This voltage information sheds a whole new light on the problem. Your ground strap from the engine to body is missing, broken, corroded, or otherwise not making a good connection.

Yes 15v is too high, you will cook your battery, 14.2v is the highest you ever want to see. Repairing the ground strap should fix the voltage problem and the high reading gauge problem.

 

hello alloro
...i will get a new ground wire today, and you said engine to body or battery to body or both, i hope this will fix the problem, she is a sweet van that has been good to us for many years, also thank you for all the input and your knowledge and your time to read my problems, this is a great forum, i wish i found this forum a while back...
thanks and good day
peter

 

You definitely need a battery (negative) to engine groundand anengine to body ground, the battery to body groundis optional. I would first see if the problem clears up before adding a battery to body ground so that you do not have to mess around with the battery terminal.

 

hello alloro
...just got home, first thing i did isinstall the new ground wire from engine to body, my voltage meter reads 15.3v - 15.6v at idle, once i turn stuff on it gos to 13.6v, whats wrong with her do i have a faulty new voltage regulator, is something wrong with my battery or do i need an alternator, what else can i replace, i have two weeks to fix her, i don't know what else to do and i sure do not want her to go to a shop, this is first time in years she is like this and i always took good tare of her,please let me know what else i can do, i thank you for your time again...
thanks and good day
peter

 

I have read on another forum that the case of the voltage regulator must be grounded( it was an 81 d150). It was reccommended to run a wire from the case to batt neg. Also check the ground wire from the alternator to the engine ground.

A question:When your temp gauge rises above what you found to be the normal mark, does the fuel gauge also rise? My 89 b250 was doing this when I had a loose engine ground. Also happened to me with an 82 Volvo.

Polish and tighten every ground you can find.

Hope you fix it

 

Yes it could be faulty or it could be it's not getting a good ground, your battery and alternator are fine.

Take a voltmeter and with the engine running, put one lead on the negative battery post and the other to a good and clean spot of metal on the body. Do you get any voltage reading and if so what is it?

Then go again from the negative battery postand this time connect the second lead to a clean metal spot on the engine. What's the volt reading?

Lastly, connect the meter from the clean metal spot on the engine and the second lead to the clean metal spot on the body. What's that volt reading?

 

What wire gauge?
Did you clean the points of contact so that there was no rust, paint, grease, etc., just clean bare metal?

 

hello landyacht318
...thanks for input gas gauge works fine, will check ground...
thanks and good day
peter

 

hello alloro
...theground wire is 4 gauge and 49 inches long, i will record all voltage readings and try to clean all ground terminals and if i have to, i will purchase another voltage regulator, i will do this once i get home this afternoon, i appreciate all the input you have given to me, she is worth all my time...
thanks and good day
peter

 

hello alloro
...got home late friday and was to tired to work on her, first thing this morning i got on her, i went over the ground wires and she still at idle showed 14.8v to 15.4v, so i started tolook for my old voltage regulator, luckily i found it and she now reads with my old voltage regulator 12.9v to 13.4v at idle and 12.4 with a/c on and lights, but my gauge still is high but my tempature radiator cap reads 175-190 degrees after having her run for over an hr, so i think i will just buy an aftermarket temp. gauge so i can monitor the tempature from inside the van, but i still would like to figure out the problem maybe i have a faulty tempature gauge and i need to go to the junk yard and find one, so we see, but i do think the extra ground wire hepled because before my volts with a/c on would drop to 9.6v or so, i also would like to thank you alloro for all your help i wish i could get you a beer, this is a great forum i am glad i found it, so i take a break now from my sweet dodge and put her back together later on...
thanks and good day
peter