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Thu Jan 12, 2006 10:19 pm

Hey guys. Okay so i just got a new generator put in my car about a month ago and it was running really good. I went and did a little work on my speedometer and took of the ground cable on the battery. WHen i put it back on i guess it wasnt tight or whatever and recently the geneartore light came on. I took it back to the guy because it's still under warranty and he is saying that because the battery cable was loose that messed the generator up. Is this true? Can a loose ground really kill the generator like that? Thanks for any help. and if it wasnt the battery cable does anybody have any suggestions as to the culprit. Really appreciate the help.

Thu Jan 12, 2006 11:03 pm

Did he test the generator at the terminals to see if it was charging? Did he test the battery itself? Unless the battery cable was off the terminal and bouncing around and off the terminal I can't see how a loose cabel could fry a generator. Those generators are stout units.

If the battery's charge is low, sometimes the generator will show a low output at the generator terminals because the battery is drawing major juice to it. Un-hooking the positive side of the generator and testing the output at the generator post should tell you what kind of charge the generator is putting out.

Another option is to bring it in to a battery shop. I have one in town and all they do is batteries and alternators (maybe a genrator or two but it's the same principal).

Thu Jan 12, 2006 11:06 pm

In a word, chadwick, NO, it won't cause a generator to go bad. Possibly an alternator, but not a generator.
You might try repolarising it.

Fri Jan 13, 2006 12:33 am

Thanks guys for the help. Why would the generator go out so fast though. WHen I was driving like right when i would go from a gear into neutral the light would come on and the car would almost stall. The light would stay on until i either pushed on the gas or drove and sometimes while i was driving

Fri Jan 13, 2006 12:37 am

The Bentley shop manual tells how to check the generator. It would be a good reference to own, especially if you ever plan on doing your own work.

Loose negative connection on the battery? Highly doubtful. Rebuilt products sometimes are defective. Maybe the brushes got chewed up because things aren't smooth inside? I think the speedometer event is coincidence.

Fri Jan 13, 2006 9:38 am

re-polarizing the generator is a good idea. Not replacing, but re-polarizing. Do a search here on re-polarizing and you'll see how to do it. You said you replaced the generator, sometimes when they sit un-used for a long time you have to repolarize them. I've never had to do that and just installed a generator that had been sitting in a box for 2 years and it worked fine.

What you said about the idle.....have you checked the fan belt tension? A loose belt could cause the generator to spin slower at idle if the belt is slipping. If you replaced the geneartor recently the belt tension could have been set incorrectly to begin with or could have become loose after a few days.

I would also reccomend cleaning all the conections (w/ wire brush, emory cloth, light sandpaper etc.). Both posts on the generator, all the conections on the voltage reg., both battery terminals. You can use electrical cleaner (get it at Radio Shack) and some WD-40 along with the scrubbing but a wire brush will probably be enough unless the connections are really greasy or really oxidized.

Also, this just happened to me, my generator wasn't grounding properly w/ the strap that holds it to the engine. I ran an additional ground wire from the generator to the engine case. Easy to do as there is a screw on the generator proabaly put there for running an extra ground.

Print out the wiring diagram for you car. It's on this site.

I would also suggest, based on what you've said, to find a new mechanic.

The Bentley manual, The Idiot's Guide, better yet, if you can find a copy at a used book store or online, Henry Elfrink's Technical Manual for T3's should be the 1st thing you buy after you get this fixed.

Fri Jan 13, 2006 10:59 am

Yeah i have the bentley manual, its really nice but the thing is this car is my only transportation. I would love to work on it by myself and just learn as i go but if i do something thats gonna take longer thatn a day i have to take public transportation to school and its like an hour away (Good ol Private skoo). So i have been trying to familiarize myself with anything i can and i pretty much only get to work on breaks and vacation days. You guys have been a great help though. About the generator, it was brand new when put in and we've had problems before with the generator. It never went out this soon though. How long does the average generator last?

Fri Jan 13, 2006 11:36 am

they last a long time. If you've gone through more than one you may have another problem. Bad voltage regulator? Poor/loose ground somewhere.

I owned a 72 Ghia for eight years and sold it in 1994 w/ the original generator in it. I replaced the brushes one time.

Fri Jan 13, 2006 1:26 pm

okay so i talked to the mechanic he said hes going to put a new generator in and charge $35 for labor. Should i do this. I think from now on i'll just work on it myself and go for the public transportation but should i just get this over with. He says he cant find the same generator as the one he put in before, otherwise it would be completely under warranty. By the way what brand of generator is it that goes in a type 3. Is it bosch.

Fri Jan 13, 2006 1:44 pm

You should check all the wiring before putting in another generator. Or have the mechanic do it. Those things shouldn't go bad like that. Something else has got to be wrong.

Fri Jan 13, 2006 4:10 pm

You can change a T-3 generator in less than 30 minutes. The $35 labor is no deal to fix something he installled.

Fri Jan 13, 2006 6:41 pm

Yeah thats what i was thinking, i did some research and i could not find a generator anywhere. Mid America says there is a temporary shortage and i went to another guy and he said they weren't in stock anymore. Does anyone know where i could find one?

Fri Jan 13, 2006 7:12 pm

Try your local autozone, or online, CIP1.com

Fri Jan 13, 2006 7:33 pm

on that website you gave russ they are sold out, i'll check autozone tommorow, good thing i have its a holiday on monday so i can get some stucc done. Thanks for all the help guys i really appreciate it. Oh yeah, one more question, i hear alot of stuff about checking voltage here and there and stuff like that, what kind of special tools are needed to do those things. I know Mid America has the dwell/volt/ thing, is that a good buy?