Volkswagen Club of Pakistan (VWCOP)

[Bruit]

I assume you are in Peshawar.

What exactly are the problems you are facing??? Please describe so we may be able to home in on a diagnosis. I would be convinced the alternator has an issue only when you tell us what the symptoms are. Rebuilding an engine should in no way affect the charging system.

I hope your engine has two pulleys and not three.....cant be sure what the mech means by a hybrid alternator?? A picture of your engine bay would point us in the right direction.

There is a possibility that you are running an original 74 onwards VW unit which came with an integral regulator/cutout as against the 73 onwards models which came with an external regulator (both kinds being used on VWs post 1974). If my guess is correct, the mech means to say that it shares the internal cutout with some mercedes alternators.

Nowadays alternators are hard to come by in Karachi even. And what you do get are of course without any sort of guarantee from the seller. You buy it, if good its yours, if bad its yours even then. Its very very hard to find the models with the built-in cutouts compared to the external ones.

Btw, the internal regulated ones can be converted with an external regulator by an expert electrician if the need arises.....

Waiting to hear from you.....

*1, the pulley loses its places time after time as you could see a deep marks on the alternator's body. The mechanic manually puts a washer to bring it to its desired place, but thats a very temporary solution.

*2 Some Mercedes parts are installed inside the area where I have partially marked the inlet in the alternator.

I meant to say that I have recently overhauled my engine and afraid it'd get seized if the alternator stop working on my long route.

By hybrid the mechanic merely meant that other branded vehicle's parts were cut and installed on the alternator in order to get it running for the time being, however its not a fixed solution.

PLZZZZZZZZZZ HELP....

[Bruit]

Anyone who can help me on the above issue or can locate me an alternator in excellent condition will be highly appreciated.

[AsadIshaque]

Bruit,

 That's the quickest and most comprehensive reply someone has posted to highlight their problem. Id try to help you the best I can here.

 Problem number 1:

 Well this is an issue with the pulley and probably not the alternator. There are different kinds of pulleys VW used over the years. Pl note that generator and alternator pulleys differ in some dimensions.

 You have shown a small area 'eaten' by the pulley edge rubbing with the alt body. Your mechanic did the right thing by inserting a spacer washer over the shaft as this is the standard method of curing this issue.

 Now what is not so right is the fact the problem recurs. I am trying to rack my brains as to what could cause this.........some possibilities:

--The top alt pulley and the bottom crank pulley are not in the same plane. You can check this by standing with your eye directly over the top pulley. It should be in the same vertical plane as the bottom one. In other words the fan belt must not have any sideways tension caused by misaligned pulleys.

--There may be axial play in the alternator shaft. This might be causing the shaft to have axial motion when its spinning. It would result in hammering of the spacer washer your mechanic has placed. Thus it needs to be replaced after a short time. To check this here is what you can do:

 Take the fan belt and the pulley off the shaft. Try to pull and push the shaft....any play apart from minimal movement??? If you detect appreciable play here, the shaft needs some spacer washers *inside* the alternator housing. One needs to check the 'exploded view' diagram of a VW alt to understand this.

 So to sum up, you need to check pulley alignment and look for and eliminate axial shaft play. A change of the upper pulley may be necessary. Please let me know if you need help locating one.

Problem number 2:

 I dont think this is a problem at all. You have circled the winding inside the alt body. I dont think its easy/possible to change. My guess is the mech put in a different regulator inside the body. Access to the regulator is achieved by removing a small cover plate on the top of the alt body. I think if its working well you are good to go.

 The fact that you are worried about your bug makes you a caring owner. Much appreciated in my eyes. All you need to do is make sure you have a functional alt warning light in your speedo (you are running the original speedo aren't you??) 

 The red light should go out once you have the engine running. It may come on solid or flickering at idle (may be so if the idle speed is below the standard of 750-800 RPM or the alt charging output is insufficient) but *must* go out if you rev the engine.

  A solid light coming on while running the vehicle MUST prompt you to pull over *immediately* to the side of the road and investigate for a broken/slipping fan belt. That is a cause of a seized engine and not a faulty alternator.

