strange charging since engine refitted.

[clartsonly]

Okay so first camp of the year this weekend -4 on saturday night, with only a few blankets as we had an extra guest taking the last sleeping bag..

it didn't turn over very well on the start of our journey and as a previous post highlighted it was only charging at 13.86 not 14.5 which it used to, when I got there I set the awning up backwards and needed to move the van. started like a dream, next afternoon struggled to turn over but started and left it running whilst finishing up the packing away (15 mins or so) needed petrol after about 20 miles on the way home and it really hardly turned over at all after filling up. got home 40 miles later and it started like a dream about 10 times in a row. and again this morning no problems whatsoever.

so I am thinking about changing the main starter / alternator wiring for new, when I refitted the engine the alternator to starter wire was very brittle and the ring broke off so I cut it down a bit more but the copper is grey and brittle and not golden and flexible.

Also I have a thin blue wire going to the alternator is this for a dash light?

I need to know what wire I should get if I am replacing all of this wire at the same time I will change the battery connectors as they are old and falling apart.

Thanks in advance if you have any answers to my queries.

[VWCamperfan]

I would be tempted to suspect the battery. A poor battery can cause low readings when using a meter to read voltages from the alternator espicially if it has a low charge already. Try a good battery on there if available and take voltage readings again. If no improvement then I would suspect poor wiring and connectors or regulator/brushes problems.

[clartsonly]

I think the battery is good, it is intermitent (it has been fine since we got back), and considering before I took everything off the engine, it was all working well. I believe it is the wiring from the alternator to the starter. I want to change all the wires but JK only sell 1m cables my battery is behind the drivers seat and the alternator is at the very rear that has to be 3m of cable needed, do I just buy 3m of 10mm cable, and some ends? or a starter cable and 2m of wire and connet the starter wire with a block or something?

[VWCamperfan]

The alternator charging cables only run to the starter motor and connect onto a threaded solenoid post there. Then the main starting cable runs from the same threaded post to the battery. There is always a live connection from the battery to the starter motor and onto the alternator. Thats why sometimes a faulty alternator regulator can drain the battery because it is always live.
In theory you would just need a cable from the alternator to the starter motor or the starter motor to the battery.