Battery light on constantly on VR6 *Now fixed, Thanks*

I bought the car with a knackered alternator and swapped it for a second hand one. Since then it been stood for 6 months, I put a new battery on and the battery light stays on, i'm sure the alternator is putting no power out.

I get 12.5v at the battery while the cars off and 12.0v when the car is started. I put the multimeter to the connector for the blue wire on the alternator and got no reading, then I put it to the big wire and got no reading again.

Do I need a new alternator? Should I test anything else? Where does the blue wire go?

 

the blue wire is the exciter feed, it should have 12volts going to it,
it gets this 12v feed from the ignition warning lamp in the instrument cluster

does the warning lamp in the cluster even come on?

 

I didn't test the blue wire, just its connection on the alternator, I'll go do it the other way shortly.

Yes, the battery lamp on the cluster is what comes on and doesn't go off.


Should I have 12v on the big wire?

 

The blue wire has no power.

Is the big wire just an earth? Its connected to the bolt for the starter motor/front engine.

 

the big wire from alt to starter to battery.should have around 14v coming form there when the car is idling

 

It looks like the blue wire is broken here:






I cant see wher it sould go to though. The guy I got the car off replaced a knackered engine with a good one days before I bought it.

 

the brokon wire should come from alt to the inside of car .
start at + side of battery follow the power wires back towords the inside of car you should see the other end you need

 

Bummer, the loom has been wrapped in insulation tape that looks pretty recent.

So what does the exciter feed do? Also is the big wire correct or should it go to the same place as the 'battery to starter' wire?

Thanks for the help so far.

 

The main power wire from the alternator should connect to the same terminal as the battery lead does on the starter.

The blue wire from the alertnator should go to a connector and join to a wire coming out of the loom by the starter motor, eventually the blue wire from the alternator goes to pin 3 on plug F at the fuse box.

 

big wire should come from alt to the starter then to the battery.
the other wire im not sure what it does. pos to warning light

 

So the wires on wrong at the minute!!!!

I've found this via a link on mk2vr6.com, is this where you got the other info?




I feel to be making some progress now, maybe I never needed an alternator in the first place.

 

that should be what you are looking for

 

yes that's the correct diagram

with the ignition on, make sure you've got 12volts on the blue wire going into the alternator, unplug from the alternator if required first

 

Certainley looks like from your pics you should move the output wire from the alternator to where the battry wire for the alternator goes.

The other thing that I can't remember is when fitting the mk3 clocks to a mk2 that you need to move some of the wires on the clock loom, and I think one of the ones you move is or affects the battery warning light.

 

Its definately broken. On my picture where you can see the end of the wire should there be a connector there or a continuation of the wire?

 

All i remomber about that is the indicator wires but I only ever did it once about 4 years ago.

 

i remember having to mess about with the earths for the clocks, i have a spreadsheet somewhere with the pin outs i will see if i can dig it out.

 

looks like there should be a continuation of the wire,
on your pic, right hand side near the "battery to starter" is a 2 pin connector with a blue wire and a red wire, is that connector pluged into anything or just dangling near the starter motor as that may be it.
My jetta has a mk3 loom and engine fitted but is diesel, so not all the connectors are the same

 

yes you have to move some power/earth feeds but not for the alternator, thats the same on mk2 and mk3 clock looms

 

The plug with the red/black and blue/black wire is connected to the reversing light switch.

I would sort out the output wire form the alternator and then check the voltage on the exciter wire with the ignition on but without the engine running.