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Date:         Thu, 8 Mar 2001 09:44:48 -0500
Reply-To:     Doug Alcock <dgalcock@HEWITT.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Doug Alcock <dgalcock@HEWITT.COM>
Subject:      Re: alternator - '81 Westy
Comments: To: patty and danny <balodis_cabe@HOTMAIL.COM>
Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

>putting out enough juice (and it's really a guess because I don't know the first thing about any of this). Can >anyone tell me if there's a simple way to test the output of the alternator without having to take it out and take >it to a mechanic. Can't I just test some wires while the van's running? Any advice would be appreciated as I >really am starting from scratch on this.

Hi Danny,

There are others on the list who are much more qualified than I about this, but since none have jumped in I'll tell you what I can. Put a multimeter across your battery terminals while the engine is running. You should have a reading of greater than 13 volts --- anything less and you're not going to end up with a charged batttery. Since you've got the mulitmeter out anyway --- you could try measuring the voltage stored in the battery(s) after you turn the engine off --- and again when you go to start the van next time to see if you're getting a noticeable drop. If you are then you've got a short somewhere that it draining your batteries. In my Westy (an 84) there is a little switch on the LED panel that turns the indicators off, if yours run all the time look for this switch and turn them off. Though I doubt that they're your problem.

Good Luck,

Doug Alcock '84 Westy Toronto, Canada


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