Thanks to all respondents....especially the great David Beierl.....luckily,
I bought a spare voltage regulator from Ken Wilford at Vanagain less than a
month ago and had it in the car for a moment like this!

Prior to switching regulator tested voltage.....12.5 in battery under
acceleration jumped to over 15volts.  After swapping reg maintained
13.something under any load.

Could the voltage regulator going out have affected spark quality?

Adam Puzerewski
81 westy
74 beetle
86 cabrio
Vanagon Partsmobiles
----- Original Message -----
From: "David Beierl" <dbeierl@ATTGLOBAL.NET>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Monday, September 18, 2000 4:08 PM
Subject: Re: [VANAGON] Battery overheating

> At 15:29 9/18/2000, Puzerewski wrote:
>
> >Drove the Vanagon to the Battery store and had them test it for warranty.
> >Tested good, but temp of battery was rising 147 degrees f and climbing
with
> >car off.
>
> Rising because of heat soak to wherever you were measuring...the actual
> rise happens while it's charging.
>
> >  18 year old at battery store tested system (so he said) and told
> >me there was a short somewhere that was causing the battery to boil.
Huh?
> >
> >It starts right up, and I saw that the battery had 14.3 on one test and
15.3
> >volts on another test.  However the dude really did not know what he was
> >doing.
> >
> >
> >Voltage regulator bad?
>
> Sure is.  Fix it quick -- thermal runaway in a charging battery can have
> interesting results.  I'd unhook the alternator if you have to drive it to
> get the replacement regulator...
>
> david
>
>
> >Adam Puzerewski
> >81 westy
> >74 beetle
> >86 cabrio
> >Vanagon Partsmobiles
>
> David Beierl - Providence, RI
>   http://pws.prserv.net/synergy/Vanagon/
> '84 Westy "Dutiful Passage"
> '85 GL "Poor Relation"