13.5V constant ouput OR regular voltage regulator???

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dusterdan

dusterdan

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hey there, so i'm am pulling my hair out because it seems that everybody has a different answer to this question... i'm running a MP electronic ignition kit with an MSD blaster coil and i need to buy a voltage regulator...i've heard that the constant output 13.5V (MP 3690731) is great but its "for race only" according to moparts, summit, jegs etc. supposedly it will fry the battery and make it boil. so the other option is the MP 4529794 which is just a typical restoration regulator(fluctuates voltage). basically, will a constant 13.5V harm anything??? this is a street driven car that rarley see's the track but often see's night driving where bright lights are necessary!
 
The reason you're having a hard time getting a consistent answer is that people keep piping up with wrong information stated as "fact" but with no real-world basis, just what they think they remember of what they understood of what they read awhile back.

"Constant output" is a misleading name for this regulator. All ordinary voltage regulators regulate (i.e., keep constant) the line voltage in the running automobile. There's no such thing as a magical regulator that can overcome Ohm's Law -- by which I mean that when the alternator is producing less than 13.5v because engine RPMs are low and electrical demands are high, the regulator cannot magically cause the line voltage to be 13.5v. In fact, the "constant output" regulator is nothing more or less than a regular regulator with its mounting bracket plastic-coated to insulate it from ground. This has the effect of full-fielding the alternator so line voltage goes way up with engine revs. This can give you a stronger spark for a very short time before things start getting damaged, so it really, really is a race-only item (and kind of a dumb one). You're far better off with a regular regulator. The MP resto regulator looks nifty, but the quality of the electronics is poor (same with MP ignition boxes!). Call up Ray at Old Car Parts Northwest for a NOS genuine Mopar regulator.
 
i agree. i know some guys say they run the constant output on the street and say they have no problems but i think thats crazy. run a normal regulator.
 
Oh, you can run the "Constant Output" regulator on the street just fine…if you scrape, sand, or wire-wheel the blue plastic off the mounting base so it grounds properly. Then what you have is an unnecessarily expensive regular regulator (but it's blue!).
 
According to everything i can find describing this regulator, it is a contant output at 13.5 volts. Constant. Constant voltage. Constant at 13.5 volts. Constantly constant. Consistently constantly constant. Constant, that is, at 13.5 volts. That's constant, that is. At 13.5 volts, constant.
 
thank you very much...all of you have been tremendously helpful and Dan, your knowledge is like talking to a factory Chrysler tech you are irreplaceable!!! i will give Ray a call ASAP and you are definitely right about the "new" MP stuff...it's either hit or miss i guess that's what they get for outsourcing!
 
So, I see 2 different opinions here . Dan says it will full field the alternator. 67 Dart 273 says is 13.5 constant. Which is it? Inquiring minds want to know.
 
To clarify, this is the early style regulator. I have both. The stock style has the ammeter needle swinging with rpm. I was thinking since I had the constant style, it might be worth a try.
 
Here's the thing. Easy. If it's "full field" then it's not regulating. He seems to got off on a tangent about grounding it. Well, all VRs have to be grounded.

It just might be that years and years of misinformation has doomed this to the dusty dark halls of "which way did they go."

The DEFINITION of a VR is "voltage regulator." It regulates VOLTAGE. So if the thing is supposed to "constantly regulate" at 13.5V, there is no real difference in the thousands of "regular" regulators.

So did Chrysler misrepresent, or mis-advertise these? NAPA does or did used to sell a look-alike that was SUPPOSED to be good quality. The way things are constantly being chineseonated, who knows what the present repuation of them are?

VR-1001, and they look surprisingly similar to the "blue" one

echvr1001.jpg
 
I would use a regular one that will have a tendancy to charge closer to 14 or a bit over when car is first started and have the ability to regulate down to 13.5v or even lower say on a hot day on the expressway .
 
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