i drove into the city last night to take a mate to work on little collins street (Melb) i drove from Ferntree Gully, to wantirna, no probs then from wantirna to little collins (we got lost on the way, toorak road was half closed) bu the time we got to F4 (where he works) the lights were dim, and my CD Player was turning itself off and making some random popping noises.. at first i thought this was somone throwing stuff at the car.


i turned the car off and we went in.. when we were finished and came out to go home the car didn't have enough juice to turn the starter over!!!

i got a jump start from another DJ... out of the 4 ppl there i was the only one who had ever jump started a car before

anyways! after this long-winded story there is a question!

has anyone had this happen? i understand i had lights/wipers/cdplayer going but should that be enough cause for the battery to die completley WHILE driving?!?!

from the club to home i drove w/o CD player and she started alright this morning..

---Damien

sorry about not being clearer.. the car is a 68 semi-auto beetle (12v) not an older 6 volt

and is there anything i can do about the problem? i love my music!

---Damien

Sounds like it isn't charging correctly, or perhaps the cd player could have a fault and be shorting?

If the battery is the problem, it should run fine as long as the generator can charge the battery faster than you are using the charge...

If the generator or regulator is the problem, it may charge at a lower rate than normal or perhaps even not at all. If that's the case, then yes, lights, wipers and CD player will run the battery flat quite quickly.

I'm assuming though that you drove it home with the lights, and perhaps the wipers as well, turned on. Yet it still started in the morning. Sometimes a battery will resurrect itself a little after a rest, but not normally enough to start a car on a cold morning....

My first guess would be that you have a short in the cd player. It would be worth visiting an auto-electricion just to have the charge rate checked first. Check it with no accessories turned on, then continue checking as you turn things on, one by one, until everything is on.

Hi Damien,
If You had a short circuit in the CD player You would be blowing fuses...
What power does Your CD player put out..??
The generator in 12 Volt Beetles only puts out 360 watts...
Wipers take a bit & headlamps take a bit... so Maybe You are running a CD player with large speakers and an Amplifier which uses too much power... & causes deafness!!
that is why many people have changed over to an Alternator... which was fitted to late 73> on Beetles...
The 50 watt Bosch alternator puts out 600 watts...
In the US they also have 75 amp alternators for really BIG HUMUNGUS Stereo systems using up all those precious AMPS.
The other explanation may be Your generators brushes have worn down and the generator doesn't charge all the time???
Have You had any problems since having the CD player turned off??? Is Your Fan Belt loose or tight??
A loose fan belt can also mean no charging... and loss of cooling air... as the fan isn't turning fast enough...
You should be able to press the fan belt in with Your thumb about 13mm or 1/2"... if You can press it 18mm+, its too loose... & if You are using the XDA Belt 11.3x912 La it should be even tighter...
Now You know why people with Extra large Amplified Stereos in their cars usually have the engine running or run two batteries... plus A Large alternator...
regards

Lee

thanks for that info Lee

no fuses are blowing.. so that rules short circuits out..

when i drove home i had the headlights and wipers on occasion.. but no tunes.. kept the face off the headunit..

the CD player is a 4 channel at 50watt, only 2 channels being used and no amp.. they 2 channels are running my 6x9's.. was just thinking of getting an amp and trying to install some 6's in the front

i noticed while the music was playing.. and we had pulled over to the side of the road (to read the melways while lost) the inside light went dimmer at each thump of the bass.. dunno if this is significant or not..

i just checked the fan belt aswell.. is it tight.

how do i check the brushes in the generator? are they hard to replace..
and how do i know if the water levles in the battery are enough?

---Damien

i just had this problem pretty much......go to the rear of the car and lift the engine hood.....if your regulator is in the engine bay this is easier but if its under the rear seat its a bitch.......use a multi meter to check the charge form the thick wire going to charge the battery thru the firewall while the car is running (make sure u are revving i because gennys only charge at revs).....it should be about 13-14 volts......if its only 12 or 12 and a half volts then your genny isnt charging or your regulator is shot.........the brushes are the carbon things u can see thru the 2 holes in the side of the generator which contact the communicator (the spinning bit)....if these arent contacting then thats the problem.(they are held in by a spring on each brush)...get a mate to push them in with his/her fingers with the engine running/.......dont get caught in the fan belt!!!!!! .....u might get a small charge running thru your fingers or they may get hot but it will tell u whats goin on.......check the charge again with the multi meter while pushing in the brushes...if it raises to 13-14 volts then ......then your problem is that the brushes arent contacting properly

[Edited on 8-5-2004 by Anthiron]

[Edited on 8-5-2004 by Anthiron]

u can buy new brushes however mine were rather new and still not contacting so i lightly rubbed the inside of the channel with a flat screw driver to remover abrasions and very very lightly rubbed the flat sides of the brushes with emery paper and now it charges fine

thanks anthiron!.. but i have no idea were my generator is.. i thought it ws under the seat.. little metal box? but it dosent have any holes in it..

The liquid in the battery must cover the plates You can see if You take off a cap.. If Your battery doesn't have caps, don't worry about it... If You have caps & the level is below any of the plates... just top them up with bottled water..
Not tap water.. [depends where You live] and the acid in the battery will eat anything.. don't get any on You or Your clothes... wipe the battery clean if it has moisture on it...
My other car's interior light dims with the thumps with the engine NOT running.... You really have to check the voltage coming from Your Generator .. as Anthiron says, it should be 13.8 Volts or higher... I don't know how many watts a 50 watt amplier consumes... it doesn't sound much, but that MUST be the culprit.. Just remember NO Wipers + CD Player.. at the same time.. It looks like You will have to get an Alternator at some time in the future.... You might be able to pick one up at a VW swap meet in Your area....
The Bosch alternator with INBUILT regulators are the best...
The external regulators only seem to last 2-3 years ...
Have a good weekend..
Lee

no no no....the generator is the cylinder in the engine bay which has a pulley driven by the crank shaft it sits to the right of your carbie if u have a single carb engine......the thing under the seat is the regulator

here is my technical word for the day

the top round bit with the fan belt on it?.. that has 2 holes in it LOL

mad not knowing what im talking about!

it has a thich wire, and a "normal wire" attached to it

thats the one

now that that is confirmed:P

i hafta learn how to use a multimeter lol

havent read it all...... but i think you need to see what kinda amps your cd is pulling plus lights wipers etc and see if the gen is charging more or less than that, bigger gen/alt or maybe a double battery setup if its a big stereo

the generator has died comletley (i believe) died again at knox city last night..i wasnt even using CD player this time (face was off HU) got another jump and drove home w/o CD player and it hasnt charged at all... water levles in batt r fine.. will needa pull gen apart see whats going on in there :|

---Damien

i read between 6 and 9 volts from the Generator this arvo.. :| i have no idea how to pull it apart so i'll hafta bus it to school tomorrow or somthing :|
*shudder* dont miss the bus one bit!!!

well i went to Volkspower today and dean had a look and told me the genny is fine.. 13.5 volts w/ lights/wipers going.. brushes are like new!!

possibly sticky Regulator.. but mostlikley a dodgy battery... it reads atr the very bottom end of "good".. so he has spotted me a lender battery to see if this fixes the prob.. if not then he'll check out the regulator!!!


---Damien