Jeff:

After sunset, start your engine and turn on your head lights.
Shine your head lights on a wall, fence or garage door. Rev up
your engine. If you see the lights change its intensity significantly
(goes brighter when you rev up, dimmer when you idle) then you have
an alternator voltage regulator failure, or your alternator's carbon
brush (for charging the field coil in order for the maim coil
to generate current) has worn out and the alternator is not able
to generate current consistently. I am not sure if Vanagon's Bosch
alternator is brushed (for the field coil) or brushless.
The alternator is likely the cause of your unstable voltage problem.

Other possibilities exist of course. Hope those big guys will put
down their Subi topics for a moment and send you help you need.

David

--- Jeff Palmer <jpalmer@MTS.NET> wrote:

> Well, I'm 1600 emails behind with not much chance in catching up at
> this point . . .
>
> So my 85 Westfalia seems to be running a little slow electrically-
> speaking.  Dash lights a little dimmer, windshield wipers a little
> slower.  Lately the CD player has even been cutting out when I hit
> the brakes, headlights etc. (it will come back on within a second or
> two).
>
> Any suggestions?  Seems to start fine.  I mean, as well as it ever did.
>
> Thanks in advance
> Jeff
> 85 Westfalia
> 69 notchback
> 03 Beetle
>

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