Battery not charging enough for the starter

tapgun · Post by **tapgun** » Fri Sep 05, 2008 1:14 am

Hi all,

I am a new member from South Africa. I recently bought my first car 2 weeks ago, and it is a nice 1966 bettle. Im not sure why it wont start but I strongly suspect that the battery is not charging well, because if u push start it, it starts and u can drive it well. the problem is even after a long drive the battery is not charged enough for the starter. I have tried jumpstarting it with a 12 volt battery and it started first time. I have been told by some people to check the belt on the generator, It is a little loose, how tight is it supposed to be?

Please help me as I would like to fix this so that my bettle will be in perfect running condition. Everything is perfect except for a few rust bumps but the car is still original despite that its from a coastal city.

Tapiwa

Post by **jmartini** » Fri Sep 05, 2008 3:18 pm

It could be the belt, or the generator brushes, or a bad voltage regulator or generator. The belt should be 1/2" - 3/4" deflection. Good luck, make sure you check your generator brushes. I highly recommend the book "How to keep your Volkswagen Alive" by John Muir - it has step be step instructions on how to keep your baby running!

Blue Baron · Post by **Blue Baron** » Mon Jan 19, 2009 11:38 am

I agree with John on the voltage regulator and brushes, but the fact that it charges while running and the gen light goes completely out would indicate it's probably not a charging problem. It could be a weak 6-volt battery. I would urge you to switch to an Optima 6 volt battery.

Also, check out my post on hard starting at this thread: http://www.1966vwbeetle.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?t=448