| Author |
Message |
Ken_MC8 (Lugnut) (67.248.200.88)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, September 21, 2004 - 9:44 am: | |
Hiya folks,
I just returned home from a little 500 mile trip in my MC8.
When I got close to home I began to notice a sulpher odor & a slight loss of power.
Once home I found my batteries bulged out with the tops popped off & they were gassing.
I don't have a voltage guage in the dash.
Also, during the trip I blew a transmission line which drenched everything in the engine compartment with fluid.
Is it possible the fluid shorted out the voltage regulator in the alternator?
What can I do to start troubleshooting the problem?
All input is appreciated.
.
Thanks,
.
Ken |
Jim Ashworth (Jimnh) (172.155.113.136)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, September 21, 2004 - 9:49 am: | |
The voltage regulator is in the last bay on the rear wall up high. Fluid didn't affect it but it sure seems it could be your problem. Got a voltmeter? Check the output of the alternator. Electric stuff is very difficult to diagnose on a bulletin board so you may want to seek help locally.
Good luck with it
Jim |
TWO DOGS (63.185.65.56)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, September 21, 2004 - 10:37 am: | |
yes...go to a generator shop..where they rebuild alternators Etc....I'd say it was your regulator,tough break,got to have new batterys too...think about 4 car batterys |
BrianMCI96A3 (65.160.215.73)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, September 22, 2004 - 12:30 am: | |
Well, there certainly is no doubt... something is seriously wrong with your charging system... But before I did anything I'd would buy new batteries, install them and do some testing to find out just what part of the system is bad.
If I wasn't able to test the system and had to make a guess, I'd suspect the regulator because it sure sounds to me as though the alternator is still cranking out plenty... enough juice to seriously fry your batts anyway...
A bad alternator usually entails dead batteries, but because many alternators today have integral regulators you often see alternators being replaced when it is the regulator (not the alternator itself) that has gone bad and is boiling the batteries.
Hope that helps.
Brian |
BrianMCI96A3 (65.160.215.73)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, September 22, 2004 - 12:34 am: | |
It is possible but not likely that one battery shorted itself internally causing a dead short with such a draw that the alternator went full field and cooked the battteies...
Brian |
Ken_MC8 (Lugnut) (67.248.247.93)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, September 27, 2004 - 9:26 am: | |
Update:
Put more batteries in & went to checking.
Voltage at idle was 26 at the regulator but increased according to rpm. At 37 volts I hollered for my friend to drop back to idle. That pretty much told us what we needed.
We checked the regulator & it had 2 burned circuits. Everything else in the regulator checked out so I guess it was just time & heat from possibly low battery cranking over 28 years.
Sooo's... anyone know a good place/ price to buy a regulator?
76 MC8, 8v71, 740 Allison.
I will also be installing a voltage guage in the dash so I can keep an eye on it in the future.
Thanks for the help.
Ken |
TWO DOGS (63.185.65.77)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, September 27, 2004 - 9:40 am: | |
give ol' LUKE a call 856-767-4848 |
Marc Bourget (209.142.38.81)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, September 27, 2004 - 6:14 pm: | |
While it doesn't appear to happen very often, consider a "tattle tale" circuit that will light up a trouble (red) light in an over-voltage situation.
Sojourner, could you help us out on this?
Onward and Upward.
Marc Bourget |
Tom Caffrey (Pvcces) (65.74.66.104)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, September 28, 2004 - 1:00 am: | |
Ken, there are also high voltage auto shutoff units around, as well. We have two on our boat. I have no idea if they are difficult to find.
If you want to devise your own signal for high voltage, you just need the right zener diodes and a transistor or relay to handle the power the light uses.
The idea is to reverse bias the zener in normal operation. If the voltage that it is biased by reaches its conducting threshhold, it conducts to turn on the transistor or relay.
That, in turn, turns on the lamp or other load. Actually, the kind of failure you had is pretty rare, so the voltmeter on the dash is probably plenty, if you're one of those people who actually look at the gauges.
Another way to go would only take three parts: the zener, a ballast resistor and an LED mounted on your dash. That should be enough to catch your eye, too.
Good luck.
Tom Caffrey PD4106-2576
Suncatcher |
FAST FRED (4.245.128.204)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, September 28, 2004 - 5:59 am: | |
Even simpler is a digital volt gage , about $40. from your local auto store.
The analog is not sensative enough to notice the overcharge till way too late.
FAST FRED |
TWO DOGS (63.185.72.32)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, September 28, 2004 - 8:15 am: | |
yeah...what FF said...I have one in one of my cars...if it's chargeing 12 volts ...it says 12 |