HELP! Charging/Wiring Problem

[packin3deuces]

My '73 Swinger has a charging and/or wiring problem and I can't figure it out. :angry7::angry5::angryfir::angry1:angry9: Originally a 318 car, I got the car with no engine and have since installed a 340. It has a Mopar Performance chrome electronic ignition with a Mopar electronic voltage regulator and a stock ballast resistor. The original wiring harness is in the car and it's in reasonably good shape. I have repaired a couple of the wires going into the bulkhead connector and the rest looks good. I have already bypassed the ammeter in the instrument panel and I want to run an 8 guage wire from the alternator to the starter relay, but the alternator is not charging. The alternator currently has the stock (for a '73 318 ) 12 guage wire running from it to the bulkhead and I know it's not sufficient for my set up. The alternator is a new one from Bouchillon Performance Engineering that is 75/50 amps (BPE5302) with 2 field connectors. A second problem is that I only have one field wire-the 18 guage dark green one. The 18 guage dark blue one is missing. I looked at the wiring diagram and ran an 18 guage dark blue wire from the 18 guage dark blue wire on the voltage regulator to the other field terminal on the alternator, but it's still not charging :cussing:. With the ignition off, I'm reading 12.57 volts at the alternator and 12.6 volts at the battery. With the engine running it falls about 2 volts at both. Also, I am not sure if my ballast resistor is wired correctly:dontknow:. It has 3 wires connected to it. A 16 guage dark blue and an 18 guage light blue/yellow on one terminal and a 16 guage brown on the other post. My voltage regulator has an 18 guage dark blue wire and an 18 guage dark green wire in the stock connector. Please offer any suggestions before I ](*,).

 

[mac daddy mopar]

do you have a single or duel ballast?

 

[nothingbutdarts]

The dark blue wire you ran should have battery voltage when the ign. key is on. Does it?? It feeds both the regulator abnd the one field terminal.

 

[RedFish]

Sounds like you have it wired correctly. What puzzles me is, a 73 would have had the correct wires for your set up. I have to wonder where they are or where they dissapeared to. Other than that I'll mention , The voltage regulater must be chassis grounded. Its best to properly install and ground it before supplying power to it.

 

[packin3deuces]

do you have a single or duel ballast?

It's one ballast with 2 poles.

The dark blue wire you ran should have battery voltage when the ign. key is on. Does it?? It feeds both the regulator abnd the one field terminal.

Here's what I got today: Key off - 12.5 volts at battery / 0.0 to dbl field wire. Key on: 12.1 volts to battery / 10.0 volts to dbl field wire.

Sounds like you have it wired correctly. What puzzles me is, a 73 would have had the correct wires for your set up. I have to wonder where they are or where they dissapeared to. Other than that I'll mention , The voltage regulater must be chassis grounded. Its best to properly install and ground it before supplying power to it.

Previous owner messed with harness and now I'm dealing with it. It looks like I am missing the ground from engine block to firewall/chassis. But there is a ground strap from the aluminum head to chassis. Is that causing the problem?

 

[nothingbutdarts]

Ohm meter check from the alternator case to the voltage regulator. It should be very close to zero!

Pull the plug on the regulator and check the terminal on the plug, the blush should have battery voltage with key on. Ohms check the green one from the connector to the push on field connector, it should be at or very close to zero.

If these check OK and you know the alternator is good, I would then think the regulator is bad. You did say you had battery voltage at the charge lug on the alternator, (the factory 12 gauge as you said) correct?

 

[RedFish]

The drk blue wires at regulator and altenater should have 12 volts to operate properly.
10 volts report would suggest the current is comming from the run side of the ballast resistor.

 

[packin3deuces]

Ohm meter check from the alternator case to the voltage regulator. It should be very close to zero!

Pull the plug on the regulator and check the terminal on the plug, the blush should have battery voltage with key on. Ohms check the green one from the connector to the push on field connector, it should be at or very close to zero.

If these check OK and you know the alternator is good, I would then think the regulator is bad. You did say you had battery voltage at the charge lug on the alternator, (the factory 12 gauge as you said) correct?

Thanks for helping, Nothingbutdarts. Here's what I came up with:
Ohm meter check from the alternator case to the voltage regulator case was infinite.
With key on, blue wire on the regulator connector has 11.2 volts.
Ohms test of the green wire from the regulator connector to the push on field connector is 0.
Voltage at the charge lug on the alternator (through the stock 12 guage harness wire) is 12.75 volts.

