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rodders Offline
#1 Posted : Monday, 19 May 2014 5:52:22 PM(UTC)
rodders

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Hi all,
Got a problem and a half with my work ute. All of a sudden it is charging over 15 volts all the time and the headlights etc are constantly pulsing bright and dull (well, less bright anyway).
I was told by a mate that it was the regulator in the alternator so I went and bought a new one yesterday, the RE60, screwed it into the alternator and started the car up.. exactly the same problem!
I pulled the brown wire that goes into the reg alongside the smaller red one and the alternator stopped charging at all, so I'm assuming then that that is the wire that the alternator senses the load? Why oh freaking why is it doing this?
Rod
rodders Offline
#2 Posted : Tuesday, 20 May 2014 4:44:26 AM(UTC)
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I have fitted a different battery which made no change to the problem.
Please, someone must know what the go is, I have always found someone on this forum that has solved the car problems I have had. ..
Rod
commodorenut Offline
#3 Posted : Tuesday, 20 May 2014 6:10:20 AM(UTC)
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Brown wire goes to the dash lamp, and this in turn feeds off the ignition switch - when it's all connected, this is what excites the field windings of the alternator, to make it charge.

You say you have a smaller red one as well? There should be a decent size red one that's the charge wire from the alt to the battery. The only time I've seen an additional small wire (in addition to the lamp wire) is on later model alts like those used in VL onwards, where the reg has a voltage sense wire, that runs to the battery.

If this sense wire is not connected to the battery, it can cause the symptoms you're describing. I've had to fix several cars where people put later model alternators into them, and thought they could just route that sense wire onto the charge terminal - after all, the charge wire goes to the battery right? But for some reason, it causes it to play up, unless you run the sense wire right to the battery.
Cheers,

Mick
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rodders Offline
#4 Posted : Tuesday, 20 May 2014 7:33:16 AM(UTC)
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Yes, it's got a thin red wire to the battery, so that's the sensing wire! I will see what's going on with that one tomorrow, I'll run a new one and see if that help.
Thanks commodorenut..
Rod
Balfizar Offline
#5 Posted : Tuesday, 20 May 2014 8:44:38 AM(UTC)
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Poor earth will cause the same symptoms.
check battery,alternator,engine earth.
cheers
Balfizar
rodders Offline
#6 Posted : Tuesday, 20 May 2014 4:33:42 PM(UTC)
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Thanks Balfizar, I will check them all as well. It's just a matter of time before the pulsing headlights attract the attention of the police. It must be distracting as hell for drivers coming towards me.
Rod
rodders Offline
#7 Posted : Friday, 13 June 2014 5:09:30 PM(UTC)
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Howdy, It's still doing it. I changed the sensing wire from the alternator to the positive terminal of the battery and removed the earth lead, checked for breaks, cleaned the contacting surfaces with sandpaper and reinstalled. No change..
Could the alternator just be stuffed internally?
It's really getting bad, the lights pulsing bright and dull that is, I'm sure it's going to get me pulled over by the police, and I don't blame them..
Rod
rodders Offline
#8 Posted : Monday, 16 June 2014 4:14:42 PM(UTC)
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Update: made new earth lead for the battery and did an extra one to the radiator support panel, lights going bright and dull seems to have stopped but its still charging at 15 volts , and that's with the new regulator..
Back to the drawing board. .. .
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