Vanagon EuroVan
Previous messageNext messagePrevious in topicNext in topicPrevious by same authorNext by same authorPrevious page (December 2002, week 1)Back to main VANAGON pageJoin or leave VANAGON (or change settings)ReplyPost a new messageSearchProportional fontNon-proportional font
Date:         Tue, 3 Dec 2002 16:05:24 -0500
Reply-To:     ian Butler <ian@BLUEMOON.HPLX.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         ian Butler <ian@BLUEMOON.HPLX.NET>
Subject:      Re: AW: Camping in cold & battery
Comments: To: David Brodbeck <gull@CYBERSPACE.ORG>
In-Reply-To:  <Pine.SUN.3.96.1021203111015.23718B-100000@grex.cyberspace.org>
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII

On Tue, 3 Dec 2002, David Brodbeck wrote:

> My diesel is that way. I've never noticed it in any other car, but I kind > of suspect that's because my gas cars all have a high idle when cold. The > diesel only has one idle speed. Then again, my alternator is also full of > oil thanks to the PO, so that may have something to do with it. ;) > Charges fine once it's been revved once, though. I think there just isn't > enough power to energize the field coil below a certain speed -- until > that happens it's working on residual magnetism and the output is really > low.

As I had come to understand it, there's a cutoff on alternators (either by design or by nature) that effectively disables charging at RPMs below idle (i.e. during starting.) I had an Audi coupe in which the PO had creatively installed an alternator from a Mazda RX-7 (hint: it involved brutal removal of the power steering), and while the battery light wouldn't come on, the voltage would slowly drop to nothing. Blip the throttle up to 1400rpm or so, and it'd jump to 14V and stay put.

I still have that coupe, sorta.. if I ever do an I5 conversion on the bus with it, it's going to get the Blade Runner dash gauges too. :)

ian Butler / ian@hplx.net '88 Scirocco 16v, '87 Syncro GL (plus remaining bits and pieces of an '86 Audi CGT)


Back to: Top of message | Previous page | Main VANAGON page

Please note - During the past 17 years of operation, several gigabytes of Vanagon mail messages have been archived. Searching the entire collection will take up to five minutes to complete. Please be patient!


Return to the archives @ gerry.vanagon.com


The vanagon mailing list archives are copyright (c) 1994-2011, and may not be reproduced without the express written permission of the list administrators. Posting messages to this mailing list grants a license to the mailing list administrators to reproduce the message in a compilation, either printed or electronic. All compilations will be not-for-profit, with any excess proceeds going to the Vanagon mailing list.

Any profits from list compilations go exclusively towards the management and operation of the Vanagon mailing list and vanagon mailing list web site.