 

[RedFish]

Once you get the ground issue corrected the charging system will work but not properly. You are suffering a voltage drop somewhere. Amp gauge, bulkhead connections, or ignition switch and/or its harness connecter.

 

[nothingbutdarts]

Ohm meter check from the alternator case to the voltage regulator case was infinite.

Sounds like you have a grounding issue here, It should not be infinate! It should read something close to ZERO.


You should also check out what redfish said about a voltage drop in the DkBlue wire. It should always be very close to battery voltage!

 

[packin3deuces]

Once you get the ground issue corrected the charging system will work but not properly. You are suffering a voltage drop somewhere. Amp gauge, bulkhead connections, or ignition switch and/or its harness connecter.

Redfish, thank you for your input. How do you recommend grounding the voltage regulator properly?
Amp guage is bypassed, so voltage drop should be coming from the bulkhead connections and/or ignition switch or it's harness connector, right?

Sounds like you have a grounding issue here, It should not be infinate! It should read something close to ZERO.

You should also check out what redfish said about a voltage drop in the DkBlue wire. It should always be very close to battery voltage!

As per your recommendations, I will address the grounding issue first and then look into the voltage drop. Thanks for the advise.

 

[RedFish]

I've never seen an altenater painted so well that the ground was lost. I have however seen body panels and components painted so well that the ground path was disrupted.
Having to scrape away small amounts of paint in a freshly painted engine bay is a nessesary evil.

 

[packin3deuces]

I've never seen an altenater painted so well that the ground was lost. I have however seen body panels and components painted so well that the ground path was disrupted.
Having to scrape away small amounts of paint in a freshly painted engine bay is a nessesary evil.

OK. Will scrape away tonight! I'll be out of town for 6 days starting tomarrow evening. When I get back , I'll begin to explore the voltage drop problem. Thanks again to you and Nothingbutdarts for the help. :salute:

 

[dustermaniac]

How did you bypass the Amp Gauge? My Gauge has a busted post in the dash and I was having a no charging issue and I ended up running a wire from the battery lead on the alternator directly to the positive battery post. Bingo!!! No more charging issues. I am getting 13.5 Volts at the battery with the car running. I also replaced my Alternator, Battery and Voltage Regulator and Ballast.

 

[nothingbutdarts]

OK. Will scrape away tonight! I'll be out of town for 6 days starting tomarrow evening. When I get back , I'll begin to explore the voltage drop problem. Thanks again to you and Nothingbutdarts for the help. :salute:

I would rather run a ground wire from the block to the regulator myself.

Just for kicks, ohm's check the alternator to the block and make sure it's OK.

You can do a quick check on the alternator by taking two jumper leads, put one on one field terminal to ground, start the car, have your volt meter connected to the alt. output stud, take the second jumper lead, hook one end to the other field terminal and touch it to a battery source such as the output stud or the battery. The alternator should put out full charge. Don't leave it that way for more than 30 seconds to a minute.

 

[Badart]

I have had the same problem in the past and it was a bad voltage regulator. Like said earlier, double check for a good ground on the regulator also.

 

[packin3deuces]

How did you bypass the Amp Gauge? My Gauge has a busted post in the dash and I was having a no charging issue and I ended up running a wire from the battery lead on the alternator directly to the positive battery post. Bingo!!! No more charging issues. I am getting 13.5 Volts at the battery with the car running. I also replaced my Alternator, Battery and Voltage Regulator and Ballast.

I followed the advise given in the tech section of www.madelectrical.com

I would rather run a ground wire from the block to the regulator myself.

Just for kicks, ohm's check the alternator to the block and make sure it's OK.

You can do a quick check on the alternator by taking two jumper leads, put one on one field terminal to ground, start the car, have your volt meter connected to the alt. output stud, take the second jumper lead, hook one end to the other field terminal and touch it to a battery source such as the output stud or the battery. The alternator should put out full charge. Don't leave it that way for more than 30 seconds to a minute.

I took your advice and ran a ground from the engine block to the voltage regulator. I also took the alternator to an auto electric shop and it tested ok. I completed the ammeter bypass and ran an 8 guage wire from the alternator output to the starter relay as shown on the madelectric diagram. When I started the car it still wasn't charging ](*,) ! So I replaced the voltage regulator and the charging system worked :cheers:. A big thanks to all of you for your input and help in solving my electric problems. :salut: :thumrigh: =D> Now I can go out and do this.:burnout:
Here's to ya! :drinkers:

I have had the same problem in the past and it was a bad voltage regulator. Like said earlier, double check for a good ground on the regulator also.

You hit the nail on the head! :notworth: