idiot light or owner?

[rsefczek]

i thought i had finally completed the rewire of the entire car (hoohah)using the ezwire kit. reconnected the battery, sat in the seat and turned the key. yes, the engine starts and everything seems to work but the ammeter light stays lit. tested the connections, retraced the wires....still lit. which leads me to the question, how do i know the battery is charging. it's a new, 3 wire alternator and voltage regulator, new wires connecting the two (courtesy of gt source). the ammeter is "between" the battery and alternator so i'm flummoxed. any suggestions/help GREATLY appreciated. i so want this wiring done!

bob

[asdasc]

This whole thread is great information, but I think what you are looking for is here:

http://www.opelgt.com/forums/6447-post5.html

[rsefczek]

sorry, steve but that post is for a 2 wire alternator and i still have the 3 wire original type alternator. very frustrating...

[jlthunder]

What type of voltage are you getting from the post on the alt? Running and Not Running #'s. This will tell you if at least you are charging or discharging.
With the engine off and you turn on the parking lights(or any other load), which way does the amp gauge point? How about when the engine is on?

This will help troubleshoot.

Jeff

[gtjames]

Before I say this I want to make a disclaimer...DO NOT DO THIS ON A NEWER CAR. However, the Opel can withstand this juvenile but effective quick test. With the engine running, disconnect one of the battery terminals from the battery. If its charging the engine will continue to run. If not it will die. But, as a warning, if the alternator is putting out low current, the charging system may still be at fault but continue to run the engine with the terminal disconnected. Good luck and be careful.

[asdasc]

I know that is ok to do with an Opel! I drove my GT in college, many years ago, without a battery, because I had no money. I would always park only where there was a small incline. Get in, hold the clutch, let it coast a second, pop the clutch and drive away! I had the + battery cable wrapped in an old rag. It started up everytime, and I even drove it from Columbus to Michigan that way one time.

[rsefczek]

okay, jeff, voltage at the alternator post without the engine running is 13.3, with engine it's 12.9. ammeter at zero with nothing on but goes negative with lights turned on (engine running or off).

haven't had a chance to try pulling the battery cable yet. i noticed on some other threads that some folks run the excite wire (blue/white) from the ammeter to the regulator instead of the ammeter light to the regulator. i may give this a shot too since that makes some sense to me. and the wiring continues....

bob

[maglinjosvinn]

asdasc rocks.

there needs to be no more discussion on any topic but this one, regarding asdasc.

hehehe.

*had to do that battery test* *isn't worried about the non-present ECU blowing up from it* heh.

do you know your voltage regulator is good? *has about 2 tested and tried good ones and 2 alternators that WERE putting out a charge*

either way - i found the issue lay in the blue/white wire with my old charging system. i've long since upgraded it. father believes the culprit a bad diode in the carging sysetm. i believe it was a sign to go to the delco.

we're prolly both right.

[baz]

steve with no battery on the car how did you get it to make electricity to run the coil ? an altenator needs voltage put in to it through the dash light circut to be able to make voltage and ampage to put out again

[maglinjosvinn]

Originally Posted by baz steve with no battery on the car how did you get it to make electricity to run the coil ? an altenator needs voltage put in to it through the dash light circut to be able to make voltage and ampage to put out again

plz. correct me if i'm wrong:

the engine is turning, the alternator is spinning putting out a charge to the line, the line goes to the fusebox (in a roundbout way) fusebox charges #2 fuse, leading back to the light, and then to the regulator.

it sounds perpetual... but if the alternator was spinning and didnt' 'sense' a charge, wouldn't it put one out?

[baz]

an altenator needs a charge put into it to energise it so it will work
the power comes from a switched live (maybe #2 fuse as you say i dont remember off hand) it then goes into the altenator to energise it,with power to the altenator when the engine then turnes over it makes more power than is put in by the supply so the alt light goes out as a diode in the alt stops the flow of power into the alt from the feed
but without power in the first place i just wondered how it was working

if as steve said the car is parked then there is no electricity as the engine is stopped and with no battery i just wondered how it worked

with a dynamo it would work fine as they make power by spinning a lump of steel through a coil to induce a flow of current and work from dead

[Dmcbrass]

Started my GT the other day without a battery. The ground cable had come off the battery. Some idiot didn't tighten it up. (this gets personal) It was dark out and I didn't have a flash light. I push started the car and ran it home where I found the problem. Obviously the stock alternator does not require a battery to work. I ran headlights, heater fan, etc all the way home. (15 miles)

[GTJIM]

When the extension to the Ignition key barrel of my 1991 Opel Senator sheared off while starting the car up town I managed to drive home as the car was running - could not turn it off ......

Removed the +ve battery lead - kept running!
Removed the -ve battery lead - kept running!!
Had to yank the HT lead from the centre of the coil to get it to STOP !!!

As the key was stuck "ON" I restarted it by connecting everything up and shorting out the starter with a screwdriver - never tried to restart without the battery connected.

I can only surmise that modern alternators use semi-magnetic cores in the windings that act a bit like the dynamo in that they can 'self-excite' without a battery current.

All this went on for a couple of days till the ignition lock was repaired by affixing a brass, replacement extension to the end of the barrel and pinning it in place ( the brass bit under the spring to the left of the picture).

[asdasc]

Hi Baz,

Now you have me questioning my own darn story! It WAS 20 years ago. It may have been a bad starter that caused me to always park on a slope. I was pretty sure it was the battery though. I remember my roommate was afraid to ride in it thinking the battery cable in the rag would short and start a fire. That could have been another time, though. Or, maybe it really does work. I might have to try it now.

[jlthunder]

Originally Posted by rsefczek okay, jeff, voltage at the alternator post without the engine running is 13.3, with engine it's 12.9. ammeter at zero with nothing on but goes negative with lights turned on (engine running or off). haven't had a chance to try pulling the battery cable yet. i noticed on some other threads that some folks run the excite wire (blue/white) from the ammeter to the regulator instead of the ammeter light to the regulator. i may give this a shot too since that makes some sense to me. and the wiring continues.... bob

The alt. is putting out voltage, but it seems that it is not getting to the car if the amp meter goes (-). The needle should stay at 0 or on the + side when the engine is running. It sometimes goes (-) at idle, but if you rev it up to 1500/2000, it should return to the (+) side. Check all of your connections. If not, I'd check your alt and -->voltage regulator<--.

Jeff

[rsefczek]

i tried pulling the battery connections as previously suggested and the car continues to run. this suggests that the alternator is putting out at least some power, right? i still can't figure out why the light is on. how do i check the regulator? i'm tired of gremlins now....

[jlthunder]

Originally Posted by rsefczek i tried pulling the battery connections as previously suggested and the car continues to run. this suggests that the alternator is putting out at least some power, right? i still can't figure out why the light is on. how do i check the regulator? i'm tired of gremlins now....

Yes, you are getting some voltage/amperage, but how much is the question. Put a load on the alt. Turn on the lights, flashers and blower motor on "hi". Take another reading. If you are down in the 12 V range, your alt is not putting out enough voltage. Try to do this at approx 1500-2000 rpm range.

HTH

Jeff

[rsefczek]

okay, so i follow various suggestions and all signs point to the voltage regulator (jumping past the regulator and the alternator output goes up to around 14 volts). sooooo, replace the regulator and the $#@#% light on the ammeter is STILL on. when i increase rpm's now, the light does get noticeably brighter so the alternator appears to be functioning now. so why is the light still on???

bob