Re: electrical poltergeist

[ChuckKuecker <ckuecker@mcs.net>]

At 22:37 12/26/97 +0000, you wrote:
>Hi, everyone!
>
>I went today and picked up the '81 that Todd was helping sell for his 
>friend, and it's everything that it sounded like; straight, clean, 
>even the tape player works!  But. . .
>
>It has an electrical problem.  The lights suddenly brighten for no 
>reason at all.  I'm not talking about the classic loose-alternator 
>belt problem, where the lights brighten and dim with rpm.  This 
>happens seemingly at random, and is coincident with a *drop* in rpm, 
>as though I had turned on the air conditioner.  It usually, but not 
>always, occurs at low rpm.  Bumps in the road don't make it happen or 
>make it stop.
>
>When I say the lights brighten, I mean they *brighten*!  The lights 
>on the car are not quatz-halogen, but when they're in bright mode, 
>they could burn the paint off cars in front.  When this isn't 
>happening, the lighting is adequate.
>
>The fan speeds up when this happens, too, and all the dash lights get 
>super-bright as well.
>
>Any ideas, anyone?  The car is a 1981, five-speed manual, 
>aid-conditioned, and super-clean under the hood.  (Did you do that, 
>Todd?)
>
>Thanks in advance!
>
>Carlee

Your alternator is defective. The regulator or brushes could be the cause.
Possibly a loose wire on or inside the alternator could do this.

This is something that should be fixed quickly before the voltage surges
cause severe damage to electronic parts, or burn out all your lights. Take
the alternator out and have it tested as a first step. If you are up to the
challenge, disassemble theunit and look for corrosion on connectors, etc.

Good Luck!

Chuck Kuecker

ckuecker@mcs.net

'83 Scirocco (Katy's car now)
'58 Ghia Convert
'75 Bug
'67 Bug
'63 Bug (*still* for sale)
'91 Vanagon


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