Hi Volks,

I was driving the vanagon on the highway tonight and as I cruised up
the off-ramp I saw the battery warning light was on. I figured it had
spit the belt, and made a note to deal with it as soon as I got home,
since I was only a few miles further. And then as I pulled away from
the off-ramp, the light went out. Uh-oh, says I... That's the sign of
a wonky alternator, or a VERY loose belt. So I kept watch on the
tachometer to get an idea of how bad the problem was... it seemed to
vary a bit, lighting up when below 2,200 to 3,000 RPM.

But it didn't last 7 minutes before the engine quit completely. I
still had dash lights and emergency flashers (dim, and fast-
flashing), but the starter wouldn't even click. I checked the belts
and they were OK, but the battery connection was pretty loose. I
pried off the + terminal without much trouble at all. Luckily I was
very close to my brother's house at the time and he and I were able
to tow the vanagon back to my house.

So what's the prognosis?  Did the loose battery terminal allow the
battery to run flat, or does this pattern indicate a failed
alternator?  I can throw a spare marine battery into it tomorrow to
get it running again; once it's lit up I can put a voltmeter on it
and see if it's charging.

Happy Trails,

Greg Potts
1973/74/77/79 Westfakia "Bob The Tomato
1985 Sunroof Vanagon Automatic 8-passenger Vanagon (Winter custodian)
www.pottsfamily.ca
www.busesofthecorn.com