Alt problems.

[R.O.R-2.0]

so, my MOTOROLA ALTERNATOR (probably located my problem right there) takes alot to get it charging when i start my car now. you used to have to slightly raise the RPMs to get it charging, and this was a normal thing, did it every time since i took possession of the car. just the other night tho, i was waiting in traffic for a long time, shut the car off, and waited. then when i fired it back up, a simple blip of the throttle didnt get er charging. it took about 3-3500 rpms to get the alt to start charging..

am i correct in thinking that my crappy motorola alt has finally went tits up?

occasionally, the charge light will start flashing and flickering, with no sign that there is any problems.

basically, i just want confirmation that im on the right track.

im almost thinking of doing a mk2 alternator swap tho, along with the rest of a mk2 also 

[Dakotakid]

As with any other alt., I would pull the regulator/brush combo and see what you have got left.
Would also closely inspect the slip ring surfaces for grooving.

Honestly, when I ran Mk. I's, I rarely had problems with Motorola alternators. I found them to outlast Bosch at least twice as long or even longer. I always carried a Bosch as a spare in the Rabbit or Jettas....but rarely ever needed to use them. I've still got a bunch of Mk. I alt.s sitting in storage, and wish I could run them on the newer car.

I also had one John Deere tractor with a Motorola on it. And, again, I never had problems with that unit....unlike the Delco's which had a much shorter life. Eventually, you wear through the slip ring material and, then, you have to switch to plan "B". But, I had a Mk. I Jetta which eventually got 435,000 miles on it and I still had slip ring material on that Motorola. Granted, that alt. was on it's 4th set of bearings when the car went to "heaven."

[R.O.R-2.0]

heres my thing tho.. if the engine stays in the mk1, i dont have any more motorola alternators. but i have a load of bosch alts (both mk1 and mk2)

and the other thing, my mk1 needs ball joints, struts, springs, shocks, some wheel bearings, tie rod ends, strut bearings, basically a whole new suspension.. and i dont even like mk1s that much, so i cant see where it would be wise to dump a TON of money into a car that i dont like..

so, its beginning to look like a simple alternator swap is going to turn into an engine swap.. good thing i just got my GTI on the road, so i will still have something to drive..

[Vangruver]

flashing battery dash light?

check the exciter wire.

On a mk2 it's the blue wire below one of the leads that attaches to the body of the alt, on that specific one, i'm clueless.

It's the lead that sends a signal to the alternator to start emitting power.

[R.O.R-2.0]

im sure its fine. because i replaced the end of that wire not long ago. and it doesnt do it constantly. only every once in a while. but its done it the last 3 times ive driven the car now. so i think its time..

[fatmobile]

Remove the voltage regulator and make sure it isn't corroded enough to insulate it from ground.
 I had this happening on one of mine, took higher RPMs to get it excited.
 Eventually it stopped charging while going down the highway, I pulled the alternator and one of the bolts on the regulator was rotted/broken and it wasn't grounding.
 Fixed it, started charging and didn't need to rev so high to excite.

[R.O.R-2.0]

i dont have any motorola pieces.. and im a broke kid.

[fatmobile]

What was that a reply to?
 My suggestion was something that worked beside the road,.. for free.

[R.O.R-2.0]

sorry, i was sort of aggravated, and extremely tired when i read that. the post didnt make much sense to me at first. now it does.

think im gonna just swap in a bosch alt for the weekend.. then start with my original plan that i came up with years ago.. its time for a mk2 TD, so im not gonna have to worry about any more motorola alts..

i mate how small problems always seem to turn into BIG ONES. but atleast the weather is getting nice, and i have my 86 to drive till i get it swapped into my jetta (an engine swap is easier [and cheaper] than rebuilding an entire suspension)