whilst changing my offside headlamp glass (a nice simple for once operation) and threatening to change the thermostat (more of this in a minute) i noticed that bolted to my alternator is a brown wire with a spade connector crimped to it which terminates in a small can. this can is open one end and has what looks like a small resistor/transistor/capacitor/generic electric component inside (adds 30hp and 10mpg through magnets do i hear?) this doesn't go anywhere. any ideas what it might be for and where it should be attached?

or better still i can remove it and bin it.

pictures here

http://i1270.photobucket.com/albums/jj616/tdaviesphotobucket/capthing3.jpg

http://i1270.photobucket.com/albums/jj616/tdaviesphotobucket/capthing2.jpg

http://i1270.photobucket.com/albums/jj616/tdaviesphotobucket/capthing1.jpg

lastly since having my cambelt and waterpump changed the temperature falls slightly when coasting down long hills - it sorts itself out and is happy to sit in the middle of the dial when the engine is under load and vag-com things the coolant is about right (somewhere around 85 degrees) when running. but it's never done this before? is the thermostat on the way out?

thanks,

toby

looks like an old fasioned condensor, maybe the radio was poor and this was added to try and fix?? (The aerial for the radio is common to fail)

that makes sense, it came with the dopest sound system ever of a gamma tape deck + 6 cd changer (which didn't fit and held the heated screen button in...) and an 'active arial' which used to fall off the inside of the screen if it got cold. i replaced all this with a shoddy symphony CD player and the seemingly hard to find tat holder that lives under it.

i'll remove it i think. not sure its anything other than a fire hazard anyway.

thanks,

toby

Edited 13 October, 201213 yr by toby

Yep, looks like an alternator suppression filter as used to get rid of alternator noise (whine) on radios. But with the length of the brown wire it would not have been very effective. It needs to be mounted right on the alternator for it to work.