Help with a VR6 Bora Alternator Regulator?

[otterspoor]

Hi all
So I was driving George Veedubya to a mate's place the other day, only to have the dash cluster yell at me - ALTERNATOR WORKSHOP.

I did a little reading, looks like it's pretty straight forward. Alternator is shot. Lift the engine and say goodbye to my weekends.
But with a new battery in, it looks like it's pumping out 16 volts when it's running - Could it just be the regulator that's borked or is this just some sort of caffiene-induced optimism crazytalk? And would I be very, very wrong in assuming that would be an easier job than the whole alternator? Because I tried to jam my phone in there to get a photo of the back of the alt, got my arm stuck, and accepted my fate as a sacrifice to the VR6 gods.

Also, if it is just the reg, could someone point me in the right direction of the replacement part / tell me if I'm going to waste my money by buying a F00M144128?

Thanks in advance!

[grtuned]

Could just be the regulator but it also could be the brushes are worn. If your planning on keeping the car for a while search for a new unit that way you will have Peace of mind
As for replacement not easy front end needs to be put into service position to make for extra room.

[otterspoor]

Yeah you're right about replacing the whole thing, just looks like a bit of a job.
Probably a stupid question, too - but how would worn brushes lead to overvoltage? I'm not too familiar with how they all work

[grtuned]

I think your on the money regarding the regulator the brushes have nothing to do with overcharging
My advise was you could be wasting time and money replacing only the regulator if the brushes are worn you would be removing it again.
Try a reconditioned unit might be cheaper alternative.

[RolfGolf]

Because I tried to jam my phone in there to get a photo of the back of the alt, got my arm stuck, and accepted my fate as a sacrifice to the VR6 gods.

Hope you're not still stuck there ... - Mk4 engine bays are notorious for trapping body parts and removing skin.

[otterspoor]

Hope you're not still stuck there ... - Mk4 engine bays are notorious for trapping body parts and removing skin.

Wish I had have read that earlier. Tried to get a photo and almost got stuck again - I thought maybe being off the road for half of the time I owned it was enough revenge for the occasional hooning

I'm buying a new alt, though - going to write up a guide when I install it since I couldn't find a lot about tackling it from the underside and I think that's how I'm going to go at it.

Interesting progression, though: chucked in a spare battery to get the car up on some ramps to have a look, checked it the next day and the battery was completely flat. Got an ammeter to check for any shorts with the car off and there was none - could the extra voltage cook the battery that quick?

This thing goes through batteries quicker than my ex

[WhO]

I had to change the alternator in my old 4mo a few years into owning it. Definitely didn't need to lift the motor or anything like that! Give yourself more room by unlocking the front carrier (actually its pretty much essential to do so) and moving it as far forward as possible. It's a tight squeeze but I had it done in a couple hours and didn't loose much if any skin!