charging problem?

[ginger01 0]

Hi

I need some advice please. i have just fitted a voltmeter to the car (MK1 1500 1964) and when i started the car i was suprised to see it go straight up in to the red top end range of the meter which is 16 volts.

So when the engine went back to idle the reading dropped to approx 12.5 volts so i switched off and left the car overnight to allow the battery to settle, this morning i checked the battery voltage with my multimeter before starting the car and it was 12.68 i then started the engine and at approx 2000 rpm checked the battery again with my multimeter and the reading was fluctuating between 16.07 and 16.10 volts!! and at idle speed it is still 12.78 volts, this is surely far to high and i was wondering what the problem might be because if this reading stays high like this then will it damage the battery.

Could the problem be the regulator? and if so how can you check this component and is it adjustable for voltage setting?.

 

Sorry if the post is a bit long winded but i wanted to give as much info as possible.

Many thanks :thumbup:

[Barnstormer 7]

Definately charging too high - with the idle voltage figures i'm guessing you've got a dynamo and not an alternator?

 

It does sound like a regulator problem - are all the connections to the box correct? I'm not sure exactly how to test a regulator but the Haynes manual mentions that the amount of regulation by the regulator is adjustable - this should be your next check.

 

Do you have a Haynes manual? Always worth keeping one as they're invaluable!!

 

Hi

I need some advice please. i have just fitted a voltmeter to the car (MK1 1500 1964) and when i started the car i was suprised to see it go straight up in to the red top end range of the meter which is 16 volts.

So when the engine went back to idle the reading dropped to approx 12.5 volts so i switched off and left the car overnight to allow the battery to settle, this morning i checked the battery voltage with my multimeter before starting the car and it was 12.68 i then started the engine and at approx 2000 rpm checked the battery again with my multimeter and the reading was fluctuating between 16.07 and 16.10 volts!! and at idle speed it is still 12.78 volts, this is surely far to high and i was wondering what the problem might be because if this reading stays high like this then will it damage the battery.

Could the problem be the regulator? and if so how can you check this component and is it adjustable for voltage setting?.

 

Sorry if the post is a bit long winded but i wanted to give as much info as possible.

Many thanks :thumbup:

[John Mack 337]

Practical classics magazine for January have an artical about dynamo/regulator testing and adjusting. :thumbup: -with pictures!

John.

[Dave53 0]

Hi

I need some advice please. i have just fitted a voltmeter to the car (MK1 1500 1964) and when i started the car i was suprised to see it go straight up in to the red top end range of the meter which is 16 volts.

So when the engine went back to idle the reading dropped to approx 12.5 volts so i switched off and left the car overnight to allow the battery to settle, this morning i checked the battery voltage with my multimeter before starting the car and it was 12.68 i then started the engine and at approx 2000 rpm checked the battery again with my multimeter and the reading was fluctuating between 16.07 and 16.10 volts!! and at idle speed it is still 12.78 volts, this is surely far to high and i was wondering what the problem might be because if this reading stays high like this then will it damage the battery.

Could the problem be the regulator? and if so how can you check this component and is it adjustable for voltage setting?.

 

Sorry if the post is a bit long winded but i wanted to give as much info as possible.

Many thanks :thumbup:

Had a word with a pal who works in vehicle electrics he said it's a old trick to keep the charge up in dynamo vehicles that are not regularly used, the regulator has been reset high. The regulator will need reseting or replacing Haynes Manual may be a good place to start. Cheers .Dave

[dgo 80]

Hi

I need some advice please. i have just fitted a voltmeter to the car (MK1 1500 1964) and when i started the car i was suprised to see it go straight up in to the red top end range of the meter which is 16 volts.

So when the engine went back to idle the reading dropped to approx 12.5 volts so i switched off and left the car overnight to allow the battery to settle, this morning i checked the battery voltage with my multimeter before starting the car and it was 12.68 i then started the engine and at approx 2000 rpm checked the battery again with my multimeter and the reading was fluctuating between 16.07 and 16.10 volts!! and at idle speed it is still 12.78 volts, this is surely far to high and i was wondering what the problem might be because if this reading stays high like this then will it damage the battery.

Could the problem be the regulator? and if so how can you check this component and is it adjustable for voltage setting?.

 

Sorry if the post is a bit long winded but i wanted to give as much info as possible.

Many thanks :thumbup:

Had a word with a pal who works in vehicle electrics he said it's a old trick to keep the charge up in dynamo vehicles that are not regularly used, the regulator has been reset high. The regulator will need reseting or replacing Haynes Manual may be a good place to start. Cheers .Dave

Or time to replace with an alternator?

[Barnstormer 7]

Had a word with a pal who works in vehicle electrics he said it's a old trick to keep the charge up in dynamo vehicles that are not regularly used, the regulator has been reset high. The regulator will need reseting or replacing Haynes Manual may be a good place to start. Cheers .Dave

 

Sounds a bit of a risk doing that to a battery!! Good job on spotting it!

 

As mentioned - it's a good idea to fit an alternator - easy job too!!

[ian27 1]

you can reset the regulator by turning a small screw inside....there are 2 relays inside...the one with the lever arm on the top(normally on the right) is the cut off relay and the other is the voltage reg relay..the contact for this one will have a small screw down the side tensioning the spring...screw it in(higher voltage)...screw it out(lower voltage)

[ginger01 0]

Definately charging too high - with the idle voltage figures i'm guessing you've got a dynamo and not an alternator?

 

It does sound like a regulator problem - are all the connections to the box correct? I'm not sure exactly how to test a regulator but the Haynes manual mentions that the amount of regulation by the regulator is adjustable - this should be your next check.

 

Do you have a Haynes manual? Always worth keeping one as they're invaluable!!

 

Hi

I need some advice please. i have just fitted a voltmeter to the car (MK1 1500 1964) and when i started the car i was suprised to see it go straight up in to the red top end range of the meter which is 16 volts.

So when the engine went back to idle the reading dropped to approx 12.5 volts so i switched off and left the car overnight to allow the battery to settle, this morning i checked the battery voltage with my multimeter before starting the car and it was 12.68 i then started the engine and at approx 2000 rpm checked the battery again with my multimeter and the reading was fluctuating between 16.07 and 16.10 volts!! and at idle speed it is still 12.78 volts, this is surely far to high and i was wondering what the problem might be because if this reading stays high like this then will it damage the battery.

Could the problem be the regulator? and if so how can you check this component and is it adjustable for voltage setting?.

 

Sorry if the post is a bit long winded but i wanted to give as much info as possible.

Many thanks :thumbup:

Many thanks for your replys and advice, i took the regulator off its mounts and have checked its open circuit voltage which was way to high so i adjusted the voltage regulator ( that was tricky as it is fitted with those cam type adjusters so i had to cobble up a makeshift tool to adjust it,) i have now got the voltage down to what the lucas bulletin i downloaded from the net says is correct (14.8 volts at a dynamo speed of approx 1500RPM so i will be keeping an eye on the voltage levels for a while to make sure all is well.

Many thanks to everyone. :thumbup: :thumbup: