Alternator light glows

[srivett]

Yep, I'm back from disappearing.  I'm in a new town that does't have any parts stores and the closest VW shop is an hour away.   :cry:

Anyway, my car is charging around 14.5 V (I checked last week and it was within spec but didn't write down the value) but my charging light will not go out.  It gets dim after goosing the throttle but doesn't go out.  So far I have put in a new large diamater + wire from alt to bat, checked voltage differences between several ground points, and checked differences between several + spots.  From this I have concluded that there aren't any alternator connection issues.

Could you guys please list what else I should be checking?  I've been meaning to load test the battery but have not as of yet.  The car starts fine and IS charging.

Thanks, Steve

[leprechan]

I put a used alternator in my car about a month ago and it had this same behavior.  When I unscrewed the voltage regulator from the back of the alt I found that one of the brushes was completely gone.  I'm not sure if you have  the same problem since your alt is still charging, but it might be worth checking if the voltage regulator is at fault though.

Nick

[NGTD]

Belt tight? I assume you have checked, but could be

BTW - where did you move to?

[srivett]

The belt is tight at the moment...I think it's only got a few thousand km on it too.  As for the brushes, I have been planning on pulling them out for a look but I'm not sure how tricky it is to get them back in there under tension.

I'm now living in Deep River, somebody pass me a beer.  :lol:  

Steve

[srivett]

The old brushes were worn right down and the slip rings are in really bad shape.  I threw in a new set of brushes to see what would happen and the problem remains.  I'll have to see about getting the alternator rebuilt or I'll replace it.  Changing the brushes was very simple...just undo the two screws and toss in a new unit.

Steve