[Vwdiesel] 89 Jetta D phantom voltage update

[LBaird119 at aol.com]

I agree with James.  Dad's Dodge was having similar charging  problems. He
was convinced his battery/s was/were bad.  Regulation is controlled by  the 
computer rather than a regulator in the alt.  A friend checked the  
computer. It 
was telling it to charge.  We put on a new alt and it's been fine  since.  
Probably 
worn brushes but even at the cost, it was simpler to be done with it and  
just 
replace the alt.
  On the VW's as you probably already know, the regulator is usually  the 
culprit, 
and that's usually just worn brushes. You'd  have to check amperage to  see 
how 
much draw you have.  A 10w bulb is too much to glow with a half amp  type 
of draw.
Get a $4 test light.  They have one alligator and about a 2w bulb,  which 
will glow 
lightly if there's enough draw to be an issue.
   Loren
    Loren