Super Beetle Voltage Regulator Question

This is the place for any magazine-related discussions that don't fit in any of the column discussion boards below.
Post Reply
Andy797
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Jul 19, 2005 1:01 am
Contact:

Super Beetle Voltage Regulator Question

Post by Andy797 »

I came across this website today while searching for answer's on my superbeetle, here's what happend so far:
(this is a 1974 Super Beetle)<p>I was driving down the road and my "generator" light comes on. I went and got the voltage regulator tested and it was good, so i tore the motor apart and took the altenator off and went to the local parts store and got it tested and it was bad, ordered a new one and put it on. It started right up once it was on and the light goes out....
Then while take it for a test drive, the light comes back on and the voltage regulator starts "humming" I got the car tested for how many volts were being put out and it was 18 volts, I go back to the local parts store and they say it was bad and i ordered a new one, the one that was on there before was a bosch, the wires on the car running to the regulator under the rear seat were, a brown, green, and then a red and blue which were tied in together???? which all three wires together were in a plug leaving an empty slot, The new regulator came in the next morning and it was a "unknown brand" smaller and it was black, it to had the four connection plug made up of the brown, green, blue and red but this time the red and blue were seperate. I plugged it in to the plug to the car and bolted it back down under the seat and the light was still on when the car started, i went back to the parts store and they ordered me a new one just incase this one was bad and i put the new one on and still the same thing... any ideas?? thanks<p>Andy
Newz2000
Posts: 507
Joined: Wed May 18, 2005 1:01 am
Location: Des Moines, Iowa, USA
Contact:

Re: Super Beetle Voltage Regulator Question

Post by Newz2000 »

I'm helping my brother restore his '67 beetle 1500 sedan. Sounds like your car has a generator, not an alternator.<p>Test the voltage at the battery with the car running. It should be a solid 14.5 volts. If it is, things are working OK.<p>Regarding your regulator, the fifth wire, the one where two wires go to the same post of the regulator, goes to your dash to signal that everything is OK. If you don't have that fifth connection, you don't have the right regulator.<p>Its hard to test the regulator, so the way you do it is to test everything else. We actually had a big problem with this.<p>Check your battery. You can do that at Walmart or any parts store. They'll put a load on it and see if its ok.<p>Disconnect your battery and check your wiring from your regulator to your generator. You can do this by connecting a continuity tester (a volt meter that beeps when you touch the leads together) to each end of the red wire and listening for a beep, then testing the green wire the same way.<p>We went through the MAJOR hassle of changing the generator only to find out the green wire was bad.<p>The final thing to do when all of the above is done is test the generator. I don't remember exactly how to do it, and you can burn it out real quick if you're not careful, so I'll check with my brother who has the book to get the proper technique. Basically, you have to disconnect something from the regulator then test the voltage output of the generator at about 800 engine rpms and then again at around 1500 engine rpms. The voltage will probably be about 16 v at 1500 rpms. Like I said, get a book or wait until I can find the technique, cause the instructions clearly say you can burn out the generator in as little as 20 seconds.
Newz2000
Posts: 507
Joined: Wed May 18, 2005 1:01 am
Location: Des Moines, Iowa, USA
Contact:

Re: Super Beetle Voltage Regulator Question

Post by Newz2000 »

oh yeah, if you find out its a battery problem, and you get a new battery, make sure to get the one that has the shield over the + post. I guess if you don't have that you'll see sparks when someone sits down on the back seat.
Andy797
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Jul 19, 2005 1:01 am
Contact:

Re: Super Beetle Voltage Regulator Question

Post by Andy797 »

Mine deff. has a altenator, i'll have to re-read my post but my regulator has a four plug, with four wires, red, green, blue, and brown but the red and the blue are tied into the same hole, so there's four holes but one emty and one has two wires tied into together, the new regulator has the four plug, with the same four color wires, red, green, brown and blue but the red and blue arn't tied together. Should i tie them together since that's how it is on the plug on the car? the battery tested good, deff. not the battery, when the voltage regulator went bad before, the altenator was putting out 18 volts, it blew some fuses but there all changed now and i'm stumped on the regulator...any ideas? thanks<p>Andy
Newz2000
Posts: 507
Joined: Wed May 18, 2005 1:01 am
Location: Des Moines, Iowa, USA
Contact:

Re: Super Beetle Voltage Regulator Question

Post by Newz2000 »

I'm not going to be much more help then. I've never seen an alternator with a separate regulator and I'm not sure how to test an alternator.<p>The best I can suggest is look for some vw enthusiast sites - there are few cars with such an avid fan base as the VWs. Also, find some books. There are tons out there. My library has a few, yours may as well.
L. Daniel Rosa
Posts: 400
Joined: Tue Dec 25, 2001 1:01 am
Location: Bellingham, WA
Contact:

Re: Super Beetle Voltage Regulator Question

Post by L. Daniel Rosa »

My '76 bus also has a regulator seperate from the alternator. When I had charging problems, the mechanic I took it to tightened the fan belt and charged me 70 something dollars. Still not charging! :& I found another mechanic. The alternator was bad (worst suspicion, most time involved replacing). My first regulator may have been good, but I replaced that first. Anyway, you shouldn't have trouble finding a Bosch regulator- mail order it if you have to (my local parts shop had them in stock).
peter-f
Posts: 114
Joined: Fri Nov 26, 2004 1:01 am
Contact:

Re: Super Beetle Voltage Regulator Question

Post by peter-f »

Please be sure-- I know the OLD beetles were 6 volts- used generators... I'm not sure of the SuperBeetle... 12 may be right, but Please be sure!<p>[ July 19, 2005: Message edited by: peter-f ]</p>
User avatar
Chris Smith
Posts: 4325
Joined: Tue Dec 04, 2001 1:01 am
Location: Bieber Ca.

Re: Super Beetle Voltage Regulator Question

Post by Chris Smith »

You say it’s a alternator, and You have a Regulator? <p>How big is the regulator?<p> BIG black box or a small aluminum heat sink? <p>Alternators used solid state regulation to the excited coil, generators used dual control on to the feed,.... one to the main coil, one to the field windings, and the “big black” box must have two sets of parallel points with springs for adjustment.

The light to the dash, could vary significantly. <p>On alternator models, the field is a “cut off” when peaking above the desired value of 14.7 volts, usually through solid state. The exciter or dash light is insignificant to the operation. <p>However, Generator controlled circuits use a control on the field exciter, and a feed back from the main windings, and has a parallel set of points that controlled the generator as a whole.<p>This applies to BOSCH.
ecerfoglio
Posts: 108
Joined: Thu Nov 25, 2004 1:01 am
Location: Buenos Aires Argentina
Contact:

Re: Super Beetle Voltage Regulator Question

Post by ecerfoglio »

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr> You say it’s a alternator, and You have a Regulator?
How big is the regulator?<p>BIG black box or a small aluminum heat sink? <p>Alternators used solid state regulation .... <hr></blockquote><p>Once upon a time (mid 60's or early 70's).... the first cars that used an alternator in place of the "old" DC generator had a mecanical regulator (even a big one, similar to the one that the generator used). It was before the "modern" times of the electronic regulator and of the regulator inside the alternator's case.
E. Cerfoglio
Buenos Aires
Argentina
Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Ahrefs [Bot] and 33 guests