OK, doctors and mechanics, get ready to make a diagnosis.

The patient is my 1969 VW Camper (red, of course).

After driving about 400 km in cool, dry conditions two things happened 
simultaneously.  My alternator/generator light (red) came on and stayed 
on.  At the same time a strange but not very loud noise came from the 
engine compartment - sort of a 'whupping' sound.  We finished the drive 
as we were only 5 km from home.  We suspected that the sound may have 
been a broken belt of some kind and that the light came on because the 
battery was consequently no longer charging.

Upon inspection of the engine compartment we found oil had spattered the 
inside of the compartment.  The only obvious belt, the fan belt, is 
intact and does not appear to be slipping.  The engine did not appear to 
be overly hot at that time (although that observation is not 100%).

I have not seriously worked on figuring out what's wrong yet.  This has 
much to do with the fact that I am a mechanical gumby and it's much 
easier to ask those who might *know* the answer.

My bible ("How to keep your VW alive") does not seem to link the red 
light with anything that might explain the oil.  Is it two problems or 
one?  What is/are the problems?  What kind of repair effort am I looking 
at here?

Any guesses would be greatly appreciated.

Tyler Jordan
69 VW Camper (Big Daddy aka The Little Red Rocket)
(on my SO's account - isabel@freenet.vancouver.bc.ca)