At The End of My Rope ... Almost

Topic: At The End of My Rope ... Almost (Read 3915 times) previous topic - next topic

At The End of My Rope ... Almost

Reply #30 – April 09, 2013, 01:19:17 PM

If memory serves me. With this setup it does not have to work. The print clearly shows a separate lamp driver in the regulator.

At The End of My Rope ... Almost

Reply #31 – April 09, 2013, 03:42:23 PM

There is no dash alternator bulb when you have an ammeter.

At The End of My Rope ... Almost

Reply #32 – April 09, 2013, 07:48:29 PM

Guess I missed that part. It was early.

At The End of My Rope ... Almost

Reply #33 – April 09, 2013, 07:52:56 PM

No worry's chuck. But i took apart my mounts i bought from you to bead blast them and paint them and forgot how they go together. HELP> shiznit it makes me look line an idiot. Can you post the corect way to assemble the 2.3 TC mounts. I feel like a JERK!!!! I should have looked closer how they go back together. But i didn't WHEEEEEE!!!!! I am a DUMMY!!!

At The End of My Rope ... Almost

Reply #34 – April 09, 2013, 09:41:16 PM

Quote from: TOM Renzo;412929

A 100 point car that needed everything to be original. The electronic replacement ones work but it will cost you points in a car show. So stay with an external regulator and have a low output alt and all is good in the world. Once again i have converted many an alt without doing a thing to the factory original battery feed wire. But it is always better to have more copper.

[COLOR="red"]What's points at a car show got to do with this thread??? Ford started using electronic regulators in the late '70s... The car in question is a '86, no doubt the external regulator would be electronic...
[/COLOR]

If you don't fix the wiring issue the conversion alt isn't going to charge either..

I was just wondering how you know it is a wiring issue when he did no trouble shooting?????????????????

[COLOR="red"]I have a crystal ball....

Actually it was mentioned in the op first post he'd replaced the alt and control module(regulator), at that point it's time to verify the circuitry which is likely a open fuse link...[/COLOR]

He needs basick trouble shooting to fix this issue. I think the ALT IS SHOT. Just guessing.

[COLOR="red"]
Your crystal ball a little cloudy???[/COLOR]

Basic full fielding and a 2 second test with a test light will set him in the right direction.

Just for the record the car has a factory electric fan!!! But the original alt is MARGINAL AT BEST!!!

[COLOR="red"]True...[/COLOR]

I would also convert to a serpentine belt but that is another story!!!

...

At The End of My Rope ... Almost

Reply #35 – April 11, 2013, 12:50:40 PM

No crystal balls 50 i do this for a living. And wanted to point him in the right direction. I well know the regulator is electronic but i do not know his trouble shooting skills. Either way i was just trying to help the guy and as usual the POUNDING STARTED ON ME. Just trying to help and then it starts as usual. Just saying!!! He clearly installed a new alt but it can be bad. Not likely but it could. He never replaced the regulator and or did any trouble shooting. So i was just posting logical solutions and test procedures. He should have full fielded the alt in the first place because replacing the alt did not solve the issue. If in fact a full field was dun his original alt might have been GOOD. I personally do not throw parts at a trouble that is not how it is dun. Trouble shooting is what it is called to not replace a good component.

Note he can install a ONE WIRE ALT and call it a day. That is if he buys a 10 dollar test light and checks the main battery feed. Or tests it with his FLUKE METER.

(QUOTE)
Start the engine...it runs (fairly well) for a few minutes...
..then idles down and dies
Changed Alternator, Ignition Control Module and Starter Solenoid.

By the way just for the record and even you can understand this i THINK. He clearly posted HE CHANGED THE IGNITION MODULE>> D'OH!!!!! So can we call it a day and at some other time try and pound me. This is getting silly.

https://www.google.com/search?q=1+wire+ford+alternators&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&channel=fflb#q=1+wire+ford+alternators&client=firefox-a&hs=1rg&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=fflb&source=univ&tbm=shop&tbo=u&sa=X&ei=_epmUcnYNsHl4APy2ICQDQ&ved=0CF0Qsxg&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&bvm=bv.45107431,d.dmg&fp=1cecf718506d138b&biw=1280&bih=603

At The End of My Rope ... Almost

Reply #36 – April 11, 2013, 06:41:40 PM

Quote from: AlabamaWildman;412677

Thanks for the input !!

But... I've just changed the Voltage Regulator
(yes..this one is mounted just above the Driver's Side... Front Tire)

... no joy...

