Date:         Sat, 14 May 2011 21:38:31 -0500
Reply-To:     John Rodgers <inua@CHARTER.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         John Rodgers <inua@CHARTER.NET>
Subject:      Re: Voltage at alternator blue D+ lead?
Comments: To: David Beierl <dbeierl@ATTGLOBAL.NET>
In-Reply-To:  <4dcf122c.5069e50a.4751.68f1@mx.google.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

  A caution. If the brushes in the regulator pak are worn, you can get
replacement paks for anywhere between $13.95 and $30.00. I bought mine
off of E-bay for about $15.00. My experience with several of my FLAPS
down here was that they didn't want to sell me a regulator/brush pak -
wouldn't even make the effort to get them - but pushed real hard to sell
me a replacement alternator instead. Very often the only thing wrong is
the brushes are worn out. Only takes a few minutes to replace the brush
pak.

I would take a piece of fine(600+grit)  wet/dry sand paper and hold a
piece of it against the copper and turn the shaft with the pulley to
shine the surface up and expose fresh metal. It only takes a few turns
but it is good maintenance. Blow it out real good and then install the
brush pak. Should work fine.

One point. Usually an alternator never gets looked at until it stops
operating correctly. But an occasional check on those brushes would be
good maintenance practice heading off problems in advance, much like
changing coolant every two years, changing fuel lines every five years,
Changing tranny fluid in a manual tranny every 2-3 years.

John

John Rodgers
Clayartist and Moldmaker
88'GL VW Bus Driver
Chelsea, AL
Http://www.moldhaus.com


On 5/14/2011 6:36 PM, David Beierl wrote:
> At 07:01 PM 5/14/2011, Poppie Jagersand wrote:
>> Any hints to what to do next would be appreciated.
>
> Verify the D+ (if anything that five volts is high...), but in the
> meantime take out the regulator and see if the brushes are worn away;
> if not take entire alternator to a FLAPS for a load test.
>
> Yrs,
> d
>
>