Alternator Stopped Working (2001 VW Golf 2.0L)

[TedV]

dang.. I saw this thread too late. Usually all that is bad on the Bosch VW alternators is the brushes. You can buy new brushes for less than $50. take the alternator off, unscrew the plastic cover, unscrew the brush holder, reassemble. Yes, the proper belt is ribbed on both sides.

[redpoint5]

Thanks Ted. If it were my car, I'd have fixed the alternator after diagnosing it as the problem in the first place. The issue was that my friend needed the car going quickly, and I was in the middle of my 13hr work shifts for the week. No time for me to become an expert on VW charging systems. Impatience costs money.

Hopefully your post helps someone else.

That said, I think I've got a bad brush on a starter motor in a Honda Rancher ATV. I hear the solenoid click, but no cranking and the amp draw stays low... come to think of it, I may have replaced the brushes once already on it.

It seems like you fix one thing, and two other things break in the meantime.