Date:         Mon, 15 Dec 2003 18:04:19 -0600
Reply-To:     Wesley Alden Pegden <wes@CS.UCHICAGO.EDU>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Wesley Alden Pegden <wes@CS.UCHICAGO.EDU>
Subject:      Re: battery and oxy lights coming on.
Comments: To: Kim Brennan <kimbrennan@MAC.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <731380AF-2DFF-11D8-98D1-000A958E5A98@mac.com>
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII

Yeah, I put in a new alternator, then got a new battery on my autozone
warranty.  Just a word of warning---the alternator that murray's auto
parts sold me was _almost_ the right one--- the pulley, however, stuck
much further out than on the previous one.  It took a 1" socket and a huge
pain in my ass to remove the pulley from the new one and change it with
the one from the old one (otherwise the belts wouldn't line up).  With my
fancy new alternator and battery, though, I'm sitting pretty good.  The
alternator came to $95 though, since I was getting locally and last
minute.  Oh well....

-wes

On Sun, 14 Dec 2003, Kim Brennan wrote:

> Could be getting time for a new alternator. First,  check the
> alternator belt itself. If it is shiny, it might be slipping at low
> rpms. If it looks okay, then get a volt meter and measure the volts at
> your battery at idle and then at a high enough rpm that the lights go
> out.
>
> If the volts at the battery are only reading 13.2 (or less) at high
> rpms, you aren't really charging your battery very well (and you may be
> in for a new battery in addition to a new alternator.)
>