External regulator conversion question
The CEL in my '93 Dakota just tossed the dreaded OBDI Code 41: Alternator field control circuit open or shorted.
Now, those of us with any Mopar truck or Jeep newer than the late '80's (OR any Magnum-powered factory-EFI conversions, hence the relevance here) have probably faced this by now; the voltage regulator is driven by the "logic module" (fancyspeak interpretation: "Computer") and said logic module no longer sees the logic in continuing to regulate voltage. This is, often, the sole instigator of the code and indicative of a pending dead charging system.
In my case, I'll be installing a new battery just because the green-top Interstate is eight years old (what ever happened to the five year warranty, anyway? F'en EPA...) and is beginning to smell like it's leaking.
If the issue persists, one must weigh one's options....
Option 1: replace computer.
response: No. Ka-ching....and if you have one of the long disco'd OBD1 performance computers, this is a downgrade as well as an insult.
Option 2: external regulator! This is easy, instructions are everywhere so I'll not rehash them, I'll let Ramcharger Central user Slanted_Mind summarize them:
I'm going to wait to hook it up, but I'll go ahead and install the external regulator including a handy connector so that even if the on-board regulator commits Harikari, I'll have a side-of-the-road option ready to plug in.
response: B-b-b-b-but my CEL is still on!
So, these people (ERCKFRM Combo - Heavy Duty Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep External Voltage Regulator Kit with Field Replacement Module) make a "module" to make the CEL go back out (most of the time).
See it? It's there on the lower left.
Module, my foot. It's a bigass high wattage resistor.
Better pic?
(Please note: I won't be buying their kit for this, but I will use their page to order alternator parts for rebuilding what's on hand here at Rancho del Cheapo, in the event of EMP attack.)
Does anybody here know what the resistance on that thing is? Another site said their 'electrical engineer dad' came up with four 10W resistors in parallel. I work with some EE's so I might ask them, but I doubt that will generate (ha-ha!) much of an answer.
As I understand it, this will get soldered into the now-disconnected wires for the Logic Module (there's that fag talk we talked about) and fool the Logic Module (my ex wife is 'tarded. Now she's a pilot) into seeing a circuit, even if that circuit isn't doing anything. Think I could pirate said circuit off some lost soul at U-Screw-It and make my CEL go out that way? I'm a big fan of using my CEL to observe things (my truck has a volt gauge, so that's ok), and if I stare at a lit CEL all day, it's going to get burned out via garbage bin.
Suggestions? What the hell is the resistance on the magic resistor? Where does it go? Anybody know?
The CEL in my '93 Dakota just tossed the dreaded OBDI Code 41: Alternator field control circuit open or shorted.
Now, those of us with any Mopar truck or Jeep newer than the late '80's (OR any Magnum-powered factory-EFI conversions, hence the relevance here) have probably faced this by now; the voltage regulator is driven by the "logic module" (fancyspeak interpretation: "Computer") and said logic module no longer sees the logic in continuing to regulate voltage. This is, often, the sole instigator of the code and indicative of a pending dead charging system.
In my case, I'll be installing a new battery just because the green-top Interstate is eight years old (what ever happened to the five year warranty, anyway? F'en EPA...) and is beginning to smell like it's leaking.
If the issue persists, one must weigh one's options....
Option 1: replace computer.
response: No. Ka-ching....and if you have one of the long disco'd OBD1 performance computers, this is a downgrade as well as an insult.
Option 2: external regulator! This is easy, instructions are everywhere so I'll not rehash them, I'll let Ramcharger Central user Slanted_Mind summarize them:
I'm going to wait to hook it up, but I'll go ahead and install the external regulator including a handy connector so that even if the on-board regulator commits Harikari, I'll have a side-of-the-road option ready to plug in.
response: B-b-b-b-but my CEL is still on!
So, these people (ERCKFRM Combo - Heavy Duty Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep External Voltage Regulator Kit with Field Replacement Module) make a "module" to make the CEL go back out (most of the time).
Module, my foot. It's a bigass high wattage resistor.
Better pic?
(Please note: I won't be buying their kit for this, but I will use their page to order alternator parts for rebuilding what's on hand here at Rancho del Cheapo, in the event of EMP attack.)
Does anybody here know what the resistance on that thing is? Another site said their 'electrical engineer dad' came up with four 10W resistors in parallel. I work with some EE's so I might ask them, but I doubt that will generate (ha-ha!) much of an answer.
As I understand it, this will get soldered into the now-disconnected wires for the Logic Module (there's that fag talk we talked about) and fool the Logic Module (my ex wife is 'tarded. Now she's a pilot) into seeing a circuit, even if that circuit isn't doing anything. Think I could pirate said circuit off some lost soul at U-Screw-It and make my CEL go out that way? I'm a big fan of using my CEL to observe things (my truck has a volt gauge, so that's ok), and if I stare at a lit CEL all day, it's going to get burned out via garbage bin.
Suggestions? What the hell is the resistance on the magic resistor? Where does it go? Anybody know?
