Alternator finally producing.


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whatscooking
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Alternator finally producing.

Post by whatscooking »

Just want to share what I have went through with the alternator on a Z. I had little output when I started so by the book checks I found the rotor failed at .6 OHMs and I got 2.8m OHMs with the stator to ground so I called Rick's and sent everything to them and bought a regulator. Put everything together with new brushes bearings and seals but I still couldn't get enough volts. Tore the alt down to find odd skid marks on the new slip rings. Got my dial indicator out and got .033 wobble with the plate, that looked terrible, how can the brushes have contact with that plate acting like a roller coaster I thought. Got another rotor from Rick's, interesting they acted like that .010 isn't a lot. Put things together with a test ride and up come the volts.
All good for a hundred miles or so then I see the volt gauge acting lazy, I think all must be well, battery must be charged. Then at a idle I hit the horn and get no beep. I know now that means the Volts are low in the system as the battery check shown 12.1 volts when I got home, still started ok.
Went back into where I figured the problem might be, the brushes\slip rings. The slip rings looked like, when I used my 40 power eye piece, a Nascar track. Little smears all around so I got the slip rings shinny and clean.
Then I checked the Volts that comes to the regulator by way of the black wire. Black wires gets power when the key is turned to run. Those black wires have a lot to do, lights, ignition and yes charging. Found with the black wires there was two volts less than at the battery. I have got to believe that the regulator uses the volts it sees with the black wire to well regulate.
I rigged up a relay with battery voltage close by and ran a wire from the new relay to the regulator with battery voltage now for the regulator to see.Went for a test ride with my Fluke meter in the glove box so I could watch close. It seems to be charging properly now, time will tell but the numbers are strong. When I pull the tank I will hook up the Dyna ignition to the new relay to give the black wires even more of a break and improve ignition. I think I got it!

daves79x
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Location: Knox, PA
Location: Knox, PA

Re: Alternator finally producing.

Post by daves79x »

Yes, the slip ring needs proper voltage to charge. Never heard of 'low' voltage there, but apparently you have it. I'd see where you are losing the 2 volts first, but your solution is fine. Are you on a switched circuit with the relay?

Dave

whatscooking
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Re: Alternator finally producing.

Post by whatscooking »

I believe the current to excite or turn on the rotor magnetic field, the black and white wire gets it from the black wire coming from the ignition switch then out of the regulator, therefore if that reading is lower than actual battery voltage the regulator will try to over supply volts\amps to a battery that don't need it. Possibly that is where too much heat might of started smearing the brushes on my slip rings. I think with the lights, ignition and charging all together were pulling down the volts with the black wiring. Also everything goes through the ignition switch and the ignition goes through the kill switch so the loss totaled up. I will need to go back into it and use the ignition black wire from the kill switch to excite my newly installed relay so I can shut it off that way but other than that I have proper voltage to the regulator now.

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