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Hi All,
Had a recent problem with the HQ-350, as it only comes out every week or so, found the battery to be almost dead, with not enough charge to kick her over.
It would appear from reading lots of forum chats that having CD players in olds cars, just isn�t the go. And why should it be! So, the CD player is going.
However found out the hard way that it was more than the battery and ended up needing to replace the alternator.
Received some advice to up grade the faulty Lucas 55A alternator to a higher amp unit, so went for a 100A version.
Unit was connected tested the voltage back at the battery (about 14V) all seemed good the Voltmeter was also reading around 13-14 as indicated on the gauge. Took the car for a 30 minute run and found that the volt meter had stopped working. Could this be a coincidence or are we missing something by upgrading the alternator?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
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just get a battery tap which turns the battery off when the car is not in use as the old wiring can drain some of the battery as well . I was told that you could also put in a relay to send the power from the battery directly to the starter which puts less stress on the battery . The big 350 will need heeps of power to get it going .
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The positive lead on the battery does go directly to the starter motor. As long as the alternator is charging and you have the correct sized battery which is in good condition then the charging system has to work. The starter motor can often be the cause of hard starting and also double check the leads are tight and getting good contact and are big enough. If you have lots of electrical accessories light 100w driving lights and massive power drawing amps on your stereo then you need a large alternator to supply the power draw. A cd player on its own shouldnt cause an issue. 100 amps is a big alternator.
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wbute is on the money. The positive lead already goes straight to the starter. Maybe what your mate is referring to is that the current draw for Delco starter solenoids is more than the normal Holden type (Bosch/Lucas) & the car can possibly benefit from the addition of a relay between the ignition switch & the starter so that the solenoid gets a full 12 volts.
Also I've never heard that CD players in 'old' cars isn't the go. I've fitted many with no dramas.
Also beware of fitting high amperage alternators just for the sake of it. A stock HQ got a 35-amp alternator & they got a 55-amp unit if they had factory a/cond & they ran for decades, trouble free. Why do you need a 100-amp alternator unless you have EFI, multiple high output driving lights or the sub-woofer from hell. Sure a 100-amp alternator provides almost twice the peak charging current of a 55-amp one, but at what RPM ?
The 55-amp unit probably charges at a higher rate at idle speed compared to the 100-amp unit. It's a bit like fitting a wild cam, sure it will make more peak power, but many have so little torque low-down they are un-drivable around town.
Dr Terry
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When calculating a car restoration budget, be as accurate as you can & then double the final figure. It will be closer to the truth. |
If at first you don't succeed, just call it Version 1.0 |
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Thanks all for your comments and advice, may look at tgetting the original reconditioned, however do you think the higher alternator may of caused the voltmeter to go or is it a coincidence? Does anyone know if they can also be reconditioned. Many thanks guys.
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It won't be a coincidence, but it also won't be the fact the new alternator has a higher output current. So long as it outputs the right volts nothing else will be affected. Most likely something was not connected correctly and the wire to the voltmeter has fallen off or been broken in the changeover. Now you've got the 100A unit I'd probably just leave it in there and find out where your new fault is, unless as Dr Terry says you need a higher current capacity at idle then maybe get your old unit reco'd.
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Pumpa Have you got your amp meter repaired yet? The HQ amp meter would have worked fine until it came to a situation where the battery was low on charge. A flat battery would let the alternator charge at max rate (100 amps) which would be close to double what the amp meter would be designed for (letting the smoke out). When it is repaired it could have a shunt added (resistor in parallel) so that the meter only carry's part of the load , last year Jeremy had similar issues with his HG, I dont know if he got a fix. read these and it will become as clear as mud. http://www.fastlane.com....=23147&SearchTerms=shunthttp://www.fastlane.com....page=2&SearchTerms=shunt The repair options are endless, repairing old alternator may be a good option if the car is factory original. oily
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Rank: Member
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Hey thanks Guys,
after reading many posts about similar problems decided to undertake a few tests like voltage and amperage draw from the components. In short found the culprit to be a faulty cigarette lighter which was drawing over 3 amps. Rectified this with a $12 lighter from e-bay.
Reconnected wiring and now have the voltage meter working, the battery still sitting at 12.6 volts after the weekend cruise.
Also found that reading posts and being able to fix them is nearly as good as a good weekend drive.
Thanks Again
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