1969 Westfalia Generator Light On

[Amskeptic]

Well, it's fixed.

I gave up on the generator, and generators in general. My local FLAPS gave me credit towards an alternator (cost of alternator minus what the rebuilt generator cost), so I opted for a new Bosch AL82. I found a good German alternator stand, swapped over the parts, changed some wiring, and done.

Light is on at engine start until the first throttle blip (which is normal by all accounts I have read). Battery voltage is ~13 volts at idle. No more GEN light.

I don't exactly know what went wrong or what was bad with what I had, but I'm leaning towards the rebuilt generator(s)... and I'm not really in the mood to find out. It works, time to drive.

Good job. In the interest of informing all the hobbyists who follow us and read for information, please feel free to expend the effort to make a guess as to what the cause of your untold aggravation was. This will help them make better decisions. Was it rebuilt by a local shop or was it an exchange sort of thing that does cookie cutter rebuilds on a large scale?
Colin

[jeb1978]

Best guess was the rebuilt generator(s). They were both Bosch rebuilds ordered through my local FLAPS. I've read a few posts that rebuilt generators seem to be bad news, and to buy a new one if at all possible.

I didn't pay much attention to the first one I had, but on the second one, the commutator was machined even with the insulation, which goes against the spec in the Bentley (something like 0.5 to 1 mm lower for the insulation vs the commutator).

I replaced the generator on my '72 Beetle with a generic rebuilt from Autzone several years ago, and never had a problem with it. I insisted on buying a Bosch rebuild this time since I assumed it would be of better quality. WRONG.

In retrospect, I should have had my original generator rebuilt locally or just bought an alternator right at the start. I like the looks of the generator more than the alternator, but I can't argue with what works.

[Amskeptic]

Best guess was the rebuilt generator(s). They were both Bosch rebuilds ordered through my local FLAPS. I've read a few posts that rebuilt generators seem to be bad news, and to buy a new one if at all possible.

I didn't pay much attention to the first one I had, but on the second one, the commutator was machined even with the insulation, which goes against the spec in the Bentley (something like 0.5 to 1 mm lower for the insulation vs the commutator).

I replaced the generator on my '72 Beetle with a generic rebuilt from Autzone several years ago, and never had a problem with it. I insisted on buying a Bosch rebuild this time since I assumed it would be of better quality. WRONG.

In retrospect, I should have had my original generator rebuilt locally or just bought an alternator right at the start. I like the looks of the generator more than the alternator, but I can't argue with what works.

Thanks for the clarification. I think Bosch has turned a corner towards the Dark Side. I do recommend that people consider a community-based rebuild where you can talk with the actual human being who will be performing the work. Even so, jblair630 had a local generator rebuilder completely "forget" to replace a bad generator bearing.
Colin