[T3] Arcing

[Mike Fisher]

Mine starts good (except when cold) /runs great with 13.5V so I have not
even been chasing 14V.  ;-)

On Sat, Nov 14, 2015 at 10:12 AM, Jim Adney <jadney at vwtype3.org> wrote:

> On 14 Nov 2015 at 17:51, Daniel K. Du Vall wrote:
>
> > Question should I see a lot of arcing going on in the viewports of the
> > generator? It seems to be allot more that I would have expected. I am
> > trying to trace down some issues so want to rule this out. Also what
> > should I see voltage wise without any load see about 12 to 13 off idle
> > somehow I think I should see at least 14 and at least 13 with a load
> > at cruising speeds.
>
> It's normal to see a little arcing, but not a lot. Yes, that's very
> subjective, but I don't know any better way of putting it. If there's
> a lot of arcing, the commutator has worn out of round and should be
> turned on a lathe to make it round again. Try to find a local shop
> that can do this, and make it clear that they should take off a
> minimal amount of copper to clean up the commutator. A good auto
> electric shop should also be able to clean out the mica in the
> grooves properly, but I've done that by hand with a razor knife or a
> thin hacksaw blade. Unfortunately, good local auto electric shops are
> becoming scarce.
>
> I can do this for you if you want to mail me just the armature. It's
> a pain, however, to pack carefully and mail. You can send the whole
> generator, but that's even more pain. Careful packing for these is a
> MUST.
>
> Measure the voltage at the battery after the engine has warmed up
> after a drive. Note that the voltage rises as the rpms go up. The
> voltage rises and then stops rising. That's what I call the plateau.
> That's where the system voltage has actually come into regulation.
> That's the ONLY voltage that's relevant. The voltage at idle or just
> off idle is irrelevant.
>
> The plateau (regulated) voltage should be 14.1-14.4 V. As the voltage
> regulators wear this voltage declines. Low system voltage makes the
> FI run rich. You won't notice any change down to about 13.5 V. Below
> 13 V the car will become annoying to drive. I recommend replacing the
> VR with a Bosch 30-019 if the plateau (regulated) is 13.5 V or lower.
>
> I have Bosch 30-019s in stock if you can't find one locally.
>
> I'm working on a microcontroller version of my own design, but that's
> still a work in progress, Maybe by mid-2016....
>
> --
> *******************************
> Jim Adney, jadney at vwtype3.org
> Madison, Wisconsin, USA
> *******************************
>
> _______________________________________________
> VWType3.Org mailing list - type3 at vwtype3.org
> To unsubscribe or change subscription options, visit:
> http://lists.vwtype3.org/listinfo.cgi/type3-vwtype3.org
> If you need more help, contact: gregm at vwtype3.org
>



-- 
Eugene, Oregon

http://s169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/mr_bojangles500/
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.vwtype3.org/pipermail/type3-vwtype3.org/attachments/20151114/02fed5ed/attachment.htm>