Charging problem

John, may not be the cause, but you may want to do a search on ammeter/dash instruments. There is a reported problem with the wire connections to the back of the ammeter becoming loose. Can give strange irregular ammeter readings. Bit of a fire risk with the heavy current and environment. Worth checking out first. Others may be able to point you to the relevant threads. Kevin

 

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/206-246/193757-dino-diy-voltage-regulator-testing-ammeter-flicker.html

This is a good start.

John, with the high voltage readings you are getting there is a serious risk of cable damage so proceed with caution when testing and keep it to a minimum. The red wire on the fusebox will get very hot and this cable goes through the loom to the ammeter on the dash.

check the voltage at the large red wire on the firewall fuse box, at about 2000rpm it should be MAX 14.6V

Check the white wire (exciter) and this should show a variable voltage dependant on the state of charge / condition of the battery. Typically at 2000rpm you should see approx. 5.6v but it will vary, if it does not alter then check the alternator / terminals / connections etc.

The charging circuit is very simple so it is relatively easy to trace out. Refer to the wiring diagram.

I had a similar problem a few weeks ago and found the spade terminal connector had broken on the VR unit and the battery red (small) cable had corroded in the terminal fitting. high resistance reading. Fitted a new one and everything was is now OK, however I never got the high voltage readings you see. A friend of mine had this and from memory it was the alternator at fault. We also fitted the electronic VR unit.

 

I had the "connections coming loose at the back of the Ammeter". The symptoms were that all the lights were dim and the blinkers didn't work properly. I was chasing a lot of gremlins until I realized that it was systemic and thought about those things that could affect the entire system. Tightened the connectors and solved a bunch of problems.

I just offer that as an example of what loose connectors can do - no as a fix for your problem. But is it simple to check.

Best,



Ken

 

I am currently testing an electronic regulator fab, Car-go type 136325. The original electro mechanical regulator is working fine, but I suspect that it was the reason behind a strange issue I had with the nearby alarm system that was triggered on a regular basis when driving the car. This problem has stopped since I changed to the electronic regulator and I can now drive down town without disturbing al the pedestrians with the alarm horn. I have adjusted the regulator to give the same voltage as the old one which is around 13.4 V on the rear alternator terminal at 2000 rpm. Strangely the amp meter is still dancing quite a lot around regardless the change to modern regulator technology. I plan to build in the new regulator into an old Fiat regulator casing that I've found on ebay hereby keeping the stock appearance.

Best regards

Peter
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The Electronic VR is much better than the old mechanical VR in my opinion. You can fit this to the original holes and mount the old cover on top. It would give the appearance of the old one is still fitted.

Hopefully that is the problem but I fell for that one some time ago, it turned out to be a multiple of tiny reasons which all added up to a big problem. Check all the connections at the fuse box on the firewall, remove the fuses and clean all contact areas. Pull the terminals and clean as well. Check the battery terminals to see if they are loose. Clean the fuse in the main fuse block (red box) and make sure the wires connections are good.

These are small things you can do to see if its helps reduce the problem. Other than that then get a mobile car electrician to call around and sort it out.

Good luck

Tony