Date:         Mon, 24 Sep 2007 09:45:46 -0400
Reply-To:     Don Hanson <dhanson@GORGE.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Don Hanson <dhanson@GORGE.NET>
Subject:      Re: Stuck in Alturas with electrical mystery

On Mon, 24 Sep 2007 08:58:57 -0400, Jack R. <jack007@COMCAST.NET> wrote:

>If you put a meter in the Alternator, you should see voltage in excess of
>13.5V, if so, your Alternator is ok... and proceed to check your ground
>straps, esp. the one near the tranny.
>
>Good luck!
>
>Jack R.
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
>dhanson@gorge.net
>Sent: Monday, September 24, 2007 1:32 AM
>To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>Subject: Stuck in Alturas with electrical mystery
>
>  Not sure if this will get through from my motel with wifi..since it's not
>my normal method.
>
>  But..As I was headed home up 395 along the east slope of the Sierras, my
>alternator and my O2
>sensor lights started flickering..then the flickering became on
>intermittently..Let me elaborate..If
>the vehicle is running along at half speed the indicator (alt and O2)lights
>will flicker a bit, at
>full rpm, they stay on steady.  At idle...they go off..  Now here it gets a
>bit strange.  If you
>switch on the headlights, which I was using at the time..nothing with the
>idiot lights
>change..Electrical load seems to have no effect on the indicator
>lights..only engine rpm...
>  I smelled a little strange mixture from the exhaust, at times on this
>trip..at least I think it
>was my exhaust..but I never saw any O2 lights..The vehicle has been running
>super, still is..except
>the battery went dead and left me whizzing down 395 in utter darkness!  So,
>I took my coach (aux)
>batt and swapped it into the engine position to make it back to Alturas,
>Ca...With the warning
>lights on steady at 70mph and off at about 20..flickering from 20 to 30-
35..
>  I was thinking it might be the O2 sensor wire shorting out somehow..I
>replaced that a while back
>with one from the bus depot with the connector kit..2 wire for the digifant
>II system on my inline
>rabbit motor...
>  Checked the obvious...alternator belt is fine, water is circulating..The
>dead battery read 12.2
>volts and the coach was at 12.65 on my cheapo meter.
>  So, here I am in a motel waiting for light to start digging around
>looking.  In a pretty small
>town with just a few mechanics..and a long way from any where else..Anybody
>have any suggestions as
>to where to start looking?  I didn't bring my Bently book, dang!  Could it
>be the alternator, with
>the lights going out at idle and coming on at about half speed?  Doesn't
>sound like an
>alternator..Could the brain have a "tumor" and be shorting somehow?  The
>exhaust smells fine at
>idle, not rich..but I have caught a few whiffs of exhaust that smells a bit
>"musty" at odd
>times...The motor has no emissions equipment and a straight through
>Magnaflow muffler..
>  My tentative game plan is to check the alternator output, somehow..I have
>the digital tester  and
>I recall our Bosche VW alternators are around 35 amps...anyhow, I will see
>if it is putting out
>anyting..  second, I plan to go through the O2 sensor connections again to
>make sure there are no
>shorts...though I understand the power involved with the O2 sensor is very
>low..so that is probably
>not causing the battery to die in  about 1/2 hour's driving time with the
>headlights on..I noticed
>no low battery indicators before the lights flickerd...Van was starting
>great, cranking strong...
>  Mileage didn't drop off at all recently either...
>  anybody?  Help!  I don't want to have to call home, get the SO to come
>down with her truck and my
>old tow bar, rig up a way to latch the bar onto the van and tow all the way
>back across Oregon..it's
>about 7 hrs driving time, one way...
>
>  please respond..Oh, I have limited battery time and no charger for the
>computer, either...but I
>can probably find a library one..
>  Don Hanson

Well, good morning all.  Thanks for the responses late last PM.  It is
just  getting light here in Beautiful downtown Alturas, Ca. where you may
be intrested to know, a motel room cost $80, with AARP discount.  I would
rather be in my own bed in the van, but it is full of camping and bicycle
gear, all strewed about from accessing the engine.
  The Alternator seems to be the most likely problem, so I will now attempt
to confirm this and perhaps work some McGuiver on the brushes, if they are
worn..As I do that, I shall find a shop with a battery charger and have my
original vehicle battery re-charged, then my auxillary one charged up to
full power, also.  I will likely be forced to attempt to drive on this AM.
  What kinda hours of use should I guess from my batteries running the
vehicle with no accessories in play?  Anyone wanna ball-park me a guess?
Should I purchase a 3rd battery to back up my extra, and then head out for
another 6 hours to home?  This is supposing I can't get any function from
the alternator by 'fudging' the brushes somehow..  Also, about 3 hours up
the road is Bend, Oregon,  where there is a good chance I might find a
Bosche alternator that would work in my 92 1.8liter inline motor..Would 3
hours be more likely to go, running a total loss system?
  If I stick my multimeter onto the alternator poles, I should get what
kinda reading? and on which scale should I set the meter?
  Sorry to be such a dunce about this, but electrics have always been tough
for me in vehicles.
   Thanks for the replies, I figured how to access the archives for real
time messages, I think.. so I am posting here again..
  Don Hanson