Battery Drain!

[S-L]

So I'm picking up a new voltage regulator, and going from there.

 

Any recommendations?

[roadhog0]

21 hours ago, Scommando1 said:

So I'm picking up a new voltage regulator, and going from there.

 

Any recommendations?

One that works. That's all I got 

 

But really, did you make sure everything is connected and tight? Check the ground wire? Easy to forget about the ground wire, or have it break and not know.

Edited April 18, 2016 by roadhog0

[S-L]

2 hours ago, roadhog0 said:

One that works. That's all I got 

 

But really, did you make sure everything is connected and tight? Check the ground wire? Easy to forget about the ground wire, or have it break and not know.

Is there just one ground wire coming from the alternator? How would I know if it's broken? Any signs to look for?

[peterschop]

Yes, one ground wire. Since you are asking how tell if it is broken, I assume that it has one. Disconnect the wire and check for continuity with an ohm meter. Before replacing the voltage regulator, alternator and other parts till you find the what's not working, you should trouble shoot the the whole charging system to see why it is not working.

 When I bought my car, the PO had replaced the alternator, voltage regulator, battery and it was still not charging properly. After troubleshooting the system, I discovered that there was no ground on the alternator. 

 

Here is a link to The 02 charging System in the article section. It has a good troubleshooting section that should help isolate where your problem is.

 

Hmm, it looks like I can not copy and past a link anymore. Go to the Article section, Electrical and Ignition and select "The 02 Charging System".

Edited April 18, 2016 by peterschop

[roadhog0]

5 hours ago, Scommando1 said:

Is there just one ground wire coming from the alternator? How would I know if it's broken? Any signs to look for?

 Like Peter said, yes, one ground wire. Just measure continuity across it, there should be zero resistance.

[Hans]

Should be one brown wire from Alt to front of head

[TobyB]

...and from experience, after you meter it, grab it and give it a good tug.

It has a habit of vibrating until all the strands have broken, and just the

vinyl jacket's holding it in place.

 

Same for the wires going into the connector on the back of the alternator-

they'll fatigue, too.

 

t

 

[S-L]

Looks like the ground wire going from the alternator to the engine was in horrendous condition.

 

Taped it up temporarily with electric tape to see if that was the fix (not pictured), nada.

 

Turns a little, but doesn't start. Jump-starting doesn't even work anymore, so car is now not driveable at all.

 

So I've basically got a car that doesn't drive and can't be taken to a shop either (without a trailer). Awesome.

 

All other wires look okay. Should I pick up a voltage regulator? Have a guy that's giving me a used aftermarket one for $10.

 

????

[harold]

It seems like your battery has run down due to your charging problem.  I can't explain why you can't jump start it, but I have seen lots of jumper cables that are much too small a wire gauge to start a car when the battery is run down.   I suggest that you put a battery charger on it over night (on a low setting).  If you don't have a charger, now is a good time to invest in one.    Have you checked your battery terminal connections?  Remove your terminals from the battery, clean them up to shiny bare metal, both the battery post, and inside the terminal, and reattach.  There are tools to do this, but a piece of sandpaper works just fine.  If your connections are dodgy, they can't carry enough current for the starter.

 

Once your battery is fully charged, then you can better diagnose what your charging problem is. 

 

Harold

[xferboy]

I'll throw out how I troubleshoot this.  Others may disagree, or go a different direction.

 

You may have more than one issue.  The charging circuit is one thing, but the slow crank is another (if Voltages are good)

 

First, do you have a multimeter? or can beg, borrow?  There are cost effective options available.  Troubleshooting auto electrical is much easier  with one.  (you can do some work with bulbs, but that can be cumbersome)  It's a tool that you'll have for ever.  Some alligator clips on jumper wires are handy too.  Extra points if you get a clamp meter that will read big DC current (not all clamp meters do)

 

Re wire condition:  As long as the ends are good, all you're trying to do is ground the alternator body to the block.  The ends look 'OK', but a meter can tell.  Measure resistance from the alternator body to the block, should be close to 0 (e.g. < 1 ohm).  If I'm not mistake, the body of the regulator is supposed to be grounded (via body)   If you can get a proper voltage regulator for $10, do it.  They keep well in the glove box.

 

Re slow crank while boosting: Have to make sure all the connections are good to the starter, solenoid is passing current, and the connection to the wire(cable) that goes into the starter is good.  If all those check out then the issue is the starter.

I had the original starter that went bad and would draw > 200 amp while trying to start.  I had it re-worked, but ended up buying a new one.  My replacement draws ~60.  The starters go 'restive' which I'm told, means the current flows, but doesn't energizes the coils, which is what turns the starter.

 

(use a good connection on the block for the - for these voltage measurements)

-Let the boosting car charge your battery before trying to start it.  Check the voltage, see if it climbs.  If yes, continue. (assuming good booster cables)

-Check the voltage at the lug where the battery connects to the starter for voltage, if same as battery, good, continue

-while cranking, check the voltage at the lug where the battery connects (the bolt, not the cable end, have to make sure it's a good connection), then the other lug (other side of the soleniod, that goes into the starter)  This will tell if there are losses through the solenoid.  The voltage will drop (8, 9, 10??) from non starting reading.

 

If you can get a clamp meter, measure the starting current.  That can tell alot.

 

 

Sorry for the distracted flow of this, kids, kittens and other things distracted

 

Hope that helps.

 

[S-L]

So just to close this thread, I'm relieved to say problem was solved.

 

After replacing both my starter & voltage regulator, my car is running like a top again; I picked up $60 starter at O'Rielly's with lifetime warranty, plus a $25 Hella Voltage Regulator off Amazon.

 

Appreciate all the help people put out on this thread, it's greatly appreciated. Hopefully all the posted tips & instructions can go to serve somebody else just as well, in the future.

 

Many thanks, once again!

[732002Malaga]

I recently had this similar issue. The manual calls for unplugging the regulator and using a jumper wire in the blue & black wires. If the idiot light goes out, it's the regulator. If it doesn't it's the generator. 

 

Nornally the brushes in the generator wear down, and some choose to rebuild the generator. 

 

I choose to to go with a 105 amp CS130 alternator that was an exact fit, that gives full power at idle. Total cost was under $100.  Now even in a pinch I can go to almost any corner auto store and pick up a replacement immediately. 

 

Glad you got it running!!!!

[S-L]

Ugh. More problems.

 

After running the new starter like a champ, and a long drive through the gorge...I stopped to drop some stuff off..went back to start, nothing. Lights on the dash come up, but absolutely no sound or crank.

 

What now.

 

????

[roadhog0]

Trigger wire came off or broke? Check for 12v to the trigger wire when key is turned to crank. Just gotta start back tracing things.

[S-L]

On 5/9/2016 at 10:59 AM, roadhog0 said:

Trigger wire came off or broke? Check for 12v to the trigger wire when key is turned to crank. Just gotta start back tracing things.

Turns out it was the wire that came lose, and I didn't even notice it. Not sure why it came off, but it did. Got the wire end tightened with a pair of pliers, and it's good to go.

 

Thanks for the quick help!