a friend of mine has this bus that he plans on pimping out with custom woodwork, wants to run bio diesel, etc. I'll be doing the welding on it. He does FANTASTIC work with wood and is really cool to hang out with...anyway

I've only seen it at a glance, and he replaced the batteries on it and managed to hook them up wrong

WIS has the procedure listed, but when I click on literature, it tells me "Effect: further search is not possible Cause: Model is not available in WIS" Also, 309D shows up as "O 309 D" five times under "model code" as #13 #14 #33 #34 and #42

My question is (and I know it's a longshot becaused I've been searching) does anyone have any schematics for this or at least know how to properly hook up the batteries? From what he's told me, there are 2 batteries and 4 terminal leads. Is this a 24 volt system, or does one battery control a generator or something, or are they connected in parallel???

anyone with any input on this vehicle would be greatly appreciated.

Do you have a multi meter with a continuity setting? If so, check continuity between the positive cables. If it shows continuity, then it is a parallel system, not series. Most truck applications use the batteries in parallel, so that you still have 12v, but double the amperage.

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RRGrassi


70's Southern Pacific #5608 Fairmont A-4 MOW car

13 VW JSW 2.0 TDI 193K, Tuned with DPF and EGR Delete.

91 W124 300D Turbo replaced, Pressure W/G actuator installed. 210K

90 Dodge D250 5.9 Cummins/5 speed. 400K

This being a camper my guess is that it is a dual battery system where the starter battery is isolated from the accessory battery when the ignition is off. Once the car is started, a relay switches the batteries together (i.e. in parallel) for charging. My vanagon camper has a system like this... it allows you to run things like lights/radio while camping without fear of discharging the main battery far enough that you are stranded.

If this is the case I'd recommend a 'deep cycle' battery for the accessory side. These are meant to withstand deep discharges unlike conventional auto batteries.

Again, this is a guess (which I'd like to think is educated ;-)

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1985 MBZ 300DT
1969 MBZ 220d
1984 MBZ 300TDT
1981 VW Vanagon

The 309d is typically a real bus and not a camper. It's the bus version of the 508d I believe. I've never seen a 24volt MB bus/van. My 307d and 409d were both 12 volt.
I'm not sure what WIS is, but most US service information does not include van data even though a fair number of the 309d's were imported for transit authorities. The best US source for parts is a guy in the NW who specializes in Mercedes trucks and vans. He has the all the parts information on these models. I could probably find his weblink if you are interested.

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1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

Thanks for the quick replies, guys. I was planning on heading over there with a multimeter, but I was hoping he could get it running enough to get it to my house. I hate working in other people's driveways. I'll keep these examples in mind as I trace out the cables. He tells me that some go to some kind of junction box, but I'll have to see for myself.

is this the guy? http://www.eurotech-services.com/ he's in Oregon

I'm thinking I'll give this guy a call before I head over there to troubleshoot