[MKIII iz KING]

after a spirited run this weekend to pick up some hoagies for dinner my alternator workshop light came on. awesome. i pulled it apart monday morning (took 3 hours) hoping it was a trashed coupling but no such luck. my buddy who works at a local dealer quoted me $686 for a new generator (07Z-903-021-ex), freewheel (070-903-201-E), hub (070-903-115-C), and coupling (070-903-201-E).

before committing to actually replacing the generator i want to see if i can have it bench tested to see if it in fact the generator that failed or something else. in talking it over with my business partner he noticed that if you spin it by hand there looks to be play within the hub itself.

could the hub have gone bad letting the coupling slip and not turn the generator? i have read in previous threads that the generators clutch has gone bad on a few other members V10s. is the clutch internal to the generator or built into the hub?

i just want to be absolutely sure before i go and lay out $500 on a generator i may not need.

thanks for your insight

rob :beer:

 

[Depiry]

Scroll down for pictorial and similar threads on subject,Marty

 

[MKIII iz KING]

thanks. i read through artie lange's thread, his was the most in-depth.
this is more of a trouble shooting thread for the DIY V10 owner.

 

[dragline1570]

after a spirited run this weekend to pick up some hoagies for dinner my alternator workshop light came on. awesome. i pulled it apart monday morning (took 3 hours) hoping it was a trashed coupling but no such luck. my buddy who works at a local dealer quoted me $686 for a new generator (07Z-903-021-ex), freewheel (070-903-201-E), hub (070-903-115-C), and coupling (070-903-201-E).

before committing to actually replacing the generator i want to see if i can have it bench tested to see if it in fact the generator that failed or something else. in talking it over with my business partner he noticed that if you spin it by hand there looks to be play within the hub itself.

could the hub have gone bad letting the coupling slip and not turn the generator? i have read in previous threads that the generators clutch has gone bad on a few other members V10s. is the clutch internal to the generator or built into the hub?

i just want to be absolutely sure before i go and lay out $500 on a generator i may not need.

thanks for your insight

rob :beer:

Rob
Very interesting
not having pulled that area apart before i just cannot understand why an alternator would have a clutch ??
Can you show some picture or post a short video?

regards
Drag

 

[noobytoogy]

Someone else asked about a clutch for an alternator the other day and, like you, I queried that as I'd not heard of alternator clutches before.

Apparently some modern alternators have clutches to reduce the load on starting the car.

The V10 has a generator rather than an alternator - I'm not sure what that difference is either!

 

[Mike N]

The main difference is that generators are DC and alternators are AC output devices. Now the alternating current from an automotive alternator is rectified by the diode pack to DC inside the unit so is it really a generator or alternator? Perhaps it's called a generator by an error in translation? Interesting question.

 

[MKIII iz KING]

Ours was replaced a couple years back under warranty and it was actually the clutch portion not the generator. The generator bench tested just fine. Despite this, the dealer gave us a new unit.

this is what caused me to wonder.
checking out a couple places today to see if i can get it tested.

personally i've never heard of a clutched alternator/generator before.
a/c compressor sure. free spin when not in use, clutch kicks in when it's needed.

 

[Mike N]

I see no reason to clutch an alternator. If the alternator has no electrical load it takes very little power to turn it, just try spinning one on the bench by hand. However if you put an electrical load on it then it will take more power to spin. If VW wanted to take parasitic load off the engine under certain conditions they could probably do it much more simply electrically and not mechanically. The only reason I can think of to do it mechanically would be to stop over-speeding the alternator at high rpms.

 

[MKIII iz KING]

some hopeful news.

i dropped it by an oldschool generator/starter shop yesterday afternoon. he said he could test it and would call me with the results. get a call this morning saying he can't test it because the "clutch pulley" (his words) is slipping too much.

so i ordered a new one, along with a new coupler, $125 in parts vs. $686. once it's in and i replace it on the generator i plan on having him try to test it again. fingers crossed

 

[Depiry]

Check to see if there is a Woodruf key in the shaft or has it broken? Is it a friction fit or is the nut loose that holds the pulley on shaft?

 

[MKIII iz KING]

finally got my freewheel, and coupler in. installed the new freewheel last night.

this is what i learned.
the new free wheel only spins clockwise. the old one will spin in both directions. you need VW tool 3400 to remove the pulley. i just bought one from metalnerd, for $29.

first step is to soak the old pulley in PB blast or wd40. just shoot some around the 12pt. i did it and let it sit over night. you DO NOT want to apply too much force or the generator shaft will break. you are hold the center tool in place while turing the 3400 tool counter clockwise.

once loose it unscrewed from the pulley w/o issue. installed the newer version and double checked it with the new coupler. i'll be reinstalling it tonight so i'll let you know if this fixed my problem and saved me from having to shell out on a new generator.

stay tuned.

necessary tools

crude, yes. did it work, absolutely.

old Vs new

installed and ready to run again

 

[MKIII iz KING]

didn't get a chance to finish up last night, storm knocked my power out.

 

[noobytoogy]

didn't get a chance to finish up last night, storm knocked my power out.

????? And you had a generator sitting on your bench!?!

 

[DicknNancy]

That coupler/clutch is the part that failed on our 04 V10 generator (while under warranty) but VW replaced both the generator and coupler anyways.

 

[MKIII iz KING]

????? And you had a generator sitting on your bench!?!

:rimshot:

finally someone with a sense of humor on this forum.

i'll be finishing up this evening and update my verdict.

 

[MKIII iz KING]

a week later it's fixed. the culprit was indeed the freewheel.
lesson learned, always check your freewheel before replacing your V10's generator.

i am now however having a new problem bleeding the cooling system.

finished shot of the engine this morning.

 

[noobytoogy]

Well done. THAT is a BEAST!

 

[Togwotee]

Just some thoughts on the clutch for a generator/ alternator in the V10 TOUAREG. It may be to lighten the load when starting to engine,but since the Alternator is gear driven in the V10 I would guess that the clutch is in the system to protect the gears in the engine in case the alternator were to "LOCK-UP" . With out a clutch or some type of disconnect of the alternator from the engine then something will give (most likely your wallet!) and it would be very ugly and LOUD!

 

[nickm]

well done and nice engine pic, always did like the looks of the V10 without the silly engine cover on it.