[murtaza_murti]

like kps 67,... Probably the fastest bug in pk,.. .when it runs

lol

[AsadIshaque]

Waiting to hear from bruit........

[Storm]

Waiting to hear from bruit........

doc, after he printed your reply and spoke to his "ustaad" about what you had said, i think his ustaad retired....

[Bruit]

Bruit,

That's the quickest and most comprehensive reply someone has posted to highlight their problem. Id try to help you the best I can here.

Problem number 1:

Well this is an issue with the pulley and probably not the alternator. There are different kinds of pulleys VW used over the years. Pl note that generator and alternator pulleys differ in some dimensions.

You have shown a small area 'eaten' by the pulley edge rubbing with the alt body. Your mechanic did the right thing by inserting a spacer washer over the shaft as this is the standard method of curing this issue.

Now what is not so right is the fact the problem recurs. I am trying to rack my brains as to what could cause this.........some possibilities:

--The top alt pulley and the bottom crank pulley are not in the same plane. You can check this by standing with your eye directly over the top pulley. It should be in the same vertical plane as the bottom one. In other words the fan belt must not have any sideways tension caused by misaligned pulleys.

--There may be axial play in the alternator shaft. This might be causing the shaft to have axial motion when its spinning. It would result in hammering of the spacer washer your mechanic has placed. Thus it needs to be replaced after a short time. To check this here is what you can do:

Take the fan belt and the pulley off the shaft. Try to pull and push the shaft....any play apart from minimal movement??? If you detect appreciable play here, the shaft needs some spacer washers inside the alternator housing. One needs to check the 'exploded view' diagram of a VW alt to understand this.

So to sum up, you need to check pulley alignment and look for and eliminate axial shaft play. A change of the upper pulley may be necessary. Please let me know if you need help locating one.

Problem number 2:

I dont think this is a problem at all. You have circled the winding inside the alt body. I dont think its easy/possible to change. My guess is the mech put in a different regulator inside the body. Access to the regulator is achieved by removing a small cover plate on the top of the alt body. I think if its working well you are good to go.

The fact that you are worried about your bug makes you a caring owner. Much appreciated in my eyes. All you need to do is make sure you have a functional alt warning light in your speedo (you are running the original speedo aren't you??)

The red light should go out once you have the engine running. It may come on solid or flickering at idle (may be so if the idle speed is below the standard of 750-800 RPM or the alt charging output is insufficient) but must go out if you rev the engine.

A solid light coming on while running the vehicle MUST prompt you to pull over immediately to the side of the road and investigate for a broken/slipping fan belt. That is a cause of a seized engine and not a faulty alternator.

Sorry for the late reply, as I was on a visit to my village, came back today.

Anyways, what the mechanic said was that inside in the winding area, parts of mercedes were installed, hence the generator doesn't recharge the battery well. Now thats his diagnostics, beside him, I dont know any of the good electrician who can comment on it.

Having very little knowledge about beetle's mechanism, now I have this doubt in my mind that the generator isn't working well.

The generator light doesn't come on in above 1000 RPM.

Btw, the generator pulley isn't alligned with the 2nd pulley and thats what causing the problem, and thats where we need a washer to allign it.

[Storm]

Sorry for the late reply, as I was on a visit to my village, came back today.

Anyways, what the mechanic said was that inside in the winding area, parts of mercedes were installed, hence the generator doesn't recharge the battery well. Now thats his diagnostics, beside him, I dont know any of the good electrician who can comment on it.

Having very little knowledge about beetle's mechanism, now I have this doubt in my mind that the generator isn't working well.

The generator light doesn't come on in above 1000 RPM.

