"She's cold and alone and sittin in the damp...Jenny's dying, the lights going out of her. You have to rev her up and push her hard to get the warnings to go away, yes Jenny's dying and I don't know how long she's gonna stay..."

OK seriously, this has a country song written all over it, but the Genny is dying in my '72 ASBug... How much of a pain is it to change out a genny?
I would perfer to do it with engine in car.  Any one done this?
Also, the spare 1974 engine that I have is Alternated.  If I have all the components, wouldn't this be a great time to change ofer the genny to an alternator?
Any one have any advice? I know that the wireing harness is different... Is this a no go?
I can get a reman Bosh genny reasonable.

I am not expecting an immenant failure, but it is taking longer each week for the light to go off in the dash.  It also appears to be worse when the weather is damp / rainy...
Me thinketh worn out brushes...Can they be changed with genny installed?

Thanks,
KC

Ok,
Here is a few "extras":
-The regulator is new as of 3 months, I replaced it as I was having a problem with my nifty FM modulator cutting off if I ran my: AM radio, FM Modulator, lights and blinkers.  I could Run all this stuff with no prob's untill I hit the brakes... Then the radio would cut in and out in time with the blinkers.  It didn't have to be the lights, It could also be the wippers.
Any way the new solid state VR didn't cure the problem, it only delayed the action thereof for a few more seconds...
Well, now I have the problem with the Light in the dash not going out for like 5 or 6 minutes of driving.  

I believe that the genny is loosing contact at idle RPM.  I have a new radio that uses the VR as the signal that the engine is running.  At idle, the radio just cuts off if I hit a jar or a bump.  then back on after a second.  
I believe that the brushes are at the end of their lifespan and it is taking all this RPM to keep them on the field.

I am probably going to go and get a reman genny , and have it ready.  I am just cheep and wanted to see if it would be feasable to just put a set of brushes in it.  Any tips on getting that booger out would be a help.
Any way thanks for the ideas.
KC

I like generators.  They don't put out quite as much power at low RPMs, but unless you are running a high powered sound system or runway lights for headlights, they are capable of running the electrical system just fine.

Check your battery cables ( + and - ) at both ends and make sure you have a good connection.  Before I messed with the generator, I'd have the battery load tested.  Just because a battery will hold a charge doesn't mean it's good.  If you have good a good battery and good connections and good regulator, then it's time to start questioning the generator.  I save the generator for last because it's the hardest to change, it's usually not the problem . . . and I'm lazy.  Try the easy stuff first.

I have a guy that will rebuild it for 45-65 dollars......

Im a fan of the new solid state reg no problems as of yet.
As for rebuilding them I'd be curious to see how that works out. Other than a factory rebuilt one I haven't seen anyone rebuild one and it actually work for more than a week. If you did find someone who knows how I'd like to know because I have a dozen of them sitting in the garage. :lol:

Just out of curiosity I checked to see if there were still any generators left in the VW parts system.  It turns out that there's still 8 of these in the country, 5 in the depot and 3 at dealers.  Part # is 113-903-031-PX which is, according to the parts computer, the 30 amp version.

Part # on the pulley for that generator is 043-903-109 and there's apparently several hundred of them still at the various depots around the country.

VWs love genuine parts    

12 volt or 6 volt ?

I,m just guessing ,but I would look into having a reg.  trying to go south on you . Be sure all connections are OK first off.