'78 Bus Hot Hot Hot Voltage Regulator

[Westy78]

While I was doing the yearly maintenance on the bus this weekend I was going over all the wire connections making sure everything was tight. As I was checking the plug on the voltage regulator I grabbed it by the top and bottom to make sure it was still tightly screwed to the firewall and damn near blistered three of my fingers. The metal body wasn't all that hot but the bottom where the plug is was hot enough to smooth out some finger prints.

Is this normal or is my regulator on the way out? I have been getting some odd electrical behavior such as flickering head lights when I use my turn signals and a noticeable drop in RPM when I turn on the heater booster fan or headlights.

[zabo]

Yep - get a new one. I'm guessing the points are stuck together.

[Amskeptic]

Is this normal or is my regulator on the way out?

The regulator may be working correctly, but the heat build-up suggests high resistance in the plug. Are the spades shiny or dull? You will need shiny spades and tight females inside the connector (DeOx is good too) to rule out heat from merely lousy connections.
Colin