| Author | Message | ||
| Tim (Timkar)
Registered Member Username: Timkar Post Number: 79 Registered: 10-2004 Posted From: 24.64.223.203 Rating: N/A |
Have checked archives and checked things suggested in May 2006 about lights pulsing. No resolution was ever posted. My 88 Eagle has electrical pulsing which is approx .5 volt every second, 13.25 to 13.75 measured at the batteries. lights are pulsing, guages are pulsing, etc. and it is quite noticeable when driving. I have adjusted voltage on regulator thinking there may be a "flat spot" , but no change. Putting a load on doesn't seem to make any difference, there is always a "pulse". Any suggestions? Thanks | ||
| Jim Wilke (Jim Bob) (Pd41044039)
Registered Member Username: Pd41044039 Post Number: 216 Registered: 2-2001 Posted From: 69.77.147.214 Rating: N/A |
Our 88 Model 15 does the same thing. It is MUCH less noticeable with all of the air conditioner blowers, lights, etc turned on. I had the 50DN alternator overhauled & it still pulses. I believe it is because the Delco regulator I have is pretty simple & crude & esentially turns the alternator on & off causing the blinking. My batteries (3 group 31 batteries in the place of the 8D) are VERY old and I think this plays a part as well as there can't be much plate left despite them starting the bus O.K. As I convert this bus, I will reconnect the big alternator to charge the house batteries & power the inverter/s. It likely won't "flicker" with a smart 3 stage regulator. I will install a belt driven 100 amp 1 wire alternator to supply the bus chassis needs which will be more than enough. (Our 4104 has only a 2 belt 100 amp which charges the 2 8Ds nicely.) Jim-Bob | ||
| George M. Todd (George_mc6)
Registered Member Username: George_mc6 Post Number: 304 Registered: 8-2006 Posted From: 207.231.75.253 Rating: N/A |
Tim, The problem is either going to be in the regulator itself, or in the connections between the regulator, the master switch, the alternator field terminals, AND THE GROUND! The regulator has to know what the actual battery voltage is, so it can put out the proper amount of field current. Depending on the style of regulator, this is either done by the batt terminal, or the ign terminal. If your regulator has both, it uses the voltage between batt & ground as a reference to put out proper field current. If there is a high resistance connection anywhere in the circuit, the regulator sees low voltage, and increases field current to compensate. The voltage rises immediately, due to the high resistance not letting current flow easily to the batteries, the reg goes oops, and backs off, and the voltage falls, then everything starts over again. So, check for voltage between the batt terminal of the reg, and its ground terminal. Then between ign and ground, both with the engine running. The voltage SHOULD be the same as the readings you got at the batteries. If they're higher, and or fluctuate more, there is a high resistance connection somewhere. There should be NO voltage between a wire or cable terminal, and the stud it's bolted to. If you find 2 or 3 tenths of a volt, you have found your problem. It is also possible that there is an open capacitor in the regulator. It's not the alternator! Get out a couple of wrenches, a nut driver, a multimeter, and some sandpaper, and have at it. Post back with readings, please. George | ||
| Tim (Timkar)
Registered Member Username: Timkar Post Number: 80 Registered: 10-2004 Posted From: 24.64.223.203 Rating: N/A |
Thanks Jim and George...I've got 3, 6 month old Group 31's in place. I'll check out readings and do a cleanup of the terminals next weekend as it's dark by the time I get home. I will post back with findings. Tim | ||
| Tom Caffrey (Pvcces)
Registered Member Username: Pvcces Post Number: 1150 Registered: 5-2001 Posted From: 65.74.67.83 Rating: N/A |
Tim, if that's an early transistorized regulator, the problem could be that it turns on and off too slowly. This makes the voltage spike up and down. Just another possibility. Tom Caffrey PD4106-2576 Suincatcher Ketchikan, Alaska | ||
| Larry Higuera (Larryh)
Registered Member Username: Larryh Post Number: 24 Registered: 6-2006 Posted From: 148.78.52.146 Rating: N/A |
Tim It should have a constant voltage regulator up under the dash that is bad under 15.00 to replace check schematic for location. LarryH | ||
| Jim Wilke (Jim Bob) (Pd41044039)
Registered Member Username: Pd41044039 Post Number: 220 Registered: 2-2001 Posted From: 208.231.108.78 Rating: N/A |
Larry, what kind of voltage regulator is located up front under the dash? Mine is at the rear left of the bus over the angle gearbox for the radiator fan belts. I did some searching & found two different regulators. Mine (that flickers) is the black phenolic case Delco "D09-03" and there seems to be a newer aluminum heat sink, potted regulator (50VR). The pics are too big to post. Jim-Bob | ||