Btw, the generator pulley isn't alligned with the 2nd pulley and thats what causing the problem, and thats where we need a washer to allign it.

if i recall correctly, you are in peshawar. in that case i'd suggest that at some time you come to ISB/RWP and visit khalid mechanic to get yolur engine setup correctly. next a trip to khalid electrician in G8 to get the generator serviced/rebuilt.

these 2 khalids are both the best at what they do (now that shakeel is retired from VWs)

[Bruit]

if i recall correctly, you are in peshawar. in that case i'd suggest that at some time you come to ISB/RWP and visit khalid mechanic to get yolur engine setup correctly. next a trip to khalid electrician in G8 to get the generator serviced/rebuilt.

these 2 khalids are both the best at what they do (now that shakeel is retired from VWs)

Absolutly Sameer bhai, Upon your suggestion, I drove my V-Dub to Pindi in order to be overhauled, however, Khalid ustad (Mechanic) did some of he electrician work for me as according to him nothing much is needed; hence, I didn't take the car to Khalid (electrician).

Now, the self prolongs when I try to crank the engine, and electrician here in Peshawar said its due to weak alternator.

You were the first whom I sms regarding this problem, but figured out after "no reply" that you were still abroad.

Its been 13 months since I am trying to get my V-Dub on to the road but looks like new bottle necks are popping up M so jealous of all those beauties on road without any mechanical challenges popping up on weekly basis.

[Bruit]

Btw, I want to share a short story about how affectionate these bugs are:

My village is in the remote areas of Peshawar, where the west side was badly affected by flood. I took my buddy-bug to the affected areas where an ordinary car couldn't reach due to the dialapidated road conditions.

The flood victims were all sad, and one could see the level of stress/depression on their faces. However, every affected place I would visit, the bug would transform their stress into smiles. Kids, youngsters and elders would come to the roadsides in order to see "brainier engineering" in practical form. I could see how keen these kids were to see the bug from inside. However, due to exigous time, I couldn't show them.

And thats where I took an oath that:

"In every point of my life, I will be having at least one bug with me."

Once bugged, always bugged...

[Storm]

Absolutly Sameer bhai, Upon your suggestion, I drove my V-Dub to Pindi in order to be overhauled, however, Khalid ustad (Mechanic) did some of he electrician work for me as according to him nothing much is needed; hence, I didn't take the car to Khalid (electrician).

Now, the self prolongs when I try to crank the engine, and electrician here in Peshawar said its due to weak alternator.

You were the first whom I sms regarding this problem, but figured out after "no reply" that you were still abroad.

Its been 13 months since I am trying to get my V-Dub on to the road but looks like new bottle necks are popping up M so jealous of all those beauties on road without any mechanical challenges popping up on weekly basis.

sorry about the "no replys" i'm still not back yet.

as for khalid saying nothing else was needed, he does that for everyone so as to save them money but in the long run it doesn't always work as his solutions are usually temporary. sadly most VW owners in ISB/RWP want a cheap fix" rather than fixing the problem once and doing it right.

i think what you should do is have a word with him on the phone and explain this whole thing to him and check to see if all the parts etc will be available to sort out your car once and for all. also do mentino to him that after visiting him you'll also be going to khalid electrician in G8 to get the electrics sorted out as well.

it'll cost a little, but it'll be cheape than doing short term repairs (over the long run),.. and it'll be more reliable.

i'll be back soon so then i can also help you out.

[Storm]

Btw, I want to share a short story about how affectionate these bugs are:

My village is in the remote areas of Peshawar, where the west side was badly affected by flood. I took my buddy-bug to the affected areas where an ordinary car couldn't reach due to the dialapidated road conditions.

The flood victims were all sad, and one could see the level of stress/depression on their faces. However, every affected place I would visit, the bug would transform their stress into smiles. Kids, youngsters and elders would come to the roadsides in order to see "brainier engineering" in practical form. I could see how keen these kids were to see the bug from inside. However, due to exigous time, I couldn't show them.

And thats where I took an oath that:

"In every point of my life, I will be having at least one bug with me."

Once bugged, always bugged...

this is very true, on the ISB mango festival the VW club got together and put our cars on display. the amount of people who just came to see the cars was overwhelming (all with kids). after that the mango festival guys asked us to come back again at the next event.

beetles are all "friendly" vehicles and people tend to feel comfortable around them.

[Xulfiqar]

about the regulator - I know for sure the internal regulators can be had for about 100 rs a piece on Lawrence road karachi - but you would have to sift in about 1000 pieces - I bought 2 for my Golf (benz 90 amp alternator) and they were super.

