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181 Gears Samba Member
Joined: April 10, 2003 Posts: 19 Location: Aiken, SC 29801
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Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2004 10:53 am Post subject: Red light on! Out of nowhere... |
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Hello all. I remember reading about this problem in my John Muir book.
My 73 has been running strong for the past 2 years (with religious tune-ups of course). Whereas it used to be my main source of transportation (I've had it for over 13 years now) it's now the best-of-the-seasons truck.
The other day my fiance and I were driving in town and after 5 miles of travel I noticed my red (generator) light was on -- along with my battery indicator. Needless to say, we pulled over and I checked it out. Things smelled OK -- looked OK. I know this is a bad alert so I was puzzeled by not having a loss of power or even any sputtering.
Well, I chose to drive it right back home and that's when the aformentioned problems happened. I managed to coast it home hoping I haven't damage the engine. I seem to remember this happening soon after I purchased it -- everything was rebuilt 5 years ago.
Any suggestions on how to identify the problem? Could the generator internals be bad? Are we talking big bucks?
Thanks for the hopeful advice guys. The Samba rocks. |
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79SuperVert Samba Member
Joined: May 31, 2002 Posts: 9758 Location: Elizabeth, NJ & La Isla Del Encanto
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Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2004 11:25 am Post subject: |
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Loose fan belt? Cheapest easiest thing to check first. If it's slipping or too loose the gen will turn slower and won't charge enough (not to mention your cooling fan will put out less air). |
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Big Jim Samba Member
Joined: May 27, 2004 Posts: 291 Location: Denver
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Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2004 9:28 pm Post subject: |
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If the generator turns out to be bad, I suggest you pitch it and convert to a Bosch internally regulated alternator. Simple conversion and much better charging. |
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coad Samba Scapegoat
Joined: September 12, 2002 Posts: 7552
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Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2004 9:35 pm Post subject: |
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The do it yourself guys will scream, but take it to a good auto parts store or a mechanic and have them hook it up to a test bench. My Autozone has the tester that checks the battery, the generator and the regulator in about 5 minutes and its a free service. They just wheel it out to the car and hook it up. Beats guessing and/or replacing stuff that doesn't need replacing.
Of course this is only if the belt is good and your fan is still turning to cool the engine . . .
If it is the generator you might just need brushes. |
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edgy Samba Member
Joined: January 22, 2003 Posts: 424 Location: Bel Air, Maryland
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Posted: Sat Oct 16, 2004 6:54 pm Post subject: |
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Ground the filed wire while it is running. If the light goes out, you need a regualtor. If the light stays on, you probably need a gernerator. May just need brushes. |
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