I was getting swings in the charge rate to the battery and so I have just replaced my voltage regulator. The ammeter is now reading very wildly... I believe the connector was installed correctly on the base of the regulator. The car shows a negative draw when the lights are turned on and moves to the right of the 0 center line when the engine speed increases.
The issue is the readings are very extreme. For example, at idle with the headlights on, the ammeter registers a -20 reading....when the idle increases, the ammeter then shows a +20 reading that gradually works back to the 0 line.
At highway speed, the ammeter is showing a slightly negative (-1) reading, just to the left of the 0 line. At normal idle with little draw on the battery, the ammeter is moving all over the place.
I checked the charging rate at the battery. When the engine is just started the charge is at 14-14.5 at high idle. As the engine reaches normal operating temp, the charging rate drops to below 11-11.5. I shut the car down and retested with pretty much the same result.
The alternator was replaced last year (less than 1500 miles ago) with a correct, dated unit.
Can the alternator need some work?
Should I replace the regulator?
Can the ammeter be adjusted?
New to many technical issues with my 67, so I may not have done other tests or know how to do other tests to confirm which part is toast.
Appreciate any guidance. Thanks.
The issue is the readings are very extreme. For example, at idle with the headlights on, the ammeter registers a -20 reading....when the idle increases, the ammeter then shows a +20 reading that gradually works back to the 0 line.
At highway speed, the ammeter is showing a slightly negative (-1) reading, just to the left of the 0 line. At normal idle with little draw on the battery, the ammeter is moving all over the place.
I checked the charging rate at the battery. When the engine is just started the charge is at 14-14.5 at high idle. As the engine reaches normal operating temp, the charging rate drops to below 11-11.5. I shut the car down and retested with pretty much the same result.
The alternator was replaced last year (less than 1500 miles ago) with a correct, dated unit.
Can the alternator need some work?
Should I replace the regulator?
Can the ammeter be adjusted?
New to many technical issues with my 67, so I may not have done other tests or know how to do other tests to confirm which part is toast.
Appreciate any guidance. Thanks.
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