Hi,

I bought a 1994 Dakota Sport. The battery conversion for voltage reulation had already been done. The day after I got it the ignition fuse blew and the battery (engine not running) voltage reading was 16.7 volts and it had been venting electrolite. I got a new voltage regulator and put it in. Depening on where the positive wire is hooked up I have gotten readings across the battery, with the engine running, of 14.8 to 15.02 volts.
The "ignition positve feed" that the guy who did the coversion chose was
a spade that was pushed into one of the AC relay connections in the power
distribution box (the wires are there but the truck does not have AC). Is that a good or proper connection?
How do I determine what wires match the description, any ignition positive wire?

Can a bad ground cause too high a charge voltage?

Do voltage regulators adjust voltage up and down or are they fixed in terms of voltage and regulate amperage up and down?

Thanks

Peter

 

Bad ground would be more likely to cause NO charge. Sounds more like you have a short somewhere.....

On your dakota, factory voltage regulator is in the PCM...... Did that one fail?

 

try hooking up a pigtail with a 194 bulb in it to the old set of field wires and see if this helps..the 194 bulb should light when hooked to the pigtail and give the computer the voltage..

 

Yes, the voltage regulator in the computer had already failed when I got the truck,
The conversion to an external regulator had been done as well.

 

So, are you saying that the computer could still have and effect on this? As far as I can see, with the bypass having been done already the computer has no communication with the alternator or any other part of the charging system anymore.

 

What the regulator does:

In a nutshell, it has two set points, one high and one low. These are voltage settings, one a tad higher than target charge voltage and one a tad lower. When the battery voltage drops to the low set point, the alternator grounds the field winding of the alternator. When battery voltage reaches the high set point, the regulator opens this ground. While the field winding is grounded the alternator is hard on, producing all of the current it can. While the field winding floats (is ungrounded) it produces no current at all.

So: It's most likely that the field winding is grounded all the time. I'd think the most likely culprits would be a failed regulator or a miswire somewhere. It seems a good time to test the regulator and if it checks out good to confirm the correctness of the installation.

It's a bad idea to allow the thing to run when battery voltage goes about about 14.5 volts. Charging at that high rate that got your big numbers may very well have warped some plates, and it's certainly going to cause copious hydrogen out-gassing which is a mite dangerous. Hydrogen ignites very readily when oxygen's around.

 

Any tips on a switched 12v source under the hood of a 1998 V10?

 

Since im going to be doing this mod on my 89 dodge W150 318 tbi with the voltage reg part of the ecm I have a couple questions

What does that black box on the alternator do??

What is the fuction of the 2 field terminals that are taped up, measured at 6 volts??

I ask cause one of my field terminals is broken off the black box on the alternator from the previous owner.


Thank you so much everyone

 

the black box is nothing but but molded plastic to make it bolt to the alternator easier and idiot proof. 1 of the field terminals should have 12 volt when the ignition is on and the other one should go to the computer and control the voltage output. i think if the terminal broke you should figure out which wire goes to the broken terminal and repair by cutting it and extending it to the alternator and installing a ring terminal ad hooking it back up.

 

Okay stupid question, but its been asked a couple of times on this thread with no response. Where is a GOOD ignition positive source under the hood? Im trying to get this in quick and its dark out here and im getting pissed off trying to figure something out.

Any response would be gladly appreciated!!!