Date:         Tue, 18 Nov 2003 18:14:20 -0500
Reply-To:     David and Shirin <daveshirin@ENERGYUNITED.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         David and Shirin <daveshirin@ENERGYUNITED.NET>
Subject:      1982 westy voltage drop fix
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

    I have been having problems since purchasing my westy with getting enough voltage up to the battery.  Tonight after checking all the power wires from the alternator to the battery and verifying that all the connections were clean and the wires were good.  I checked the ground wire from the engine to the unibody.  On my Westy the only ground I can find is from the front tranny mount to the body.  Is there soposed to be another factory ground wire?  Well i added one from the alternator to the unibody and all my problems are gone.  I now get plenty of voltage up to the battery.  I had bought one of those adjustable voltage regulators when intalling a rebuilt alternator a few months ago.  I had to turn it down I got such an improvement in voltage.  Without the ground wire I had 13.5 volts to the battery which dropped off to about 12.7 as soon as I turned the lights on.  With the new ground wire I was getting 14.2 to the battery and with the lights on it dropped to 14.05. 
    Anyone else having voltage problems, may just want to try adding a new ground wire.

David
1982 Westy



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