TheSamba.com :: View topic - '70 Beetle cd changer draining battery... or generator???

Sat Oct 31, 2009 1:26 am

I bought a Bug about a month ago. I've been driving it daily. The radio didn't work so I decided to install a new one. The diagram for the radio says to hook the fuzed Memory wire up to the battery. The Hot goes to the ignition. According to VW for Compleat Idiots I have it hooked up with the Memory wire spliced into the wire going between the ignition to the horn. The Hot wire is on the front of the fuze where the radio is supposed to go. Is there anybody out there who knows what I screwed up? :?: :!: I can jump the car and drive it all day. The radio and my lights flicker. As soon as I shut down the engine the battery is dead. I don't know if the radio is still on because there's no juice in the battery.

Sat Oct 31, 2009 5:57 am

Be sure that your battery is OK - disconnect the changer and see if you still have the problem. May be jsut a coincidence that the battery is crapping out now. Also, double check that you are really connecting just the memory to hot . I screwed that up when installing a head unit in my daughter's Ranger.....

Sat Oct 31, 2009 9:29 am

With a voltmeter connected to the battery, turn to start position, hold it there 10 seconds, and (as you are holding the key over) record the battery voltage; a good battery should read 9.6 volts or more. Now in your case, it might be a charging issue running down the battery, which would negate the value of the previous test, so do the following first:

So after you jump start it, and the engine rev to about 2000 rpm, measure the voltage at the battery terminals, it must be 13.5 to 14 volts. If not, you're not charging the battery. A battery can run an engine (after it's started) for quite a long time as it just really is feeding the spark, the turn signals, the lights, the radio, etc. You say the lights are flickering, I'd like to see what the battery voltage reads.

Sat Oct 31, 2009 8:09 pm

jtpatrick wrote: so I decided to install a new one.
What's the wattage rating for your new radio? Keep in mind the generator in your car is rated at 360 Watts. That's total, so you get somewhat less than that to run the radio.

Quote:
The diagram for the radio says to hook the fuzed Memory wire up to the battery. The Hot goes to the ignition.

That sounds pretty straightforward. By the way, it's spelled "fuse" and "fused".

Quote: According to VW for Compleat Idiots I have it hooked up with the Memory wire spliced into the wire going between the ignition to the horn.

No. Presumably the point is that the "memory" wire is always hot, even when the car is off. The wire that goes to the horn (fuse 1) is black, meaning that it's only on when the ignition's on.

Quote: The Hot wire is on the front of the fuze where the radio is supposed to go.
My diagrams are marked as the last fuse, #10, is what the radio is to go. However, that's HOT all the time. So if your radio is designed to be powered only when the ignition is on, that's the WRONG place to put it, and that may be draining your battery.

Quote:
The radio and my lights flicker. As soon as I shut down the engine the battery is dead.

Ok, you may have two problems, here.

I think your radio is connecto the wrong spot. From what you said about the radio instructions, the hot input is only to be connected to something that's on when the engine is on. So connect that to the output of, maybe, fuse #2?

And connect the memory to the output of fuse #10, which is hot all the time (re wires).

DON'T splice. Use terminals. It's reversible and much less likely to come off.

Now, the radio being connected to the wrong terminals won't change the flickering issue. That almost sounds your radio is drawing way too much power.

Let us know. :-)

Sat Oct 31, 2009 10:50 pm

Had Kragen check the battery just to eliminate the possibility of that being the problem. It was good, just needed a charge. Put it back in the car and of course it started right up. I drove to a friends house. Maybe 5 minutes away. Turned the ignition off and the radio went off, too. Checked ignition again and the car started right up. We meesed with his engine for a 15-20 minutes and then my battery was dead, again! I dove the Yukon to Autozone and bought a multimeter. Let you guys know what happens tomorrow. Trick-or-treating with the kids came first tonight...

Sun Nov 01, 2009 12:43 pm

Found out the Generator was only putting out 9-11v, fluctuating. Changed the belt and when I took off the pully the generator started spinning. I had to let it drain before I could take the pully off. Is that normal? With the new belt generator still puts out 11v. I also notice the regulator is popping alot. Hope I can fix that with the new generator that comes in on Wednesday.

Sun Nov 01, 2009 1:09 pm

jtpatrick wrote: Found out the Generator was only putting out 9-11v, fluctuating. Changed the belt and when I took off the pully the generator started spinning. I had to let it drain before I could take the pully off. Is that normal? With the new belt generator still puts out 11v. I also notice the regulator is popping alot. Hope I can fix that with the new generator that comes in on Wednesday.

No, the generator should not spin on its own unless the mechanic is polarizing it by wiring (for a few seconds) the Df terminal to ground. So it sounds (to me) like your generator Df terminal is already grounded, bad generator.

Sun Nov 01, 2009 1:14 pm

If the regulator is bad, it can charge the field when it isn't supposed to and try to spin the generator like a motor. Try disconnecting the regulator, see if the generator stops spinning and see if the car goes dead, it shouldn't.

Sun Nov 01, 2009 1:39 pm

I'm guessing the regulator is bad. Not sure if I disconnected it properly though. I started the car and pulled the power from the battery and the car died. Was that right? Let me know I may save $100 if I don't hae to get a new generator.

Sun Nov 01, 2009 4:24 pm

Thanks Paul! You're a wallet saver! I picked up a regulator at Autozone for $35.00 and installed it in about teo seconds. The car runs and starts like a champ again! for a savings of around $20.00. It feels great to beable to drive to work and actually listen to some music...

Sun Nov 01, 2009 4:26 pm

Doesnt it suck when something else breaks when you install something? Glad to hear you are running and not push starting LOL.