The generator in my '73 Superbug had been dying for a while until the other day it finally carked it. Having sourced another used (but in good condition) one, i replaced it yesterday. Charged the battery up and everything...

Went to start it, and she ran, but refused to idle (i mustve messed up the carb somehow when i took it off), so keeping her idling i just tested out a couple things such as plugging the head unit back in and turning the lights on and such. every time i did these things the idling went horrible and at one point it kept shooting little flames out the back.

My theory is that the carb is running poorly which could explain the lack of idle and the cracking and flames out the back (?) and the generator still isnt working if things get worse when i turn electrics on...
Am i correct to assume these things or is there something i've missed? I'm new to aircooled...

Cheers
Povi

Hi
Generators have brushes which can be replaced and aren't expensive... so don't throw away the old one..

VW engines do not like leaks in the inlet manifold or carburetors etc...
sounds like the carby maybe flooding...
with the engine turning over or running..


look down the top of the carby and see if fuel is pouring into the inlet manifold.. as when the needle and seat in the carby stick , and the fuel pump just keeps pumping fuel ... way too much fuel it just overflows into the manifold and chokes the engine...

now the automatic choke should be connected to power
and the electromagnetic fuel solenoid should be connected to power also...

If You took the inlet manifold OFF .. did You replace all gaskets???

anyone with a bit of VW knowledge could possibly fix Your problems rather easily

where are You located?

all gaskets etc must be leak free...
including the rubber boots on the inlet manifolds...

cheers]]

LEE

Today i also replaced the regulator which came off the same car as the second generator and it seemed to be starting fine for a while but still not idling on its own, and the gen light in the dash kept going on and off intermittently. I found a leak in the inlet manifold and fixed that up, but i hadnt removed it earlier in the procedure... this honestly didnt seem to do anything to the idling/exhaust popping issue.

i have very limited knowledge in comparison to people on here so im more so struggling to understand what could still be wrong. if there is anyone in the northern beaches area or willing to come there and help me out i'd be incredibly grateful, as im trying to get the car running healthy before Rat Day on Sunday...
my other option would be taking it to a mechanic who could most likely get it all fixed up quickly and easily

Generators that have been sitting for a while are said to require a 'polarisation' to work.

'Apparently' you have to polarise a generator, and a generator that has been sitting for a while will require this before operation to work.

info here: http://www.vw-resource.com/generator.html 
can find videos with 'how to's' as well on google. this polarising can also be used to test if the generator is in working order.

directions:

"If the above test fails, it may be caused by the generator becoming depolarised (not enough magnetism to start the generating process).

To polarise the generator, remove the fan belt, jumper wire from DF to the generator case (grounding the DF terminal). Now connect a wire from the + terminal on the battery to D+ on the generator. The generator should now start to spin. A few seconds is enough for this test.

If the generator doesn't spin, it's faulty. It's rebuild time (or at least it needs an auto electrician to look at it)."

yeah i had a go at polarising it once installed, but a few different how-to's said different things... i went off that same exact one and it didnt spin

its going to auto-elec first thing tomorrow morning anyway

brushes may be worn down on both generators..

LEE