alternator over charge
#1418303
04/11/13 05:08 PM
04/11/13 05:08 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 32,920 Grand Prairie,Texas
stumpy
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 32,920
Grand Prairie,Texas
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This is driving me crazy. My charging system is running at 15+ volts. It's a two field alt and I have gone through 4 VRs and still no difference. I have a ground wire for the VR as well as a new plug. The green wire to the VR from the alt has continuity as well as power with the key on.I have battery voltage at the main alt post plus batt voltage to the other (red)field terminal. I am using a volt meter and it pulsates as do the lights. What am I doing wrong that makes the alt put out such a high voltage?
Last edited by stumpy; 04/11/13 05:24 PM.
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Re: alternator over charge 1983 D150
[Re: GrnMagic77]
#1418305
04/11/13 05:25 PM
04/11/13 05:25 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 32,920 Grand Prairie,Texas
stumpy
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Should I have power from the green wire with the key on and the engine not running?
Last edited by stumpy; 04/11/13 05:49 PM.
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Re: alternator over charge 1983 D150
[Re: stumpy]
#1418306
04/11/13 06:03 PM
04/11/13 06:03 PM
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Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 6,095 Valencia, España
NachoRT74
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master
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 6,095
Valencia, España
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yes... on mech reg, positive pole... on elect regs negative pole
With a Charger born in Chrysler assembly plant in Valencia, Venezuela
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Re: alternator over charge 1983 D150
[Re: RapidRobert]
#1418313
04/11/13 09:29 PM
04/11/13 09:29 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 32,920 Grand Prairie,Texas
stumpy
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Grand Prairie,Texas
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Thetwo feld wires are green and red. The VR wires are red and green with green to the side and red at the top.I get no power to the top VR terminal. Looks like I am having some ignition switch issues but I will replace it tomorrow.
Last edited by stumpy; 04/11/13 09:37 PM.
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Re: alternator over charge 1983 D150
[Re: stumpy]
#1418315
04/11/13 09:56 PM
04/11/13 09:56 PM
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Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 36,040 Lincoln Nebraska
RapidRobert
Circle Track
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Circle Track
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 36,040
Lincoln Nebraska
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You might jump 12V to the "red" male alt terminal & 12V to the "top" male nub terminal on the reg & see if it straightens out
live every 24 hour block of time like it's your last day on earth
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Re: alternator over charge 1983 D150
[Re: stumpy]
#1418317
04/12/13 12:50 AM
04/12/13 12:50 AM
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Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 3,877 Oregon
hooziewhatsit
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Oregon
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Another quick test ( ) Put your voltmeter leads on the battery+, and on the red wire* at the alternator. This voltage should be close to 0v. My bet is that it's ~.75v, or exactly the amount your voltage is above what it should be. (battery should be 14.4v. If you're seeing 15.2v, you would see 0.6v with this test. This is the culmination of all the voltage drops from the battery to the red wire at the alt) *For stock non-hacked systems, this is the blue wire.
If you ever find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck.
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Re: alternator over charge 1983 D150
[Re: hooziewhatsit]
#1418318
04/12/13 12:59 AM
04/12/13 12:59 AM
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Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 27,347 Today? Who Knows?
1_WILD_RT
Management Trainee
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Management Trainee
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Posts: 27,347
Today? Who Knows?
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Stumpy, have you checked for full voltage to red wire at the regulator? That is what the regulator uses as a reference... If it is low the regulator will force the alternator to over charge.. As you know a marginal ground to the regulator will do the same thing... Good Luck..
"The Armies of our ancestors were lucky, in that they were not trailed by a second army of pencil pushers."
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Re: alternator over charge 1983 D150
[Re: hooziewhatsit]
#1418321
04/12/13 01:57 AM
04/12/13 01:57 AM
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Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 36,040 Lincoln Nebraska
RapidRobert
Circle Track
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Circle Track
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Posts: 36,040
Lincoln Nebraska
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I wanna do your test & just wanted to have it right
live every 24 hour block of time like it's your last day on earth
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Re: alternator over charge 1983 D150
[Re: stumpy]
#1418325
04/12/13 06:14 PM
04/12/13 06:14 PM
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Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 3,877 Oregon
hooziewhatsit
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master
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Posts: 3,877
Oregon
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Quote:
Disconnected the red wire at the alt and jumped from the field terminal to the battery and the charge dropped to 14.7 but when I shut the key off the engine stopped as normal. What does that tell us? BTW thanks for all the advice I'm getting from everyone.
14.7 at the battery Still a little higher than I like, but better than almost 16.
Normally, when the key turns off, it kills the power to the ignition system.
When I did my test, I didn't disconnect the red(blue) wire at the alt - so when I turned the key off, the ignition system continued to have power, and the engine ran on. Your regulator still got power only through the key, so that's why it turned off when you flipped the key.
Now for the fix... you have ~1v of drop from going through the bulkhead (twice), ignition switch plug (twice), and the switch itself. You can either start probing the wires along that path until you find and fix the bad connection(s)... or what I did was install another relay to power the ignition system, triggered by the old blue wire.
I know you say most of that is new, but there's still a bad connection somewhere
If you ever find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck.
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Re: alternator over charge 1983 D150
[Re: 70HemiGTX]
#1418328
04/13/13 11:38 PM
04/13/13 11:38 PM
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 15,487 Florida
scratchnfotraction
I Live Here
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I Live Here
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 15,487
Florida
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Quote:
Look for a bad connection somewhere in one of your heavy load lines. Like the one that goes up the steering column, at the bulkhead, etc. I had a burned connection on my column. Drove me and a few garages nuts for about 2 years. One day I noticed a black streak in the heavy wire in the plastic coupler. I bypassed the coupler and that cured the overcharging.
I had the stock plug on the alt BATT wire that ran along the VC to fire wall. the spade clip was burnt.
it would over charge poping the headlights and dash lights. did this 2x before I found the wire trouble and re-spiled it.
I also had problems with the big thick triangle connection on the fender well. Batt wire to the fusable link wires.
replaced alt 2x along with VR 2x headlights 4x. fixed those 2 connection and has been fine ever since.
I can post pics of those connections if you need a looky see stumpy.
that seem to be the trouble spot on all of the mid 80 trucks i work on.
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Re: alternator over charge 1983 D150
[Re: stumpy]
#1418330
04/14/13 12:23 AM
04/14/13 12:23 AM
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 15,487 Florida
scratchnfotraction
I Live Here
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I Live Here
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 15,487
Florida
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I would check the BATT wire along the VC looking to see if it has a factory plug or it runs all the way over to wheel well area. when i striped the 85 harness for the 88 440 truck I swaped the 88 BAT wire over to that harness to ditch the plug like my SB 85 had.. which is the trouble I had over charging burning up alt/VR. glad you found the bad wire at the VR plug,i have replaced those be for for the same reason.
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