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Wed Jun 11, 2008 6:19 pm

I have a 73 beetle with a 1600 DP. My problem is suddenly my generator light is on. My belt is tight and my battery is good. I checked my voltage at the gen and it was 12.3-12.5 volts at idle with the lights on and 14-14.2 volts with lights on and running at about 2500 RPM's. I have a generator not an alternator. What could cause this? If my brushes were getting bad would it still charge 14v and make the light to come on?
Thanks for any help

Wed Jun 11, 2008 7:30 pm

Is the generator light the one on the left or on the right?

Thu Jun 12, 2008 2:16 am

Gen light is left.

Give your regulator a whack with a screwdriver handle and see if it goes off. The points will stick.

jim

Thu Jun 12, 2008 4:48 am

The generator light is on the left and is marked with a G. I think my gen and reg are working because I have the correct voltage.

Fri Jun 13, 2008 9:24 am

Do you have a generator or an alternator? If you have an alternator with a built in regulator, pull the wire off that goes to your light. If the light goes off, then you've got a problem with the regulator. If it stays on then the wire is shorted to ground somewhere between your engine and your speedo. If you've got a generator, then I don't know. :D

Fri Jun 13, 2008 12:12 pm

Ive been having the same problem.I have a 71 with generator, My lite came on I have changed the regulator and had the battery and generator bench checked and all wiring checked It seems like the regulator wont kick in..like you have to polarize it to get the lite to turn off,and the charge system seems to work fine, but there has to be a better solution has anyone ran into this?

Fri Jun 13, 2008 12:17 pm

Does the light some on with just the key on? If not, check the idiot light itself under the hood. There should be 12volts going to the light with key on, engine off. If not the light will work in reverse and only turn on with the engine running.

Fri Jun 13, 2008 7:58 pm

See the voltage regulator does not kick on by itself. The Battery and generator work fine. Also this then effects the lights which go dim if the regulator is not working. we have a button installed to polarize the regulator. It's so frustrating because the car has a battery, generator and a voltage regulator. What would cause the regulator to not kick on? The voltage light on the dash also stays on until the Regulator starts working. Would this be a starter problem? We are out of ideas and the car is a great little bug.

Sat Jun 14, 2008 4:52 am

I bought a new regulator that was Asian and it started acting up in a month.

jim

Sat Jun 14, 2008 10:27 am

I have the same problem. I had everything checked and they told me that it was charging, but the light wont go off. I dont mind driving it with the light on, but I'm affraid that if the belt were to break I would have no way of knowing it as this is usually a good indicator or it, atleast it gives you a heads up. battery is new, altenator is charging so I am thinking that it is the regulator but I am not sure. I know at one point it would come on then go off and then back on again, so I dont know.

Mon Jun 16, 2008 3:37 am

I have the same problem, the generator is charging the battery and yesterday I replaced the regulator but the light is still always on when the car is running. Also as the RPM's increase the light gets brighter.

Could I have a short in the system? If so where would I start to look? This is my wife's car and runs great but I have it parked until I know it is safe and dependable and I don't have to worry about a possible electrical fire.

Please help

Tue Jun 17, 2008 11:50 am

gcan wrote: I have the same problem, the generator is charging the battery and yesterday I replaced the regulator but the light is still always on when the car is running. Also as the RPM's increase the light gets brighter.

Could I have a short in the system? If so where would I start to look? This is my wife's car and runs great but I have it parked until I know it is safe and dependable and I don't have to worry about a possible electrical fire.

Please help

I think this means that the 12 volts to the light in the speedo is not there. could be a blown fuse, broken wire, etc.

I can tell you that on my '73 super, there is a black wire underneath the 3 bulbs on the bottom of the speedo that are for turn signals, oil pressure and generator. This black wire is the 12 volt supply for the all 3 lights. It also runs to the fuel gauge and then down to fuse #12 (farthest to the right).

The way this system works is that the light has 12 volts on it at the speedo, if the alt isn't charging, the wire for the light (hooked either to the alt or to the reg if it's external) is at ground potential which grounds the other side of the light causing the light to burn, if the alt is charging, then the wire for the light (at the alt or reg) starts coming up closer to 12 volts. The bulb then has 12 volts on both sides with no ground so it doesn't come on. If the 12 volts from the fuse box is missing then when the 12 volts from the charging system comes on, the light is then grounded on the other side through something else (I'm assuming the fuel gauge) and the light comes on... in reverse sort of.

Check for 12 volts at the speedo.

Wed Jun 18, 2008 7:27 am

Ive about beat up my bug..gen lite is still on..Right now ive been through the wiring and am tripping the regulator it will charge 12 volts im going to try the speedo thing and see if I can figure it out thanks so much still trying

Wed Jun 18, 2008 8:07 am

Is the light on with the key on, engine off? If it is, than you have 12volts going to the speedo light, if not, than that is your prob.

Wed Jun 18, 2008 2:13 pm

jamesdagg wrote: Gen light is left.

Give your regulator a whack with a screwdriver handle and see if it goes off. The points will stick.

jim

Works on occasion, Back in the day when I had a Gen. I used to have to do this every single time I had to get a jump...

Another thing to check is the main red fuse for your Gen / Ign
I blew one, car was charging perfectly, but the light would not go off...
VW's always have wiring Germlins...

Wed Jun 18, 2008 8:09 pm

I think I found my problem, a ground wire.

According to the drawing there should be a BLK wire running to the GEN light and then go to the left turn signal, not on mine. I took a wire and grounded the bulb holder and the GEN light went out. Which brings up two questions -

1) the wiring drawing that matches my SB is for a 72 but mine is supposed to be a 73. No date plate but the VIN is for a 73 SB vert. Does this make sense?
2) I didn't leave the wire connected becasue I don;t know anythnig about aute electrics and wasn't sure if adding the wire could be hurting/blocking something?
At least I feel better knowing my new car isn't going to go up in smoke.

Thanks in advance for any input

Thu Jun 19, 2008 2:53 am

1) If your car was made in August you could have a mis match of wiring. Some from one year and some the next.

2) The black wire supplies + power to the gen light, signal warning light and oil warning light at all times that the key is on. They are switched on and off by their respective ground wires. It is done this way to save wire.

The flasher unit serves as the ground for the flasher bulb and the blue wire from the regulator is a ground for the gen light when the engine is off. The oil sensor grounds the oil light until pressure builds up.

Can you take a pic of the speedo connections?

jim

Thu Jun 19, 2008 4:02 am

I am pulling it through the front so can barely get my fingers in there so picture not doable.

Now I'm lost - if I understand you correctly you are saying normally it is already grounded, which makes it light and when it has power from the blue wire the light goes out......is that it?

which would mean instead of not having a ground I am missing power to the light??

Am I getting close?

Does anybody have a 72/73 and can confirm there is a ble=ack wire going to the generator light? Why in the world would mine not even have a wire? there isn't a extra BLK wire anywhere and also there isn't a place to connect it unless I connect it to the empty spade just beside and below the GEN spade.

Thu Jun 19, 2008 9:11 am

My '73 Super has a black wire running to the base of those 3 bulbs, it carries 12 volts from the fuse box to those 3 lights. The wire comes from the fuse box, to the back of the flasher, then to the fuel gauge and then ends at the base of the three bulbs. The wire hooked to the bulb itself should be solid blue. There's a blue wire with a red? (maybe green) stripe connected to the oil pressure light, make sure those aren't backwards. I'll take a picture tonight if I get time.

Thu Jun 19, 2008 9:20 am

I don't know if this will help or not but...

K2 is the gen light and the blue wire comes from the regulator. As you can see, the black wire is connected to fuse #12.