voltage regulator

[mathiszig]

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My car is giving me a really hard time. After many battles with the carb, (see thread something badly wrong) and me stupidly messing up the thread on the brass fuel filter screw, it turned out to be the condenser after all. But now the electrics are playing up..... if I put heater or headlights on, and want to use indicator, mad scruntching noise and lights/ indicators going ballistic. Could this be the voltage regulator???

 

[malcolm]

The mad scrunching noise is probably a big clue. Where is the noise coming from? Also what exactly is happening with the lights? In the GTL the regulator is part of the alternator and wouldn't normally cause that sort of trouble. Though bad earths can account for most things apart from scrunches.

Did you disconnect the battery when fiddling with the other problem, and are all of the connections tight? I'd check all of the main leads from the battery are not shorting and that there are no signs of melted wires anywhere.

I'd be nervous that the scrunching noise might be something sparking - maybe try it again at night and see if you can see any sparking? (being in a position to quickly turn off the ignition and perhaps disconnect the battery and having a fire extinguisher handy could be good precautions for checking for sparking at night).

 

[iancr900]

I'm with Malcolm,is the scrunching noise coming from the flasher unit.Do any of the indicators stop working when it goes crazy.If so take out the bulb that stops working and clean connections and spray with switch cleaner.

 

[mathiszig]

hi there
Finally had time to have another look. All connections seem sound. Also, no sparking visible anywhere.
The 'scrunching sound' is coming from the dashboard- flasher unit. I checked all the bulbs and they appear to be working. All is good if I don't use lights or heater so seems to have something to do with battery/power???? If I press accelarator things really go crazy. Will see if the switchcleaner will do the trick.
Or could it be a short somewhere???
many thanks again

 

[malcolm]

Could be it's overcharging. Do you have access to a voltmeter that reads accurately to check the battery voltage when the engine is off (12.5V), when idling (13 - 14.5V), and when you rev it (maybe 15V)? If you are seeing 18-20V then probably there is a regulator fault.

Don't understand why it would be better with the lights or heater off.

 

[mathiszig]

thanks malcom
havn't got access to a voltmeyer but will ask around.
One thing i know is that the battery is on it's way out - RAC guy told me so, but don't want to buy new one now, as too broke and with christmas coming up.
could that be it??

 

[malcolm]

It's very unlikely to be the battery if the car starts on the starter motor.

It is odd that the flasher unit is buzzing. I've not come across that before, though it sounds like iancr900 might have.

None of my guesses would explain the symptoms completely:

Bad earth where the earth wires from the bonnet and the wire from the cabin and the battery meet on the front of the RHS front wing is the only think I can think of that might cause the lights or the heater to affect another component. The earth does get bad. It's held by one bolt onto the front of the inner wing. The bolt is difficult to remove (rusty) but could be worth replacing and the connections and wing cleaning up for a good contact.

With more thought, battery voltage is less likely - having the headlights on would make the problem better by reducing the voltage, not the other way around. And you'd be noticing the headlights are very bright.

Could be a fault with the flasher unit.

For a bulb problem the bulb wouldn't work if the heater was on or not.

Could be worth a trip to Derek at Renospeed for a quick look. He ought to be close and should have spares to try. I'm having trouble with an easy diagnosis. Anyone else with ideas?

 

[iancr900]

I know nothing about electrics other than what I've experienced myself. What if turning on the heater(or lights) draws current away from a weak indicator connection.With one indicator down some bi-metallic strip flasher units go a bit mad.
Are you checking the indicators when the heater is on and the flasher unit is scruntching?

 

[jjad]

My flasher unit went crazy when I had a poor earth on a side repeater indicator. Do the indicators work perfectly without the heater and lights on?

 

[mathiszig]

thank you all for trying to solve this problem.
indicators work perfectly without lights or heater on. When heater and/or lights on (worse with heater on) indicators go crazy in line with the scruntchng noise coming from the flasher unit, sometimes blinking madly, othertimes blinking intermittantly. Also, some of the other light indicators light up/flash on the dashboard panel.....
it is definatlely mad worse if i put my foot on the accelarator. Arghhhh

 

[malcolm]

Does sound like an earthing problem. I had a load of strange warning lights come on with the indicators when I forgot to reconnect the main earth to the body.

Should be a wire going from the back of the alternator to the RHS front inner wing. A good first step would be to remove the bolt with the big red arrow (your car might not have the arrow ) and clean the wing with sandpaper and the connectors with wire wool, then bolt them all back up together with a bit of petroleum jelly to keep out the water.

Another thought. If the problem was just indicating to one side the metal strip behind the indicator with the green arrow can corrode and fall off causing odd problems.

 

[angel]

I have solved many ground problems related to the bonnet components by runnind a thick (4.0 mm2) wire from the inner wing ground point to the chassis (e.g. on the bumper mounting through bolts).

Check also that all fuses fit tightly in the fusebox with no corroded or loose contacts.

 

[mathiszig]

hurrah. No more scruntching!!!! my car has working indicators again. I checked all the earth connections I could find, tighten them all and redid the indicator ones... (there also was a diconnected one from the dynamo) and it all works perfectly!!!
many thanks to you all and HAPPY CHRISTMAS

 

[jjad]

Fantastic! This is why this forum is so good! Glad you got it sorted out. Merry Christmas to you as well