OK, so swapped my type 4 engines over on my '78 bus and new one starts and runs Hurrah!! The alternator from the old engine (off a T25) had 3 pins and had no external voltage regulator wired in; two of the wires (big and small spade connectors) went straight to the live battery terminal, one to the warning light. I believe some alternators have internal voltage regulators, but given how badly bodged this bus have been, I wonder if some idiot has just wired it up like this, and running it will boil the battery. So- do alternators from a T25 need a separate voltage regulator? how many connectors would an alternator with internal voltage regulator normally have, how do I otherwise tell the difference- i.e. does the alternator in the new engine (out of a T2) need an external voltage regulator, and would the T25 alternator be a straight swap (despite being mounted differently on the other engine)?
I think the voltage regs on T25's are all internal- hey even vw went modern in the 80's!! Look on club80-90 for T25 advice , they might be able to help.
ok thanks- from what I can figure trawling through their posts, if there are two spade connectors in the back f the alternator - one to battery one to warning light then there is an internal voltage regulator, if there are three or more the alternator needs an external voltage regulator- anyone care to comment?
Still banging on about this- now figured the alternator off T25 engine has internal regulator, but does not look like it will fit in the appropriate nook in the T2 tinware; I wired up the alternator already on the 'new' T2 engine to the existing previously redundant external regulator unit; when I start the engine the charging light goes out, then comes on and stays on- although it does flicker a bit. The external regulator obviously had not been used for a bit, so (other than my wiring) this is prime suspect. The 'new' engine was fuel injected, and I think this means the alternator is 70amp, not 55amp. So: Should a 55Amp voltage regulator be ok with a 70 Amp alternator or is this mismatch the cause of my (current) problem?
t25 alternator should have a internal reg (even later bays do) there should be 2x wires to connect up b+ to battery d+ to dash lamp that should do it there may be others for supression etc but these dont need to be connected to charge
