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Dimly lit Alternator light
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CQ
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PostPosted: Sat May 05, 2012 7:15 pm    Post subject: Dimly lit Alternator light Reply with quote

I have done some searching, have not found much.I have an 82 air cooled, I have a alternator light which is on but very dimly on. I accelerate and still on in the morning. But when I drove it home in the afternoon light dissapears. I checked the voltage reading 14 volts at the battery, and for S and grins I put on my extra voltage regulator to see if that would do anything and nothing, tightened the belt nothing. And have new grounds at Battery and Tranny.
Any other ideas out there. Could i still have a bad alternator, but just not super bad? Still starts up like a fully charged battery.
Thanks.
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MarkWard
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PostPosted: Mon May 07, 2012 7:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

It sounds like there is resistance in the light circuit. Not uncommon. What keeps the light off is a balance of voltage on both sides of the bulb. Any difference and the bulb will glow. You could check the blue wire at the alternator plug. I think there is a connector in the engine compartment for it as well. You could also look at the plug connector for the cluster, but if it is on it's way out, you could be opening a huge can of worms.

The alternator needs the load of the bulb to "excite" it into charging. Might be best to have the alternator output tested properly on the vanagon. While volts is an indicator that the alternator is doing something, you need to know the amps it is putting out.
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CQ
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PostPosted: Mon May 07, 2012 7:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks I was thinking of taking the Vanagon to Kragen (ORielly) and having them test the alternator, I belive their test is amperage too?
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MarkWard
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PostPosted: Mon May 07, 2012 11:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Should be, to get a proper test, the inductive amp clamp should be clamped around the harness at the alternator. The engine needs to be reved to 3000 rpm during the max output test. The tester will "load" the charging system for no more than 15 seconds. A 65 amp alternator should put out near 65amps at 3000 rpm. If it is a 1/3rd less, but putting out, a recitfier could have failed. 2/3rds less, two rectifiers have failed.

Most shops may want to put the inductive clamp on one of the battery cables. This will give you a reading going into the battery, but does not tell you the max output.

If you disconnect the blue wire at the alternator and connect a 12 volt test light to a positive connection and probe the blue wire as it comes off the alternator, the light should light. Start the engine and test light should go out. If it does, then you know the glowing light is related to the van's wiring not the actual alternator.

The 82 also had an EGR counter box. It is mounted between the speedo head and the l/f wheel in the cable. You can see it above the spare. The 82 used the load of the EGR warning light and the alternator light. If it is still there and connected, it may be causing the problem too.
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CQ
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PostPosted: Mon May 07, 2012 11:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Awesome thanks again. A while ago I put a new speedo cable that bypassed the box I will make sure I disconeected the wire dont remember since it was a while ago.
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