Alternators seem to run $45 to $55 shipped on the Samba Classifieds.
I just bought a rebuilt at a alternator store for $70. Is it quality
rebuild?who knows? but it's quiet and putting out 14.2V at the
battery, so I'm not complaining.

On Jan 7, 2008, at 1:39 PM, Old Volks Home wrote:

> Greg -
>
> Airhead Parts has a the Genuine Bosch Regulator for $53.74:
>
> http://www.airheadparts.com/viewDetail.asp?
> strMasterCat=&idproduct=7748
>
> Your 85 should have the same alternator that's on both my 84's
> --
> Jim Thompson
> 84 GL 1.9 "Gloria"
> 84 Westfalia 2.1 "Ole Putt"
> 73 K Ghia Coupe "Denise"
> 72 411 Station Wagon "Pug"
> oldvolkshome@gmail.com
> http://www.oldvolkshome.com
> ***********************************
> On Jan 7, 2008 10:21 AM, Greg Potts <greg@pottsfamily.ca> wrote:
>
>> Hi John,
>>
>> OK, I've put a charged battery into it and the light is still on. The
>> voltage at the battery is reading just barely above 12V which tells
>> me the alternator is not doing its job. The light does not go out
>> when the engine is revved up (which it did before the stall out on
>> Jan 4th) but it does flicker a bit in brightness.
>>
>> The ground strap was loose on the original battery, but was not
>> disconnected while the engine was running; The engine had already
>> died out when I discovered it was not fully tightened down. I will be
>> replacing it ASAP with a heavier and slightly longer cable.
>>
>> I don't have a spare VR on hand, and my local NAPA wants $49 for a
>> BERU voltage regulator vs $89 for the Bosch regulator. Are these
>> prices in line? I haven't yet looked close enough to determine which
>> alternator i have.
>>
>> My local auto-electric rebuilder did the bosch alternator on my
>> aircooled bus for $125 last summer so I'm thinking that would be a
>> better choice. It doesn't look like the re-and-re will be all that
>> much trouble and having the alternator completely redone seems like a
>> better idea...
>>
>> Additional guidance appreciated...
>>
>> Happy Trails,
>>
>> Greg Potts
>> 1973/74/77/79 Westfakia "Bob The Tomato
>> www.pottsfamily.ca
>> www.busesofthecorn.com
>>
>>
>>
>>  On 5-Jan-08, at 12:03 AM, John Meeks wrote:
>>
>>> Greg,
>>> My money's on worn alternator brushes. Got a spare voltage
>>> regulator?
>>> Let us know what you find.
>>> John
>>>
>>> On Jan 4, 2008 8:33 PM, Greg Potts <greg@pottsfamily.ca> wrote:
>>>> 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.
>>