Upon cranking... the voltage at the Battery was only 11.7

... after running less-than 10 minutes that had fallen to below 9Vdc and I shut the motor down.

BTW: There is a NEW Battery in the mix, too !

Quote from: TOM Renzo;413066

No crystal balls 50 i do this for a living. And wanted to point him in the right direction. I well know the regulator is electronic but i do not know his trouble shooting skills. Either way i was just trying to help the guy and as usual the POUNDING STARTED ON ME. Just trying to help and then it starts as usual. Just saying!!!

Yeah the ' started cause you can't read a post...

Do you half listen to your customers and do a diagnosis???

At The End of My Rope ... Almost

Reply #37 – April 12, 2013, 06:49:51 AM

I don't know about Tom, but I only half listen to customers. The thing is, if you listen too much they'll start telling you what they think is causing it. That gets in your head and in my case, I end up chasing their speculative diag rather than doing it the way I usually would. I've chased my tail for hours because I listened too much to a customer. Tell me what it's doing, when it does it and when it started; Diagnosis is my job, not the customer's.

For OP, if you've got a new alternator and a new regulator, the answer is obvious: you have a wiring problem. It's time to get out your wiring book, your digital meter and your big boy pants. You're in it for the long haul.

If you don't have a wiring book, someone here will have one you can download. If you need a meter you can get an adequate one at walmart. If you need big boy pants; well then you might want to take it to a professional. (Yes, 50, I know he has a meter. This is general advice)

At The End of My Rope ... Almost

Reply #38 – April 12, 2013, 10:44:44 AM

Quote from: TheFoeYouKnow;413109

I don't know about Tom, but I only half listen to customers. The thing is, if you listen too much they'll start telling you what they think is causing it. That gets in your head and in my case, I end up chasing their speculative diag rather than doing it the way I usually would. I've chased my tail for hours because I listened too much to a customer. Tell me what it's doing, when it does it and when it started; Diagnosis is my job, not the customer's.

For OP, if you've got a new alternator and a new regulator, the answer is obvious: you have a wiring problem. It's time to get out your wiring book, your digital meter and your big boy pants. You're in it for the long haul.

If you don't have a wiring book, someone here will have one you can download. If you need a meter you can get an adequate one at walmart. If you need big boy pants; well then you might want to take it to a professional. (Yes, 50, I know he has a meter. This is general advice)

I did electronic service for over 38 years, early on I learned to listen to the customer and then trouble shoot it with my thought process on what the problem was...

At The End of My Rope ... Almost

Reply #39 – April 12, 2013, 12:12:23 PM

I agree (after having a few to read through things again) that you have a wiring prob. I had an old '80 Capri that a previous owner had (sloppily) installed an SVO into it (Yes, I said that right. Everything but the body and interior).
At some point, the car started acting like yours. Battery would be fine, car would start and run for a bit, then when the voltage got too low, it would shut off. Battery, alternator, blah, blah, blah. Nothing fixed it. The previous owner had butt-spliced the main charge wire off the alternator. That had come loose.

Dig into your wiring and hunt down the culprit.

At The End of My Rope ... Almost

Reply #40 – April 12, 2013, 12:35:19 PM

Normally customers will think they know what is happening and normally they dont. So i take their story with a grain of salt. Been doing this to long. Last week a TL came in and JR booked it for a pair of rear axle bearings. When i went to do the job i asked JR what was going on. I have not had a bad rear bearing in a TL for many years. They just do not go bad. With that Jr explained to me the customer did not want to hear it he wanted them changed. So i racked the car and tested the bearings. THEY WERE PERFECT!!! Under protest i changed them out. Not the easiest set to change but never the less i replaced 2 perfectly good hub and bearing assemblies. Told the customer the ones i took off were not bad. The guy did not want to hear anything i was telling him!!! His reply was his friend that works on cars told him they were bad. Came back the next day with the same problem. So i changed the front wheel bearings and all was good in the world. I was happy the shop made a bunch of money and that is the way of the world!!!

Now this charging issue. Time to dig in and find out what is wrong. The OP did absolutely nothing but throw parts at this issue. Not the way to do it as he found out the hard way. Once again full fielding the alt would have led him in the right direction. Also hooking his FLUKE to the pos battery lead of the alt would have checked his alt feed in 2 seconds. That is why i asked him to do testing. Without testing he is chasing BALLOONS.

NOTE i did re -read his post and he in fact changed the regulator. Chances of both the regulator and the alt being bad is a million to one. So he has a wiring issue or a blown fuse link or a bad connection or feed wire. Time to dig IN!!!