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Thanks for bringing this to my attention.....wish I would have known about this years ago.  Yes, a little pricey but seems to be well worth it!...

It’s pretty much a lifetime supply for a hobbyist. I kept an aerosol can when a show I was working on closed in 2007 and bought the kit when I got my Spyder back from Carey in 2007. I’ve used maybe 1/10th of either. And I use it on 5 cars and two motorbikes.

Hi Jim.....RED on my car is the Alternator.

I recall reading that on real 356's oil pressure and charging system warning lights were red. The blue/green one was high beam. The hand brake also had a red light indicator when it was on.

Also; when I had problems with the alternator before it was dead ball bearings; I bought a new Bosch Brazil unit to replace it but had the original one redone by an old school electrical shop in Puerto Rico when I lived there and I kept it with me as a spare all these years. I haven't needed to install it yet; crossing my fingers it still works when I do.

Last edited by Impala
@chines1 posted:

Sounds like you have a bad alternator, however, I can also see in your photo that you do not have the ground wire on the alternator (straight slotted screw by itself about center of the alternator).  It should ground both through the fan shroud and the generator base stand, but I also see a lot of chrome in there and chrome is a cr@p conductor, so personally I'd jumper a ground to it and see if that does the trick, if not order a new one.

Not to mince words, and by your description it sounds like you understand what you have, but FYI it is an alternator not a generator.  I only mention this because in the VW world if you were to call and order a generator, you'd get the early version generator requiring an external regulator and not the Bosch alternator you have.  Again, only mentioning this so you don't get the wrong part if ordered over the phone from somewhere is all.

As for lights, I prefer red for both alt and oil, however vintage Porsche (esp 911) used green for low oil pressure indicator regularly which is why you see it done in the repros.  I just don't equate green to warning, which is why I personally don't like it, whereas red (to me) says PAY ATTENTION.

That is great advice Cary; I never noticed this ground wire until you mentioned it. Where do you run it to from that screw? To one of the fasteners on the alternator backing plate? Thank you!

@Impala posted:

That is great advice Cary; I never noticed this ground wire until you mentioned it. Where do you run it to from that screw? To one of the fasteners on the alternator backing plate? Thank you!

On my IM, the alternator grounding wire runs from the front wiring harness ground buss. It just needs to be a solid ground that has good conductivity all over the car.

Also, double check that you have a good ground strap from the chassis to the engine block (not the motor mounts) if you want to be sure your engine is fully grounded.

@Impala posted:

That is great advice Cary; I never noticed this ground wire until you mentioned it. Where do you run it to from that screw? To one of the fasteners on the alternator backing plate? Thank you!

I'd run it to a case stud. The fan and shroud may or may not have a good connection to the case, what with all the powder coated tin out there. That's what I did with my 911 alternator in my Spyder. I ran a 10 gauge wire from a ring connector to one of the six studs that bolts the alternator to the fan ring, then to a case stud on top of the case. And use star washers! They work!

Last edited by DannyP
@Impala posted:

There is a ground strap going to the chassis from the transaxle.

+1 on the case stud or case bolt and star washers.

It probably won't make a big difference for you (EFI systems are more sensitive to electronic interference), but I saw a big reduction in ground system noise when I extended a second ground strap from the transaxle to a lower case bolt on the engine case. The transaxle also has a strap to the chassis.

@DannyP posted:

I'd run it to a case stud. The fan and shroud may or may not have a good connection to the case, what with all the powder coated tin out there. That's what I did with my 911 alternator in my Spyder. I ran a 10 gauge wire from a ring connector to one of the six studs that bolts the alternator to the fan ring, then to a case stud on top of the case. And use star washers! They work!

Love this Mr. P; thank you very much!

Hi Danny....yes, sir....been in Telecom  since the early 70's and my how things have changed. The Industry just wont let me retire.....working as a contractor for BAYER Pharma taking care of their Telecom for NA and LA regions. How about you?

LOL, retired December 2019 from Vz, started out in NY Telephone in 1991. Worked 28 years, 10 months. Was planning for 30, but they gave me an offer I couldn't refuse! 25 years as a construction splicer, did a lot of remote Mux work. Last four years doing FiOS.

Early 70s? Wow, glad you still don't hate it. And yes, it HAS changed a lot, and not for the better. I loved my job and the people I worked with. Most customers were great. It was management that took the fun out of it.

@dlearl476 posted:

Larry, speaking as a retired sound guy with 30 years experience, “intermittent” (and its service department equivalent: “unable to duplicate customer complaint”) are the most frustrating problems to diagnose and fix.

The good news? It’s probably just a faulty connection somewhere. For you, and everyone, I can highly recommend this little kit from Amazon.
C537633F-7633-4B16-B4AD-D242BDD3C84A
DeoxIT Caig New Audio/Video Survival Kit - SK-AV35 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07B...VQ2KHZEB2SSAQYSA0TG1



Has a little bit of everything to keep your electrical connections connecting.

I’d advise disconnecting your battery and undoing all your connections and treating them. Under your dash as well. (Do the connectors one at a time so you don’t mix them up)

If you prefer, you can simply get deOxit Gold with a brush applicator, pin oiler, or aerosol. It’s expensive, but a little bit goes a loooong way.

What is in it that is so magical compared to standard contact cleaner?  Just wondering but it Looks interesting. Tx. for posting this.



Deoxit web site... fyi

Last edited by IaM-Ray

When I lived in Beaufort, SC and on the other side of town from the Marine Corps. Air Station (MCAS Beaufort), I was down the street from a guy who worked on the avionics of F-16 fighter jets.  He also had a Porsche 928 with the usual electrical gremlins from Porsche designing in way too many cable connectors with corroding terminations.  He brought home a couple of cans of the contact cleaner they used on the jets: CRC contact cleaner, which we sprayed all over every connector in the car.  Worked like magic.

It’s good stuff, has been as long as I’ve been doing computers, and that’s all we used on circuit board connectors and mechanical controls.  They just never needed a strong Marketing dept.

It is sold at NAPA stores, too.  Make sure you get contact cleaner, not parts cleaner - CC is less harsh.

https://www.napaonline.com/en/...801?impressionRank=3

Last edited by Gordon Nichols

Totally concur, Gordon.

My Audi allroad had a flood a few years ago into the passenger seat floor Over the years the cowl drains get clogged up. The main drain is under the MASSIVE battery, so doesn't get cleaned too often. So the cowl fills up and overflows in a massive rainstorm on the Jersey Turnpike

That overflows into the HVAC box, which overflows into the passenger footwell. Under the carpet is a plastic box, which houses the Tiptronic trans computer. I got almost home when the trans went into limp-home mode, which is 3rd gear only.

After I got home I phoned a local independent Audi mechanic. He told me what to do. I pulled the carpet up and sucked several gallons of water up with the shop vac. Then removed the computer and took it apart. Sprayed the circuit board with CRC as well as both ends of the connector. Dried it all out with compressed air.

Then I opened the front doors and placed a box fan to dry it all the way for a day or two. I put it all back together and the trans went back to normal for the rest of my ownership. And I cleaned the cowl drain!

CRC contact cleaner is magical stuff, indeed.

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