| John Harrelson (Jharl)
Registered Member Username: Jharl Post Number: 89 Registered: 7-2005 Posted From: 204.110.227.11 Rating: |
I found that my bus was pulsing when i bought it San Diego in 05. While getting the bus ready to go east I took off the alt reg and diode pack and brought them to a ac Delco shop for testing. All were good. I put them all back and things were just a small bit bet better. I left out of San Diego and mad it to AZ. I stopped in some rest stop because the head lights we getting very dim and still pulsing. The next morning I stopped at was a garage and started in on the charging system. I found that the bank of glass fuse holders, rivets were making bad contact. So I bypassed the fuse and replace some wire all to the regulator. I also cleaned up the connections to anything that look hinky*. The pulsing went away and the charge level in the volt meter came up soon after leafing that place in AZ. One should check all connections, such as those at the house batteries and in the other end of them. Always check the near and far end of a subsystem connections, and GROUNDS! *Hinky a technical term for connection that have undesirable hink on them. (Message edited by jharl on November 28, 2007) | ||
| George M. Todd (George_mc6)
Registered Member Username: George_mc6 Post Number: 306 Registered: 8-2006 Posted From: 207.231.75.253 Rating: N/A |
Tim, Take a look at John's post immediately above, there is the answer! Does kinda sound like what I suggested above? I think the regulator Larry referred to above is a "dash or gauge" regulator, used on some busses, and a lot of older cars, to make the gauges read right regardless of the charging system voltage. If defective, one of these could cause jumping gauges, but it wouldn't have any effect on the lights, or battery charging voltage. Also, another indication is that a bus regulator is considerably more than $15.00. Happy hunting, I have a large bet on a loose connection. George | ||
| joe padberg (Joemc7ab)
Registered Member Username: Joemc7ab Post Number: 174 Registered: 6-2004 Posted From: 66.38.159.33 Rating: N/A |
Hinky Our second son could not say "Quilt" when he was little, so it became "hinky" for as long as he needed it. First time that I have heard it being used elsewhere. Joe. | ||
| Tim (Timkar)
Registered Member Username: Timkar Post Number: 82 Registered: 10-2004 Posted From: 24.64.223.203 Rating: N/A |
As promised here are the results of my findings. Checked voltages at regulator and they were the same as at the batteries. Took wires off regulator anyway and put new terminls on. Starting tracing wires and found a wire at a "voltage regulator" relay in the rear wiring area which wasn't making contact.(Red one in picture) Cleaned end of this and got it back in to relay base. There is now a very slight pulse, barely noticeable at the lights and I am seeing approx .2 of a volt fluctuation on my meter. Started getting too cold and the snow is accumulating. I have removed the batteries and will charge them all so that when I try again I know that they are at full charge. Thanks to all....Tim    | ||
| George M. Todd (George_mc6)
Registered Member Username: George_mc6 Post Number: 307 Registered: 8-2006 Posted From: 76.168.69.233 Rating: N/A |
Tim, We greatly appreciate you posting your findings, it helps us all to know when our diagnosis is correct. From the pictures, it WAS time to quit! I don't feel that battery state of charge matters, the issue will be another bad connection, or two. A suggestion would be to remove the regulator, sand the mounts and the frame underneath where the reg mounts, and replace. Regards, George | ||
| Jim Wilke (Jim Bob) (Pd41044039)
Registered Member Username: Pd41044039 Post Number: 224 Registered: 2-2001 Posted From: 68.153.238.210 Rating: N/A |
Tim, thanks for posting the pics. You and I have the same regulator except mine is mounted with the terms on the bottom. George, I know that the mounting area looks a bit rusty but the regulator is isolated in it's phenolic case & grounds by one of the three wires: Black = ground, Red = B+, Yellow = Field. Jim-Bob | ||
| George M. Todd (George_mc6)
Registered Member Username: George_mc6 Post Number: 310 Registered: 8-2006 Posted From: 207.231.75.253 Rating: N/A |
Jim-Bob, I don't want to split hairs here, BUT, the black wire is headed right for the upper right mounting screw on the regulator bracket. We can all guess whether that is where it grounds, or somewhere else, which isn't the point. The point is that of the three people with pulsing charging systems, two of them have cleared their problem by repairing bad connections, as suggested. I won't mention the third... NHF, George |
