Red Alternator wire to starter fried! Help!

[Manfreds78bay]

Slammed, if your system isn't charging properly, you may want to go ahead and have your alternator rebuilt or buy a rebuilt one.

Trying to solve an internal issue in the alternator is beyond my skills.

It looks like yours has seen better days.
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1978 2.0L FI Campmobile

1982 AMC Eagle SX4 4.2L FI

[telford dorr]

[jj4356]

I just love The Samba, major melting and some flames because of our short, 10 months after hooking the alternator up! I had no idea how it happened until now!

[williamM]

Shouldn't there be an insulator gasket round the alt and the tin backing? Also have seen that little square turned so it fits the curve of the case, not on just any way. There was an extensive post on here a year ago on every possible ways you can screw up this installation-- my turn came after carefully building a new harness and installing it with gasket- only to have the wires double back and eventually short out on the tin cover- ---so lesson is to pull the slack from the harness as you assemble the tin cover.
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some days I get up and just sit and think. Some days I just sit.

opinion untempered by fact is ignorance.

Don't step in any!

[Abscate]

There is no convention of red positive And Black negative, not to mention that POs Can put any Col our wire anywhere

Use firm Labelling to identify the correct terminals, not colour of wires.
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.ssS!

[telford dorr]

Uh, it's quite conventional for positive battery cables to be red and ground cables to be black, especially in the replacement market. Sometimes both cables are black. But having positive black and negative red is not right - just sloppy cable choice.
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'71 panel, now with FI
'Experience' is the ability to recognize a mistake when you're making it again - Franklin P. Jones
In theory, theory works in practice; in practice, it doesn't - William T. Harbaugh
When you're dead, you don't know you're dead. The pain is only felt by others.
Same thing happens when you're stupid. - Philippe Geluck
More VW electrical at http://telforddorr.com/ (available 9am to 9pm PST)

[jj4356]

So mine was the large washer under it all arc'ing to the cover. It actually lit the alternator wire on fire. The odd thing is, this is after running for 10 months!

[Wildthings]

[sherpa7200]

I'm getting ready to install a rebuilt alternator on my 1978 bus and am hoping to avoid the shorting problem. Any thoughts about the height of this post(it is about 1/2 inch tall from the base)?

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1978 Westfalia

[sherpa7200]

I didn't notice this until after I put the cover plate on, but the rebuilt alternator from Bus Depot has a huge crack in the side. I'll hold off on taking a hack saw to the post. The rebuild did come with the fiberglass tab over the washer.

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1978 Westfalia

[Wildthings]

[timvw7476]

[alman72]

[SGKent]

if you look at the photo from one of Telford's threads, you can see how to deal with the nut and washer.

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“Most people don’t know what they’re doing, and a lot of them are really good at it.” - George Carlin

[Wildthings]

[/quote]

I think this is actually the correct OEM diode plate, so no modification would be necessary.

[BUSBOSS]

Could this grounding/shorting cause my Fuse #8 to blow intermittently and cut all power to the engine?
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All the redemption I can offer, girl, is beneath this dirty hood
1976 Westfalia
1970 Karmann Ghia Convertible (sold - but not forgotten)

[aeromech]

I have no clue. What does #8 power?
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Lead Mechanic: San Diego Air and Space Museum
Licensed Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic
Licensed Pilot (Single engine Land)
Boeing 727,737-200-300-400,757,767
Airbus A319,320,321
DC9/MD80
BAe146
Fokker F28/F100
VW type 1 1962,63,65,69,72
VW Type 2 1971 (3 ea.) 1978, 1969
VW Jetta
VW Passat
Capable of leaping tall buildings in a single bound

[Wildthings]

[telford dorr]

I'd bet someone connected the black wire from the ignition coil to the wrong place on the fuse block. It should go to the busbar between fuses 12 and 13, along with the black wire from the ignition switch.

---

When I make a new gasket for the alternator wiring cover, I leave internal tabs at both diode module mounting nuts such that they cover the nuts and washers, thereby adding insulation and helping to prevent shorts.
_________________
'71 panel, now with FI
'Experience' is the ability to recognize a mistake when you're making it again - Franklin P. Jones
In theory, theory works in practice; in practice, it doesn't - William T. Harbaugh
When you're dead, you don't know you're dead. The pain is only felt by others.
Same thing happens when you're stupid. - Philippe Geluck
More VW electrical at http://telforddorr.com/ (available 9am to 9pm PST)