Voltage Gauge Pegged
- Thread starter ykf7b0
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I have now checked the IGN pin on the regulator for voltage drop and it reads 12.54 vs 12.66 at the battery with key in run position without engine running. Very little drop even with a trunk mounted battery.
Garys1969RR
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If your ballast resistor is getting really hot, sounds as if you may have a short after it drops voltage down. How many volts are you getting to the hot side of the coil?
Garys1969RR
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That sounds about right to me. The ballast will get somewhat hot. Put the voltmeter on the battery when it's running, see what the voltage reads from that.
I have since checked this a few times today and it is as much as a volt lower compared to battery voltage. I have cleaned bulkhead terminals related to the sensing wire without success. I plan to remove ignition switch and have a look there and do some testing with multimeter to check voltage in and out.
65-440
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Work your way down the ignition harness checking every break in the circuit for voltage drop. It all adds up in the end !
65-440
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I don't know what to tell you about ohm's, but you should be comparing voltage going into the switch vs voltage coming out. should be the same or VERY close. You didn't need to remove the switch from the car, just spend some time laying on your back with a meter !
Thanks but I wanted to verify my switch is bad instead of the wiring. I'm thinking the blue wire with a white tracer (IGN 1) originates at the switch connector? I have correct 12.6 volts on the red feed wire at the switch connector and 11.7 volts at the bulkhead female connector (IGN 1) from the interior side with switch installed. Maybe I'm overthinking this? I suppose I could use a jumper wire from IGN 1 terminal connector to Battery terminal connector with the switch removed and get a reading at the female bulkhead connector. This too would tell me if my switch is bad. Your help is appreciated!
Garys1969RR
Well-Known Member
Make sure all your grounds are connecting well. Make sure your fusible link is making a good connection. I do know that as a wire heats up, its resistance goes up. And higher resistance builds more heat. So if your feed wire to the regulator is getting hot, for some reason, the resistance would go up, signaling the regulator to make the alternator produce more voltage. Feel all the wires as the voltage is going up, see if any of them are building any heat. And check for heat building possibly at a connection. It should be quite noticeable. Make sure you have a good regulator feed wire connection at the battery.
Garys1969RR
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And you said the voltage at IGN of regulator reads 12.54 volts with engine off, key on. Check this same connection voltage with the engine just started and running.
Garys1969RR
Well-Known Member
Well if your not getting enough battery voltage to the regulator, then it will definitely tell your alternator to charge charge charge! So double check your positive battery cable, and make sure your + and - connections are clean. Did you say the battery is mounted in the trunk? If so, you have some voltage drop through the long cable. Try running a separate wire from the battery to the IGN side of the regulator, just to see if that solves the issue. If so, then you know where the problem lies. It's a simple check and should shed some light on the problem. Good luck!
nitrojunkie
Well-Known Member
Just for what its worth the regulators anymore are cheap and very poor quality. Don't know what type you have. I have had same thing happen on my regulator. went and bought a new one and installed it. did the same thing right out of the box. took it to a friend who has a 1963 Ford galaxie. he is mechanic by trade and a hot rodder also. he checked the system and told me to get another regulator. I did and that fixed it.He told me when he goes somewhere he takes a sack full of regulators because they are very poor quality. I guess the moral is just because it is new doesn't mean its good. Too many parts made in china and tiwan. (sp) good luck
I went out today to continue diagnosis of my overcharging problem. I connected my trunk mounted battery cables to my battery today and never started the car at all. I intialy checked the battery voltage and it was 12.6 The voltage increased to over 15 volts before I removed the battery from the car. I then carried it out deep into my backyard and checked it from time to time. I was 19 volts before it began to subside. What is going on here? Do I have a charging issue or reverse polarity? This is voodoo.
383man
Well-Known Member
Are you saying the battery volts was climbing to 19 volts with the battery not in the car ?? Thats what it sounds like ? If thats what you are saying then you either have a bad voltmeter you are using or a bad battery. Ron
Yes, you read into it correctly. Is something within my car causing this? The battery is brand new and I bought it as a replacement because the previous battery did the same thing.
miller
Well-Known Member
That does sound strange! Were both batteries the same type/brand?
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