[Vwdiesel] Alternator testing tricks?

[Roger Brown]

Shawn Wright wrote:
> The last two drives on my '88 Westy TD have resulted in a slow starting 
> battery. Today, it was a no-starting battery. Luckily, I had thrown a spare 
> battery under the seat. Back home, I checked the battery with a 
> hydrometer - all cells were equally low. It also didn't seem to recharge 
> much at all after 1/2 hr driving, so I suspect the alternator. Aside from the 
> obvious regulator/brush assembly replacement, what other tricks are there 
> for diagnosing a worn out alternator? The alt light goes out right away, and 
> has never flickered at all.

Put a digital voltmeter on the battery and see if the voltage jumps up from around 12 volts to something like 13.8 volts or 
higher when the alternator light goes out.  Or many auto parts stores will load test alternators for you.

-- 
    Roger