Club 80-90 Forums

the story so far.... left lights on van overnight about a week ago... main battery under drivers seat flat in the morning - stuck on battery charger - started fine - been driving well all week - until tonight.. red battery light seems to be brighter than usual on switching on ignition? Van cut out a few times on the way home... more difficult to restart... put on the multimeter on 20v attached to main battery - at rest-ignition off - reading 13.10v (previously read 12.4 to 12.6) - with engine running reading 13.70v (previously read 14.4) - ? - whats up doc? battery? alternator?wiring?
work in the morning - so any replies/thoughts/comments/ gratefully received -
edoh

20v is overcharged.
Alternator fault.

He put the multi meter in 20v I think? If the charging light is on it would suggest the alternator or wiring/earth.

Based on that information:
Battery standing voltage of 13.10 volts is high but then that isn't unusual when measuring directly after charging....measure after an hour and I bet that has dropped to 12.7 - 12.8.
The charge voltage however, of just 13.7 volts is definitely on the low side and may need a new regulator brush pack.

Martin

Should charge in region of between 13.5 and 14.2 under load e.g. with headlights on. ( at a moderate rpm of course, not at idle.)
As Martin said reg brushes are often worn down causing this prob

thanks so much people -
recharging spare battery over night -
up early early to have another look at it all -
see what the battery light is doing on the dash -
leaning towards voltage regulator/alternator as the issue -
will keep you posted-
thanks again -

ok - so far this morning -
van starts up fine -
red battery light goes off on start up -
battery reads - 12.7v - with the ignition off
13.89v - with the engine running -
so far - so good?
alt reading still low?
as a fallback position -
(still think the alt might be dodgy)
checked for replacements on the gsf site -
http://s270.photobucket.com/user/arseyn ... 1.jpg.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
130 knacker + 50 back for the exchange -
BUT -
does the pulley arrangement look different to my current one?
http://s270.photobucket.com/user/arseyn ... 0.jpg.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
length of my current alt - 5ins to edge of fan - plus a further 3 ins to end of pulley -
would the wiring connections be similar/the same? current arrangement -
http://s270.photobucket.com/user/arseyn ... 3.jpg.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
also having a look at the gsf volt regulator -
http://s270.photobucket.com/user/arseyn ... 9.jpg.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
are these universal - or specific to a brand?
cant see a particular brand name on the alternator that's in at the moment?
plan is to - drive van into work see how it goes -
then call into a gsf branch pick up a volt regulator/alternator/depending on how the journey went -
worth checking to see if i have 12v at the end of the blue wire at the alt? - or - asume power must be getting to alt - if voltage moves up when engine running?
as always - would be grateful for any of your thoughts or comments -
edoh

edoh wrote:ok - so far this morning -
van starts up fine -
red battery light goes off on start up -
battery reads - 12.7v - with the ignition off
13.89v - with the engine running -
so far - so good?
alt reading still low?

Not low, those figures look like perfectly normal figures for a standard van with original equipment.

(Modern voltage regulators tend to be set higher than your measured 13.9 volts, often 14 or 14.5 volts, to cater for more modern battery designs).

Why replace the whole alternator...
the brush pack is the the consumable... big diffence in price

Those figures are fine

thanks for the reassurance gents -

van drove fine to work n back -
picked up a brush pack - just to have in the back pocket - just in case -
it's my daily drive - so - just has to work everyday!
T hanks again for all the useful comments -

California Dreamin wrote:Based on that information:
Battery standing voltage of 13.10 volts is high but then that isn't unusual when measuring directly after charging....measure after an hour and I bet that has dropped to 12.7 - 12.8.
The charge voltage however, of just 13.7 volts is definitely on the low side and may need a new regulator brush pack.

Martin

I too only get 13.7 when driving. Alternator is only 2 years old. I suspect the 28 feet of 30 year old wiring is causing the drop.

Cruz wrote:

California Dreamin wrote:Based on that information:
Battery standing voltage of 13.10 volts is high but then that isn't unusual when measuring directly after charging....measure after an hour and I bet that has dropped to 12.7 - 12.8.
The charge voltage however, of just 13.7 volts is definitely on the low side and may need a new regulator brush pack.

Martin

I too only get 13.7 when driving. Alternator is only 2 years old. I suspect the 28 feet of 30 year old wiring is causing the drop.

well it's thickness would be a hindrance at those distances.
It's all about girth in the voltage drop game.

Although not cheap, 8-10 mm copper cable is a coveted thing