At 19:03 5/23/2000, Andrew Grebneff wrote:
>I have heard that the problem with dim VW lights is that the charge rate is
>at fault; the alternator just supposedly doesn't feed enough juice to heat
>up the filaments.

Bah! <g>  The (major) problem with the US-spec Vanagons '86-up is a
piss-poor implementation of a crummy (USA) lighting standard for low
beams.  The European-type headlights like you have are
great.  Unfortunately the (almost) rectangular ones are custom to the
vanagon; stock rectangular E-code lights don't fit.  We round-eyes don't
have that problem, the 7" round is cheap and easily available and excellent.

Dim is another question -- the stock wiring could use some beefing up, and
the headlight switch itself would be a lot happier driving a relay.

The alternator puts out plenty of juice, but being so far away from the
battery it doesn't take much in the way of poor connections to fool the
regulator into thinking all is well when it isn't.  Running a separate
sense lead to the battery from the regulator would help a lot.

david

David Beierl - Providence, RI
  http://pws.prserv.net/synergy/Vanagon/
'84 Westy "Dutiful Passage"
'85 GL "Poor Relation"