My 81 rabbit is not charging and red light is on solid. It had been flickering for some time. Curious, could it be a bad wire connection, or alternator? Any way to test alternator without using a meter?
Thanks
2ndly I would go get a cheepo meter, they can be found for about $10 bucks or less at your FLAPS (f****** local auto parts store).
There are three things the Alt needs, a Positive lead to the Battery, a Negative lead out to the car's block, chassis and ultimately the other post on the Battery and an Exciter wire. Aha!, what's that you ask? It's the little (usually blue) wire that energizes the Alt's magnetic field prior to it getting up to speed and putting out electricity by itself.
If you don't have an exciter wire you might well never actual get any juice out of the Alt and therefore not charge the battery. (There is more to this, the exciter wire, in VWs at least, uses the flow of energy coming from the Alt to help the Regulator- failure of having the Exciter Wire attached usually means you don't CHARGE the battery.)
Perhaps I haven't confused the issue too much. Get a meter, get a Bentley (or at least a Haynes)- go at it.
TBerk
TBerk
With a voltmeter it should put out around 13.8 to 14.1 volts at the back of the alt.
First, check the wires connecting to the alternator. Unplug, check for corrosion, clean if necessary, replug firmly.
If you don't have a voltmeter, look at the plug you just checked. There should be one or two big red wires and one skinny wire (likely blue as TBerk mentioned). Follow that skinny wire underneath the radiator and back to the firewall, checking every inch to make sure there are no cracks or breaks.
Beyond that, you need a voltmeter. Or, if you have a Shucks near you, they will hook a machine up to your car which tests your battery and alternator (while they are in the car and the engine is running). For free, no less! Just make sure you go when they are not busy, or they won't do it.
Take it to most any parts store and they will check it and your battery for free. They even tend to do an honest and good job.
I've had the same symptoms in a '87 Scirocco. Turned out the brushes had worn clean out. Earliest symptom was an occasional flicker, which would go away when the engine was revved. Later on, it flickered more often, and it took higher speeds to put it out. Finally, it would just never go out at all. The only real advantage to replacing the brushes over the entire alternator was that they could be done in a minute with a screw driver. And cost about 1/4 the price of the entire alternator.
- Bill
I agree with Mr. Leary Jr, replacing the brushes can be economical if you take yours out and they are worn. Unfortunately, I just did the brushes on my Fox and then the whole alternator died three weeks later, meaning I had wasted my money... so it can also be a gamble.
Quite.
Fortunately, I had another car to borrow the brushes from, so I didn't actually spend anything on them. It fixed the problem, but while I was working on it I got to thinking how old the alternator was. When I priced out the brushes vs. the entire alternator, and considered the age of the one in the car, I decided to just replace the entire thing.
- Bill
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