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Fri Aug 28, 2009 11:29 am

My alternator seems to be working fine. I can start the car with a jump and it will run until I turn it off. My alt light stays on the entire time. My one test I've tried is removing the battery while the car is running, which it passed. The alternator has an internal voltage regulater. I need some guidance to help me trouble shoot the problem.

Fri Aug 28, 2009 1:01 pm

why do you think the alternator is working

Fri Aug 28, 2009 1:08 pm

nolyg wrote: My alternator seems to be working fine. I can start the car with a jump and it will run until I turn it off. My alt light stays on the entire time. My one test I've tried is removing the battery while the car is running, which it passed. The alternator has an internal voltage regulater. I need some guidance to help me trouble shoot the problem.

Have you had the battery tested?

Fri Aug 28, 2009 2:27 pm

new battery

Fri Aug 28, 2009 2:32 pm

hAVING A NEW AND FRESHLY CHARGED BATTERY AND IT STILL WON'T START AND RUN HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE ALTERNATOR NOT PRODUCING A CHARGE.

You have to check the alternator output with the correct equipment.
Start there before you repace it just because the light is on.

Why do you have to push start it with a fresh battery ???

grandpa here

Fri Aug 28, 2009 2:45 pm

right now I would have to jump start it because the battery is drained from the last time I ran the car. Some days I can turn it off and it would start right back up. Other days it is dead but start right up with a jump start.

Fri Aug 28, 2009 2:59 pm

\Look,,
charge the battery and take it to a checker or whatever and have them tell you whether or not the alternator is chargeing or not.
take an extra battery if you have to to get home.
You then have a starting point,

Get that one out of the way before you go after wires or short or , regulator or, or , or,,

This should cost you zero

grandpa here

Tue Sep 01, 2009 8:56 am

May sound really stuipid but, I had the same problem and the culprit was a burned out alternator warning light in the speedometer !

Without the bulb's filament passing current, the alternator will never charge the battery.

Tue Sep 01, 2009 9:19 am

I found about the bulb when I installed the alt. There wasn't a light so I had to install one. The light is working or so it appears to be.

Tue Sep 01, 2009 10:10 am

When you turn the key on without starting the engine, does the oil light come on?

Tue Sep 01, 2009 10:46 am

yes, and it stays on

Tue Sep 01, 2009 10:52 am

My alternator seems to be working fine. I can start the car with a jump and it will run until I turn it off. My alt light stays on the entire time. My one test I've tried is removing the battery while the car is running, which it passed. The alternator has an internal voltage regulater. I need some guidance to help me trouble shoot the problem.

sounds like something is drawing too much power .. or not turning off with the car .. check for power "leaking" a test light with the key off will do the trick if you have something pulling of the battery when its not running unhook it (unless you REALLY need it) .. if nothing is leaking .. do the test unhooking the battery agin then turn on EVERYTHING see if it dies if after al of that still nothing .. get a good battery charger and and some small traps you have a basic VW electrical gremlin[/quote]

Tue Sep 01, 2009 11:26 am

You say you had to "add" a gen light?

How did you connect it?

Did you know it doesn't get grounded?

1 wire goes to the Alt and the other goes to + side of the ignition. (seems wrong)

If you grounded the light, that could be why it stays on and the Alt doesn't charge the battery

Tue Sep 01, 2009 11:46 am

nolyg wrote: yes, and it stays on

The oil light stays on after the car starts?

Sat Oct 31, 2009 11:03 am

I meant to say the alt light.