Date: Tue, 1 Nov 2005 19:01:56 -0500
Reply-To: Tim Demarest <tim.demarest@POBOX.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Tim Demarest <tim.demarest@POBOX.COM>
Subject: Re: Think I have an electrical problem here.
In-Reply-To: <vanagon%2005110118120308@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
Roger,
The alternator should produce something above 14VDC when the
engine is running, this sounds perfectly OK. You aren't overcharging your
battery. Most US cars I dealt with in the past had about 14.5VDC (at the
battery) with the alternator running, the Bosch voltage regulators seem to
be set closer to 14.2VDC (the list will correct me if I got the tenths
wrong :-).
It sounds like your alternator blade connector is probably OK, and
the right one for connecting the blue wire. The voltages you describe
*should* give you correct dash LED operation,. One side of the LED in the
dash is set to battery+ (when the key is turned on, of course), the other
side is connected to that alternator connector via the blue wire. Any time
the voltage on the blue wire is significantly *below* battery+, the LED
should glow. I think the 5.72 you see (with the key on, but the engine off)
should be low enough to light the LED.
I had similar symptoms to those you described when I had the blue
wire on the wrong blade terminal (on my alternator, there are two), but it
sounds like you don't have that problem... your trouble lies elsewhere, I'd
suspect either a break in the blue wire between the alternator and the
dash, a problem inside the dash cluster, or (the old standby for all odd
electrical gremlins) dirty grounds...
Tim
At 06:07 PM 11/1/2005 -0500, Roger Sisler wrote:
>Sorry, I think I was in a hurry when i posted this and forgot english.Still
>cant spell though.Dont have spell check to cover my tracks either. The 2
>dash lights that come on when the engine is started,dont anymore.The alt
>and 02 lights. Never thought this would happen to me.I installed a
>auxillery battery, and this started. Tim
>Demarest says that it may be the alt wire being on the wrong blade at the
>rear of the alt.My alt has only one blade.Cant go wrong there.He gave me
>some specs to look for.12V at the alt with the engine running. I get
>14.02. 5.72 with the meter between the blue wire and ground,the engine
>off , key on. 0 V with the key off. The aux battery has 13.07 showing. This
>is right after turning the engine off.It may bleed down a few tenths of a
>volt after a few minutes.I figure that I am overcharging the
>batteries.Never checked the main battery(pain in the rear to take that
>cover off, but I will).I will also check the cells for water being boiled
>out.Voltage regulator?I am suspecting the 2 resisters and the diode in the
>insturment cluster to be fried.The Bentley shows these features in the
>wiring diagrams for a 85.What do ya think.
| 
