What do you guys think? are there any advantages of having one or the other? if i'm planning on installing a medium sized stero would i be better off getting an alternator?

Hi
From memory, the generator puts out about 360 watts at around 1450rpm >

where the alternator puts out around 600+ watts from low revs
so is the better choice..

Depends on the wattage of the stereo system and how loud You have it..

If Your interior light dulls with the Bass thumps , then You will need an alternator..
If You just listen to CDs etc like an oldie.. lol

a generator will do..

If You do a lot of stop start driving in heavy traffic, You will need an alternator to keep up..
If You are just using a CD player without any amplifiers the generator should be OK..
but once You start amplifying with big speakers...
that is a big draw on the battery..

cheers I hope that helps..

LEE

Get an alternator

Yeah - really anything more than the stock electrical load you'll want an alternator, as a generator just won't keep your battery topped up.

VW changed for a reason... after all have you ever seen a modern car fitted with a generator ???

alternators ftw!

heaps better and they make a nice sound when loaded up.

Is it easy to change it ? are there any kits ? and if my bug is 6v can i , or do i have to convert it to 12v ?

You will have to change Your car over to 12 volts first..

that is everything... Bulbs, blinker unit, Coil,
You can buy resistors for the wiper motor..

otherwise they will ALL blow instantly when connected/turned on..

You will need an Alternator kit.. with backing plate etc, alternator stand, offset fuel pump [for an alternator]
automatic choke on carby needs to be replaced with a 12 volt one. [if You have a fuel cutout solenoid on Your carby it would need to replaced with a12v one also but Your carby may not have one..]

You really need to look at all the differences on an Early beetle
as there are a lot of things to do in one go..
There is also the starter motor solenoid which should be replaced with an early 6V holden one..

Start buying all the little things first... lol

An alternator usually has an inbuilt regulator these days so the old 6v regulator can be removed altogether..

should be plenty of Beetle owners on here who have changed over to 12 volt...

plus a 12 volt battery...

cheers

LEE

Distributor is OK and doesn't need to be changed

Feels like i've taken over this thread ... oops!!!

However thanz for that Lee

^^^ don't worry i was going to ask about if it was easy to change. i'm assuming changing it over on a 12volt is much less of a hassle. do i need a new stand as well or just the alernator?


i also notice when i'm at the lights and the car is idleing (especially after a long drive), the oil light blinks and so does the generator light in time with the revs... as soon as the car is moving everything goes back to normal. is that an indication that my genny might be on the way out?

new stand as alternator is larger diameter plus dependiing on current carb is may need a spacer and the fuel pump too.

Depending on the year and make of wiper motor I'd just bung the Wolfsburg 12v armature in there or get a 12v assembly. The resistors get really hot and can fail quite quickly.

Alternator is 55amps or 75amp for hi output version. Generator is 30amps.

Take a dark, wet nite and lights use around 12-15amps, Indicators 2A and wipers around 10amps so there ain't much headroom left on a generator to run a medium sized amplifier.

Also when rating an amp it's best to use the RMS wattage as this is what the amp runs at at moderate sound levels. The Peak wattage only occurs when you turn it way up and for a subwoofer of large wattage even a good 110amp alternator will not cope so a stiffening capacitor is required to save the battery being killed and alt fried.

Quote:

Originally posted by ClockworkMonkey ^^^ don't worry i was going to ask about if it was easy to change. i'm assuming changing it over on a 12volt is much less of a hassle. do i need a new stand as well or just the alernator? i also notice when i'm at the lights and the car is idleing (especially after a long drive), the oil light blinks and so does the generator light in time with the revs... as soon as the car is moving everything goes back to normal. is that an indication that my genny might be on the way out?

They don't do that normally, it's just a sign of an engine with a lot of miles on the clock and a generator and/or regulator that are getting a bit tired.

If you by a cheap alternator replace the plastic bearing's before you install it in the car, put in a set of SKF's or something similar, chineese cheap bearing's do not last

^ that's a pretty cool piece of information Matt!

Quote:

Originally posted by ClockworkMonkey ^^^ don't worry i was going to ask about if it was easy to change. i'm assuming changing it over on a 12volt is much less of a hassle. do i need a new stand as well or just the alernator? i also notice when i'm at the lights and the car is idleing (especially after a long drive), the oil light blinks and so does the generator light in time with the revs... as soon as the car is moving everything goes back to normal. is that an indication that my genny might be on the way out?

Thanks Lee! i'm going to bite the bullet and get one (alternator). whats a few hundred dollars more when i'm already waaayyyy over budget hey?

As mentioned, there are crappy units out there.

One alternator I bought didn't even come with a bloody keyway in the shaft for the alternator pulley. And the bloody supplier said is was the 'new' design and was meant to come that way! PHH! Without it the pulley just spun on the shaft.

You can purchase a 12 volt alternator kit, usually comes iwth teh stand, pulley and belt.