Date:         Thu, 20 Aug 1998 20:23:38 -0400
Reply-To:     Mark Thoma <TVReporter@STRATOS.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <Vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Mark Thoma <TVReporter@STRATOS.NET>
Subject:      WIERD SCIENCE
Comments: To: Vanagon@VANAGON.COM
Content-Type: multipart/alternative;

Hey Everybody,
There must be some kind of weird alternator bug going around.  Mine is acting very strange.
I recently moved the battery from the engine compartment to under the rear seat.  New heavy gauge  battery cables, new battery, new belts etc.  Suddenly the new  voltmeter on the dash starts giving strange readings.  When the van starts, I get 10 volts, after it comes off idle, it will come up to 12 slowly, then after a few seconds of higher rpm it will come up to 14 volts slowly.  If I turn the lights on down to 13 volts.  If I turn the heater fan on down to 12 volts or lower.  Obviously if I hit anything else even lower.  Thinking I had a bad alternator, I replaced the 65 amp model with a 90 amp Quantum alternator.  Same symptoms.  Thinking that maybe the primary lead from the alternator to the battery was too small for the job I bought some 6 guage multi-strand (1/4 inch in diamter) and soldered on some heavy copper lug terminals.  Same symptoms.  The battery has a good ground to the body, as does the alternator, and the engine itself.  Oh by the way, it's not just the gauge.  When I turn on the lights at night, and then turn on the heater fan the lights dim noticably.  I think with a 90 amp alternator I ought to be able to power all the lights and heater fans I want and still have juice to spare.  And one last thing, the local parts store tested both alternators and their machine said they were operating just fine.
ANY IDEAS?
Mark Thoma
'82 intercooled turbodiesel Vanagon
 

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