not 120vac.

 

[Adventurous Traveler]

That looks like an adventure waiting to happen.

And $$$$$$.......

 

[OCBlue88]

The Bluetti will have lithium batteries and optimal charger and inverter, but still isn't going to be a lightweight or tiny. Mine (an AC200l) is bulky, weighs 66 lbs and produces just 2 kwh. Might be easier than revamping what you have, but you need to do a lot of figuring to determine how many Kwh you need. And most stuff in an RV runs on 12v, not 120vac.

So my current set up is 4 Leoch 224 Ah AGM's. Which is equivalent to approximately 225 Ah usable power. They are hooked up in series to a BlueSolar charge controller MPPT 100/30, then to a GoWise 1500 watt Inverter PS1005 model. They are charged by three 100 watt Renogy Solar Panels.

According to BlueSolar, my charge controller does indeed have a selector to allow it properly handle AGM's or Lithium. Since one of my AGM batteries already dead, and the rest will go soon (6 years old), I want to replace them all with one singe Lithium battery. I dropped the idea of a single solution Powerbank. Per Ai, a 280 Ah Lithium will be the most cost effective, closest equivalent to my current 4 AGM set up.

No shortage of 280 Ah Lithium batteries on Amazon. Any recommendations?

Also, am I correct in assuming that to do this swap, it's as simple as disconnecting the 4 existing AGM's wired in series, and placing the new Lithium battery in and reconnecting the negative/Positive to the Charge Controller (after flipping the switch to Lithium)?

 

[DonTom]

No shortage of 280 Ah Lithium batteries on Amazon. Any recommendations?

I use one of these in each of my motorhomes, They are decent batteries, IMO.

BTW, I paid twice that price a few years ago.

-Don- Bean Flat, NV

 

[easontsien]

Everything that has stood the test of time has its own unique historical charm. This may bring about many old problems, but it does not prevent you from creating new memories with her.
————————————————
A Leading Manufacturer of Trailer Jack

 

[ButchW1]

Everything that has stood the test of time has its own unique historical charm. This may bring about many old problems, but it does not prevent you from creating new memories with her.
————————————————
A Leading Manufacturer of Trailer Jack

Exactly!... I tow a '86 Suzuki Samurai, so I know all about this... As a matter of fact the little Zuk is in the process of getting a new distributor right now...
Butch

 

[OCBlue88]

Everything that has stood the test of time has its own unique historical charm. This may bring about many old problems, but it does not prevent you from creating new memories with her.
————————————————
A Leading Manufacturer of Trailer Jack

Absolutely! This van is a survivor thanks to its previous owners who loved her. The last one tattooed the van on her arm! She covered the seats in fabric and the dashboard and the floor also had covers on them. This saved those areas from wear. It's a California van so it's 99% rust-free on the body. Some surface rust on the frame. As far as memories go, my wife and I already making plans for a trip up Highway 1 in Big Sur sometime at end of May or early June. We deployed her awning for the first time. It was creaky for sure, and a bit dirty. But no rips or tears or ugly scars! Awesome. I cleaned and re-lubed the joints. Very well designed awning I must say. It really does make a difference having that over the side doors.
Untitled by Jordan Christopher, on Flickr