Date: Tue, 8 Jan 2008 13:08:24 -0500
Reply-To: craig cowan <phishman068@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: craig cowan <phishman068@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Battery Light
In-Reply-To: <6C6DFE3E-E5BE-4806-B41F-D9D7470C58F8@newclear.us>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
I bought one from my local FLAPS, rebuilt bosche for something like $120.
The great thing is, its got a lifetime replacement warranty, which i've
already used once (as i managed to kill an alternator in 2 weeks......i have
a skill.).
And that means nationwide, when my alternator dies, i'm only a few miles
from a free replacement!
(Though this way you dont get to carry a spare)
-Craig
'85GL
On Jan 8, 2008 12:20 PM, Kai Mei <kai@newclear.us> wrote:
> Alternators seem to run $45 to $55 shipped on the Samba Classifieds.
> I just bought a rebuilt at a alternator store for $70. Is it quality
> rebuild?who knows? but it's quiet and putting out 14.2V at the
> battery, so I'm not complaining.
>
>
> On Jan 7, 2008, at 1:39 PM, Old Volks Home wrote:
>
> > Greg -
> >
> > Airhead Parts has a the Genuine Bosch Regulator for $53.74:
> >
> > http://www.airheadparts.com/viewDetail.asp?
> > strMasterCat=&idproduct=7748
> >
> > Your 85 should have the same alternator that's on both my 84's
> > --
> > Jim Thompson
> > 84 GL 1.9 "Gloria"
> > 84 Westfalia 2.1 "Ole Putt"
> > 73 K Ghia Coupe "Denise"
> > 72 411 Station Wagon "Pug"
> > oldvolkshome@gmail.com
> > http://www.oldvolkshome.com
> > ***********************************
> > On Jan 7, 2008 10:21 AM, Greg Potts <greg@pottsfamily.ca> wrote:
> >
> >> Hi John,
> >>
> >> OK, I've put a charged battery into it and the light is still on. The
> >> voltage at the battery is reading just barely above 12V which tells
> >> me the alternator is not doing its job. The light does not go out
> >> when the engine is revved up (which it did before the stall out on
> >> Jan 4th) but it does flicker a bit in brightness.
> >>
> >> The ground strap was loose on the original battery, but was not
> >> disconnected while the engine was running; The engine had already
> >> died out when I discovered it was not fully tightened down. I will be
> >> replacing it ASAP with a heavier and slightly longer cable.
> >>
> >> I don't have a spare VR on hand, and my local NAPA wants $49 for a
> >> BERU voltage regulator vs $89 for the Bosch regulator. Are these
> >> prices in line? I haven't yet looked close enough to determine which
> >> alternator i have.
> >>
> >> My local auto-electric rebuilder did the bosch alternator on my
> >> aircooled bus for $125 last summer so I'm thinking that would be a
> >> better choice. It doesn't look like the re-and-re will be all that
> >> much trouble and having the alternator completely redone seems like a
> >> better idea...
> >>
> >> Additional guidance appreciated...
> >>
> >> Happy Trails,
> >>
> >> Greg Potts
> >> 1973/74/77/79 Westfakia "Bob The Tomato
> >> www.pottsfamily.ca
> >> www.busesofthecorn.com
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> On 5-Jan-08, at 12:03 AM, John Meeks wrote:
> >>
> >>> Greg,
> >>> My money's on worn alternator brushes. Got a spare voltage
> >>> regulator?
> >>> Let us know what you find.
> >>> John
> >>>
> >>> On Jan 4, 2008 8:33 PM, Greg Potts <greg@pottsfamily.ca> wrote:
> >>>> Hi Volks,
> >>>>
> >>>> I was driving the vanagon on the highway tonight and as I
> >>>> cruised up
> >>>> the off-ramp I saw the battery warning light was on. I figured
> >>>> it had
> >>>> spit the belt, and made a note to deal with it as soon as I got
> >>>> home,
> >>>> since I was only a few miles further. And then as I pulled away
> >>>> from
> >>>> the off-ramp, the light went out. Uh-oh, says I... That's the
> >>>> sign of
> >>>> a wonky alternator, or a VERY loose belt. So I kept watch on the
> >>>> tachometer to get an idea of how bad the problem was... it
> >>>> seemed to
> >>>> vary a bit, lighting up when below 2,200 to 3,000 RPM.
> >>>>
> >>>> But it didn't last 7 minutes before the engine quit completely. I
> >>>> still had dash lights and emergency flashers (dim, and fast-
> >>>> flashing), but the starter wouldn't even click. I checked the belts
> >>>> and they were OK, but the battery connection was pretty loose. I
> >>>> pried off the + terminal without much trouble at all. Luckily I was
> >>>> very close to my brother's house at the time and he and I were able
> >>>> to tow the vanagon back to my house.
> >>>>
> >>>> So what's the prognosis? Did the loose battery terminal allow the
> >>>> battery to run flat, or does this pattern indicate a failed
> >>>> alternator? I can throw a spare marine battery into it tomorrow to
> >>>> get it running again; once it's lit up I can put a voltmeter on it
> >>>> and see if it's charging.
> >>
>
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