Hey all. I just replaced my front battery and then my van still died. Just found there is a second battery under the van in the middle. It was super corroded and looks like it hasnt been changed in years ( i got the van 6 months ago)

Question;
Does the van need both batteries to run? Can i go without installing the second battery and just tape up the cords with electrical tape.

this second battery seems like it was sucking all the juice and making it harder for the recharge of the front battery.

the alternator connection seems okay. Going to get a volt checker now to see how one charged battery works.

i trickle charged the new battery that died over night so i know i have at least some charge in it.

thank you

 

Assuming not a Diesel, to my knowledge the second battery isn’t needed for the van to run. IIRC it’s only there to power a trailer. You should be fine disconnecting it and insulating the positive cable.

There’s an isolator under the main battery that disconnects the aux battery when the van’s not running. For example, you only need to disconnect the main battery to work on the alternator or starter.

Sixto
07 E350 5.4 198K miles