gen alt lights

crowerider · Posted: Sat Apr 19, 2014 11:04 am Post subject: gen alt lights

Second day owner blues/.....Ran like a charm for awhile then started losing power and gen/alt showed red. got her home and belt is fine. put a trickle on it and ran fine for about ten miles then gen alt red again and died. put another battery in it and made it home but she had no power under throttle and died in the driveway. charged it again and the battery shows full. put a meter on it and shows 12.35 start her and holds around the same ..a little throttle and gets around 13.4. will idle for a minute or so but start to die and gen/alt will come on. Battery still charged but if I try to keep starting it drains the battery. The first day I had two yellow lights gen/alt and oil but don't get that anymore. when i key on now its either just the red gen/alt or two red gen/alt and oil. HELP im lost as an Easter egg

Harleyelf · Posted: Sat Apr 19, 2014 11:09 am Post subject:

What year? Alternator or generator? Internally regulated or external? Battery cables tight at both ends, black cable firmly grounded to frame? Ground strap attached between engine and transmission? Starter cable firmly bolted to starter? Any corroded tips on wires in charging system?

crowerider · Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2014 12:05 am Post subject:

It's a 1970. Alternator. External. Yes to everything you asked about. I pulled the positive off and she dropped dead......alternator then right? Can I pull it with the engine in?

crowerider · Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2014 3:07 am Post subject:

Ok so I'm seeing that pulling the motor is the way to go. Geeez. Need a mechanic in owensboro ky that does bugs. Not the way I planned on this going my first bug out.

GArBa · Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2014 10:38 am Post subject: Re: gen alt lights

GArBa · Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2014 10:38 am Post subject: Re: gen alt lights

crowerider · Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2014 12:54 pm Post subject:

Aghhh. so today she fires up a little sluggishly .... the voltage from the alternator post running is 12.4.....should this be higher and if i check my idiot wire terminal what should it read. mines like 10.5 at the alternator. Im so stummped. She will fire then run for a bit. I can throttle her up sometimes hesitantly but get rpms up and with the meter on at the battery i never show more than 13.7 13.7 I think I hit 14.0 once.

Aussiebug · Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2014 3:43 pm Post subject:

13.7 is too low to charge the battery properly - you need 14-14.5v, and even that does not really fully charge any car battery (maybe 90%) but that's the same for all cars, and the best we can do.

Pull the brush block out of the Alt - it's held in by a couple of screws. Look at the brushes (should be longer than the holders) and the condition of the slip rings (clean and not scored). If the rotating part of the alternator is not getting a proper flow of current, it makes a poor magnet and so the stator (stationary) windings which generate the power, can't produce enough. Those brushes carry only about 1.5 amps, and run on smooth slip rings, so they last a looong time and can be ignored for years, but they DO wear and eventually need replacing.

Another possibility is that the external reg has gone bad. They are replaceable, but pricey. You can NOT use the generator regulator - it must be the correct alternator regulator.

A fresh, fully charged 12v battery should give you 12.5 to 12.6v. Once the voltage drops to about 12v the battery is about 1/2 flat and at 10.5v or less all lead acid batteries are considered to be completely flat.
_________________
Rob
Rob and Dave's aircooled VW pages
Repairs and maintenance for the home mechanic
http://www.vw-resource.com

crowerider · Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2014 9:40 pm Post subject:

ok so maybe they were both red...I was mistaken on that part....Im at a loss again and fired the first.. Today I started her up after a night on the charger and she hit and fired and idled out. I then put a meter from the post on the alt and it read 12.4 while running. Just curiosity i put the meter on the idiot light terminal at the alt and read the same. Then I checked the battery and read the same ...idle around 12.4 to 12.6. I throttle her up and hold rpm and I got around 14 at the highest... I pulled the positive while holding rpm higher and she runs. I let off and she idled till I goosed the throttle as in going into first to take off and she dropped dead. then hard to crank and single red gen/alt starts to show and battery starts showing a drain........Then wont start. I got to thinking maybe my belt was to loose but its as tight as the pulleys will allow and its a fairly new belt. Noticed when I pulled the inner pulley out there is a keyway in the alt shaft and slot in pulley but no key?????hmmmm

crowerider · Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2014 9:44 pm Post subject:

and thanks to all for the replies. greatly appreciated. This is a great lookin lil bug just im missing something[/img]


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