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Alternator Went Bad Could Cause Be Bad Ignition Switch?
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Manfreds78bay
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 07, 2014 7:36 am    Post subject: Alternator Went Bad Could Cause Be Bad Ignition Switch? Reply with quote

Hello everyone: 1978 2.0L FI Westfalia

Jut did 1000 miles up to the Porcupine mountains in Michigan UP. My alternator went out after 500 miles. This is a stock VW alternator that was rebuilt maybe 7k ago with a new charging wire harness. I haven't done a test yet, so not 100% sure it's the alternator. But the battery wasn't over charging. If it was, my guess would be the regulator. I had no issues with the charging system since the new alternator and wire harness.

Here is my question: Could a bad ignition switch cause the alternator to go bad? Right before the trip my ignition switch went out. I didn't have time to fix, so I just rigged up my remote start switch. I would fix when I got back. But during the drive up there, my ignition switch started working again. I saw in the bently that a bad starter switch could cause some charging issues. At least if the light goes on, the starter switch was listed as a possible cause.

Also on the drive up there, my girl friend and I were both charging our phones, using GPS, and playing music through blue tooth to the stereo. But I doubt this would cause a relatively new alternator to burn up.
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1982 AMC Eagle SX4 4.2L FI
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Wildthings
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 07, 2014 8:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

You need to trouble shoot your electric system and find out what went wrong. The problem could easily be something besides the alternator. Maybe just the charge light on the dash burned out if the alternator quit without the light coming on.

FWIW, new doesn't mean much in the rebuilt parts world. If you bought an alternator with the longer than stock studs on the diode plate, you would have been lucky to get even 7K miles out of it. The last Bosch rebuild I hope to ever buy didn't even make it a couple of hundred miles before failing and melting the wiring harness while it was doing so.
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Manfreds78bay
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 07, 2014 8:26 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wildthings wrote:
You need to trouble shoot your electric system and find out what went wrong. The problem could easily be something besides the alternator. Maybe just the charge light on the dash burned out if the alternator quit without the light coming on.

FWIW, new doesn't mean much in the rebuilt parts world. If you bought an alternator with the longer than stock studs on the diode plate, you would have been lucky to get even 7K miles out of it. The last Bosch rebuild I hope to ever buy didn't even make it a couple of hundred miles before failing and melting the wiring harness while it was doing so.


Interesting. I'll do some research about the studs. FYI the charging light did turn on. This is how I knew something was wrong with my charging system.
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Wildthings
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 07, 2014 8:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

If the light came on the failure could be either the alternator or the regulator. A ground fault in the blue wire would cause the light to come on and the alternator output to cease as well.

Did you check to see that the belt is still there? Always good to start with the easy stuff. Wink
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Manfreds78bay
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 07, 2014 8:39 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wildthings wrote:
If the light came on the failure could be either the alternator or the regulator. A ground fault in the blue wire would cause the light to come on and the alternator output to cease as well.

Did you check to see that the belt is still there? Always good to start with the easy stuff. Wink


Yep the belt was fine. I even tightened it. I'll check everything, but just wondering if ignition switch would hurt the charging system at all.
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Wildthings
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 07, 2014 8:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Manfreds78bay wrote:
but just wondering if ignition switch would hurt the charging system at all.


The only thing the ignition switch does to the charging system is supply power to one side of the charge light, so it can't hurt the alternator.
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