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1964 Polara overcharging

Odmark91

Odmark91

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Hello! Today My Polara started overcharging att 18 volts, and i Guess thats the regulator thats shot. But att the same time it lost taillights, parking lights, dash lights and license plate lights.

The bulbs are fine and No fuses blown. Is there something special that can cause this? Since everything went out att the same time.

I recently replaced the turn signal switch, could something have happened there?
 
Tail lights and dash lights generally equal fuse blown. Was a tell tale.. no dash lights.. no tail lights, did you check the fuses with a meter.. fuse pulled?
 
Yes i checked all the fuses with a fluke, even replaced Them today just to be safe.

I also replaced the regulator but Still 18v charging. This has to be related somehow?
 
Can't help with the charging issue but had a similar problem with the wife's 65 Satellite lights. Fuse was good etc but it ended up being a little corrosion on the prongs that hold the fuse. Cleaned them with a Dremel and problem solved. Might be something to look at.
 
Do you have the original single field alternator on the engine? If you remove the field wire from the alternator to the regulator, just pull it off the alternator spade, then the alternator should have zero output. If it continues charging at 18volts then your field connection is shorted out to the alternator case.
 
The lights problem was actually some play in the back of the fuse box, but the charging problem persists.

Now i have 15V at idle, if i turn the lights on i have 16V.

Yes i do have the original alternator. I tried removing the the wire and it stopped charging. Just flickered around 12.5-12.7V.

Its also Odd when you start it, it begins charging att 14V, then slowly builds Up to a higher charging rate
 
That almost sounds like your voltmeter is inaccurate?
 
Odmark91 said:
Both My fluke and My autometer voltage gauge in the car tells the same story
Click to expand...
Well, it sounds like the "static" battery voltage is normal, as is the alternator output - initially, anyways.
That whole "climbing" bit isn't for sure, though...
 
If you have old school voltage regulator, it may need to have points cleaned and adjusted. They can do things like you are experiencing, just a quirk it happens right now. I've had a similar problem in the past, I was able to clean and readjust and viola 14.7 charging.. just the infamous light flicker due to VR. also check your grounds. You may want to take alt off n have it tested. Try to get that verified good, so that way everything after is checked systematically. Another thing look at where the harness plugs in at the firewall, I would unplug and make sure terminals are corrosion free and no signs of over heated plastic connectors. after terminals are clean use some dielectric grease on them and plug harness back in.
Look at the back of amp gauge to make sure no signs of over heating, I would hate to see you loose your car to an electrical fire. This stuff is obviously old, never designed to last this long. Plus who knows what has been done over the years before you got it.
 
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I replaced the voltage regulator today but No difference.

I Will look into the things you wrote, starting with checking the alternator.

I uploaded a video on YouTube so you can see how its acting:
 
What's your voltage reading on Ign1(blue wire) at the regulator while running? Better yet, connect your VOM between the battery post(+) and the regulator Ign1 terminal while running, what's the voltage drop?
 
Odmark91 said:
I replaced the voltage regulator today but No difference.

I Will look into the things you wrote, starting with checking the alternator.

I uploaded a video on YouTube so you can see how its acting:
Click to expand...

What kinda of voltage regulator. Old points style or a new micro chip style regulator? Anymore because a part is new unfortunately does not guarantee if it will work properly. I as well as others here have been a victim of poor quality parts. Make sure its adjusted properly.
Looking forward to seeing how the alternator tests. Also really look at your wiring harness for signs of poor connections. If you were to turn on the head lights while its running, does the voltage still climb? If you have electrical contact cleaner, I would clean the headlight switch contacts and the rheostat wheel n spring.
Again just for testing purposes, disconnect the aftermarket gauge and hook up your multi meter as you have in the video and see what happens. I wonder if the gauge itself may have an internal short say after 13.9 volts....hence the continuous climb in charging?
 
Last edited:
72RoadrunnerGTX said:
What's your voltage reading on Ign1(blue wire) at the regulator while running? Better yet, connect your VOM between the battery post(+) and the regulator Ign1 terminal while running, what's the voltage drop?
Click to expand...

I will check this after work today!

Ski 61701 said:
What kinda of voltage regulator. Old points style or a new micro chip style regulator? Anymore because a part is new unfortunately does not guarantee if it will work properly. I as well as others here have been a victim of poor quality parts. Make sure its adjusted properly.
Looking forward to seeing how the alternator tests. Also really look at your wiring harness for signs of poor connections. If you were to turn on the head lights while its running, does the voltage still climb? If you have electrical contact cleaner, I would clean the headlight switch contacts and the rheostat wheel n spring.
Again just for testing purposes, disconnect the aftermarket gauge and hook up your multi meter as you have in the video and see what happens. I wonder if the gauge itself may have an internal short say after 13.9 volts....hence the continuous climb in charging?
Click to expand...

I believe its the old points style regulator. That is true, ive been there before. But it feels like this is some other problem.

The wirining in the car is really under all critisism, so im not suprised im starting to get electrical gremlins now when i started using it more. Im pretty sure its a wiring problem.

As i wrote before, now it sits at 15V idle with the lights off, 16V at idle when i turn the lights on. So maybe that is an indication that something is wrong in the lights circuit?

I will try disconnecting the volt gauge tonight also.
 
I didnt have time to do much last night since i had to prep my Travelall for a roadtrip im doing this weekend starting today, but i took some measurements.

B+ on alternator reads the same as the battery, around 15V ish with lights off and 16V with lights on.

Voltage reading on ign1 on regulator reads 6.5V with lights off and 6.8-7.2V with lights on.

Out from the regulator its all over the place between 5 and 12V, its hard to get a proper reading, seems to be about the same with lights on or off.

And F on the alternator wierdly enough only gets about 5V steady.

I forgot to do the voltage drop test though. I will have to continue this when i get home.
 
Last edited:
"Voltage reading on ign1 on regulator reads 6.5V with lights off and 6.8-7.2V with lights on."

You have a voltage drop of 6.5 volts across the reg Ign1 and the battery positive post? That’s a problem, should be no more than .5 volt or so. Check for poor (high resistance) connections on the Ign1 circuit at the bulkhead and ignition switch.

Just caught the last line of your post. Ign1 at the regulator needs to be within about .5 volts of whatever you are reading at the battery while running. Do the voltage drop test to verify.
 
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I havent had the time to contiunue troubleshooting this yet, but i will do the voltage drop test, maybe tonight.

Definetly feels that something is wrong along the way from the ignition switch to the regulator. Maybe if it only gets 6.5 volts on ign in it doesent have the power to regulate the power down to 14~V? Im not really sure how it works.

I will get back to you!
 
Hello again. I just did the voltage drop test between ign1 and the positive battery terminal, and got a reading of 1.20V, wich is bad.

But then i also measured on ign1 on the regulator again (to bat negative post) and now i suddenly got the same reading as on the alternator, about 15.7-16.7V. :wtf:

This i really wierd, i hate electrical issues. Can the alternator be faulty after all?
 
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I ordered a new alternator from Rock Auto just to be sure, if i dont need it ill just put it on the shelf for later. Otherwise i will start tracing the IGN1 cable trough the car checking for something wrong i guess
 
I would seriously consider getting a new reproduction engine wiring harness. Some of the wires look questionable, plus age is working against you. Did you disconnect the aftermarket voltage gauge? To rule that out if its bad? Megaparts.com I believe might have a wiring harness for you, both for headlights and engine. Something to think about. Did you take alternator to get checked out?
 
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