The VW alternator can be rebuilt with benz parts rotor etc. but only if you use the older style 40 amp ones.. And you can buy the straight angled regulator too (they usually come equipped like this in super older benzs)..

the axial play usually is the culprit of a missing wave thrust washer inside the housing or a broached bearing seat..

If the starter tries to overcrank the engine when leaving the key you can point it out to a sticking solenoid OR the mechanic who installed the starter and bushing in the tranny has applied grease to it, the bushing needs to be dipped in oil overnight and installed with a bolt rig tool (I made it with a long bolt, piece of metal and two smaller bolts to mount the starter ears).. Dont hammer it in

The spline shaft if greased will stick the driving gear - as clutch dust and heat cooks the grease, just use plain oil - and it will run smooth

[rudeboy]

whats the approximate cost of overhauling a 1300cc engine? is it worth overhauling or should you just get a new engine? Whats the cost of the new engine? Are they easy to find??

My car keeps on leaking oil!! So any good mechanics based in Pindi/Isb who can help me to stop the leaking? Please post their contact details too!!

[ShahJee14]

I have VW 1974 beetle, i am intrested in installing angel eyes or HID kit in my beetle. Is it possible to get them installed?

[Aleem1]

"Old VWs don't drip oil...they just mark their spot"

Or so the saying goes. I don't know about the rest of you, but I've had a wide variety of engines in my VWs over the years, but I do have to say somehow the older engines - like the 36hp motor, or the early stale-air 40hp 1200 which is original to my 61- tend to drip less. From memory, most of my 1300s have dripped more...but that may have no mechanical basis whatsoever.

Oil seals etc can be changed...but sometimes the issue is deeper. Most of the time, unless the leak is severe, it doesn't really matter I have to say.

@ Storm and Bruit...totally agree with your observations. The Bug is a universally loved and accepted car, across continents, countries, cultures, languages, ages, gender and what have you.

[Bruit]

Yet another Challange...

AOA all,

My car is at painter's shop, when I tried to reverse it, the gear lever wouldn't move from its place at all. It's stuck in 1st gear, I can't bring it to neutral, nor 2nd gear nor reverse. It's not compromising at all. When I press the clutch, the car would start, but when I try to change the gear, it wouldn't allow me to. However, when I release the clutch, the car would move forward normally just as it does in 1st gear.

Any idea about this problem? I hope its not going to be pain in the butt...

Regards all,

[Bruit]

Yet another Challange...

AOA all,

My car is at painter's shop, when I tried to reverse it, the gear lever wouldn't move from its place at all. It's stuck in 1st gear, I can't bring it to neutral, nor 2nd gear nor reverse. It's not compromising at all. When I press the clutch, the car would start, but when I try to change the gear, it wouldn't allow me to. However, when I release the clutch, the car would move forward normally just as it does in 1st gear.

Any idea about this problem? I hope its not going to be pain in the butt...

Regards all,

Fortunately got it straight... There was some problem with the lever... I pray that I drive my beetle without any hassle from now on.

[Storm]

I have VW 1974 beetle, i am intrested in installing angel eyes or HID kit in my beetle. Is it possible to get them installed?

please avoid ricing this car, it is not worth it.

whats the approximate cost of overhauling a 1300cc engine? is it worth overhauling or should you just get a new engine? Whats the cost of the new engine? Are they easy to find??

My car keeps on leaking oil!! So any good mechanics based in Pindi/Isb who can help me to stop the leaking? Please post their contact details too!!

it depends on the engine, but no matter what, it'll be ALOT cheaper than importing a new engine as they can cost approximately £1000 (without import tax).

as for oil leaks, all beetles in PK do it. it's got to do with the abuse given to them in their lives and the fact that most were serviced by idiot mechanics. both my VWs leak oil, eventually i'll do something about it but for now i just leave a pan under the car (when home),.. when out, i just "mark my territory".(A)

Fortunately got it straight... There was some problem with the lever... I pray that I drive my beetle without any hassle from now on.

i know it's a bit late, but did it have anything to do with the bushes uner the rear seat or the actual shifter rod? what was the actual issue?

[Storm]