Club 80-90 Forums

Have a 45amp alt on, as you can imagine if its well used the lights are dim
can i replace it with a 65amp without any damage to the elec system?

Has a whoppin great big battery on it should it have a smaller 42-44amp on it?

many cheers!

I have heard of 90amp alts being used (i think from a none t25 source, merc or something) dont quote me though

90 amp was supposedly an option on high-spec campers. 1980`s BMW 3 series are using the same alty, so I`ve read somewhere. Had a look at a pic of one, they do look similar, not sure if it`s a direct fit or not, the T25 alty has a deep-dish pulley (you thought I was going to say pizza )

Dim headlamps are nowt to do with poor alternator... unless you have checke it ... you should have at least 13V and nearer 14 with the engine running, checked accross the battery... put the lights on and wipers heater etc and it should be the same..

If voltage checks out.. see what you have at the headlamp.. not unreasonable to find 11v.. or kess... this may not sound like much, but makes a hell of a difference..

Best way to cure poor headlamps, is to make sure you have the H4 headlamps and fit a pair of relays as the voltage drop throught he switches etc causes all sorts of problems..

Oh.. supposedly a golf 65/90A alternator fits....

headliamp upgrade is definately a good idea. as for the alt upgrade something from an 80's bmw 3 series will or should go straight in, other more recent bmws have similar alts and can fit if you are persuasive enough!

thinking of upgrading mine if a new battery doesnt solve the drain problem i have brought the van it had been garaged for 2 tears u reckon that would have killed the battery ???

Yes, if it`s been allowed to go very flat it may not charge up again to it`s proper state and hold a charge. Get it checked at a battery place, they will put a load meter on it and give it some welly, soon shows if it`s going down Also ask `em to check the state of the alty for charging, they will do this anyway if the battery is down.

Look at the electrical section on Wiki for some good stuff on checks, and headlight wiring upgrades.

A 90 amp alt' is available from Jk. Is not cheap at £141 (part no' j10215) an in the book it just lists them for smokers. i dont know if petrol 1's are much differant.
If you want to check ur altenator urself get ur multimeter out, connect it to the battery and start the van. At around at idle u should have over 13volts and wen u increase the engine speed to around 2k u should have a reading of about 13.8-14.8volts. Now turn on ur headlights,foglights, heater fan, and anything else that gives a constant drain(not indicators as they will make ur multimeter go mad wit the flashin)the more electrics u have running the better the test. At 2k the meter should read above 13.5 Volts. If any less then id say ur alt' is knackered.
Easiest way to check ur battery at home without the proper kit ive found is to do the following. for petrol, remove rotor arm, connect multimeter to battery and crank the engine for 10-15 seconds while your doing this take notice of the voltage. Anythin below 10 volts at the end of the cranking period and u need to change ur battery( note as ur still cranking as wen u release the key the voltage may well rise bak up again). for smokers just dont let the glows work, should allow you to crank for a good while before the old girl starts

If anyone wants to do an upgrade then there is a 90 amp up for grabs here