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charging issues,pulling out my hair!!!!

belvedere 67

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Last summer I bought a new alternator. This summer my voltage gauge reads about 11.5 while running. Bought a new voltage regulator didn't help. Had my alternator tested and it matched my gauge at 11.5. Bought a new alternator, put it in gauge reads about 12. WTF!! Shouldn't it run between 13 and 14? Where do I go from here. Id be grateful for any ideas. thanks
 
Your regulator and alternator both need a good ground. Check that your regulator is grounded to the firewall, alternator to the engine, engine to the battery, and body to battery. Check for any voltage between the regulator mounting bolt and battery ground, and alternator case and battery ground. And, it may not turn on much at idle. You'll need at least a good high idle to tell if any of this stuff is really working.

Other thoughts: Make sure you're not hooking up a one-wire regulator to a dual field alternator. Check the resistance between the alternator charge wire and your battery positive. Make sure you don't simply have a bad connection in that loop (very common problem).
 
Had the new alternator checked and it reads 14.4....Checked the grounds all look good. Maybe time to take it to a pro. Thanks for all suggestions.
 
had a problem like that once. the car had an amp gauge and it had bad connections behind the dash at the gauge.
 
Tried one more thing, as car was running I pulled off both field wires and nothing changed. Car ran the same and gauge still said 12. Could this be anything?
 
You unhooked both field wires? '67 should only have one wire for the field. What voltage regulator are using?

This is the regulator for the single field alt.

wolthuis.aspx


This the one for dual field alt.

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When I bought the car it has a 69'383 motor and the previous owner had a dual field regulator hanging on the firewall. I bought a dual field alternator for it. So I switch back and use a single field regulator and alternator?
 
OK so you have the dual field reg with the triangle plug and two wires.
Check to see if the regulator is wired right. Green wire on the plug should be connected to one of the fields. Check to see if there is continuity from the reg to the alternator.
The other wire in the reg connector connects the the other field on the alt, but it also needs 12V switched. Maybe when the previous owner wired it they didn't hook up a power wire?
Also be sure the reg is grounded.
 
There should be battery power to one of the field leads. I remember pulling off a field wire from the alt. and it sparked when disconnecting it. also there should be a magnetic field at the back of the alt. when running. Put a screwdriver to the back of the housing where the bearing is (in the center of housing) and it should stick. You can also run a jumper wire to the field terminal, since you switched to a single field alt. there wont be an issue as to which field to power. Good luck!
 
I didn't have power to the voltage regulator so I tied the top voltage regulator wire to the right side of the ballist and got power to it. Turned the key , fuse to the coil blew. So I switched the 2 field wires on the back of the alternator, fuse didn't blow. Started the car and my gauge inside the car read 14.5 perfect.......EXCEPT when I rev the car the gauge goes all the why to 18. One step forward 2 steps back.
 
Used a volt meter to double check my gauge in the car and they both read the same ,over 18 when revving the motor. I have Electronic ignition. I'm going to try a few things from the site 69a100 recommended. If that don't work its headed to the shop. Thanks guys.
 
If over 18 volts ..have you changed your voltage reg? That was my issue a few weeks ago
AL
 
I put a new one in about a little over a month ago.
 
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