12 volt alternator

[Rick's69]

i have a 12 volt alternator which i dont think is working anymore, its on my car and the generator light wont come on anymore. and before that i used to have to rav my car high until it would come on. what would happen if i put a 6 volt generator on it? is it a good idea? does anyone know a good place to buy a new alternator?

[jermphil]

i have a 12v on my 74 super, and after thinking the alt had gone out i took it off and had it worked on, the guy said everything was good in it. he said to check the voltage regulator. i know an alt can be repaired or rebuilt for a fairly reasonable pirce. my guy charged nothing to break it down and say nothing was wrong. he was only going tio charg 35 if it needed repeired..barring any major parts or about 50 for a total rebuild with brushes and all that. but he has a pretty big busness and it would have taken him a few weeks. take the bad with the good. i have seen new ones and they seem pricey..usually around 200.00+. don't know about a 6v generator..doesn't seem like it would work though...

[BoatCop]

Rick,

A 6 volt generator won't work. Not enough juice to produce sufficient spark to fire the engine, much less lights and all the other stuff.

If you already have an alternator, there's no sense taking a step backward to a 12v generator.

To check the alternator, take a volt meter and check across the terminals on the battery. Check it with the engine/key off to get a baseline.

Engine off should be at least 12 volts. 12.5-12.8 is a good reading for the battery alone.

Now start the car and rev the engine up. The meter should increase to about 14 volts. If it does then the alternator is good.

You can get a replacement alternator at any of the VW parts houses. I recommend www.jbugs.com.

Biggest thing is to check the connections on the battery. Make sure there's no corrosion on the terminals or on the strap that grounds to the chassis. This strap is often encrusted with corrosion that can interfere with the proper ground. Take it out and soak it in a baking soda solution overnight, then rinse with clear water, wire brush it to get the gunk out, and reinstall. Or just get a new strap.