Battery not getting recharged

[MAINEIAK]

Still finding things out from this 71 gt I got years ago.i've replaced the altenator with a reman and a new plug in harness.prior owner relocated battery to floor behind driver seat.all wires look ok.Theres one red batt.cable and one black ground,shouldn't there be a small secondary wire coming from the charging circuit back to the battery to charge it? it is not getting recharged,later....

[namba209 (R.I.P.)]

Not really, there should be a Red wire from the B post on the alternator to the rear right stud in the fuse panel. Then across the buss bar to the left rear stud. The 10 gage Red wire from that stud goes to the L+ side of the ammeter, the a Red/White wire goes from the B+ side of the ammeter to the front left stud, across the buss bar to the front right stud and a 10 gage Red/White goes to the battery connection on the starter solenoid. That's how the battery gets charged and the ammeter indicates total charge and discharge of the entire electrical system. Now the two things that would cause the alternator not to charge, normally, is a burned out ammeter lite, or the alternator is not grounded to the engine, the engine is not grounded to the frame, or the battery ground is not making a good connection. HTH.

[rsefczek]

i had noticed my ammeter dipping into the negative quite often and asked the local buick dealer to check the "new" alternator they had installed. they told me it was fine and the system was charging normally. i continued to notice the problem and when to the local parts store where they test batteries and alternators for free. battery was not able to hold a charge by their tests. so new battery gets put in and i took it back to the store to test the alternator. they show it's putting out 15 volts (!!) but only 2 to 4 amps. any suggestions?

bob

[tekenaar]

i had noticed my ammeter dipping into the negative quite often and asked the local buick dealer to check the "new" alternator they had installed. they told me it was fine and the system was charging normally. i continued to notice the problem and when to the local parts store where they test batteries and alternators for free. battery was not able to hold a charge by their tests. so new battery gets put in and i took it back to the store to test the alternator. they show it's putting out 15 volts (!!) but only 2 to 4 amps. any suggestions?

bob

Charge idiot light coming on with ignition key on? If yes, and goes off when engine starts, replace regulator.

[rsefczek]

idiot light comes on and stays on! i went ahead and changed out the regulator earlier in an attempt to fix it. i think it's time to take out the alternator and try a different one....

bob

[BobCGT]

I had that same problem, turned out to be a bad diode in the alternator.

[rsefczek]

so i take the car back to the shop that installed the alternator in the hopes of getting some satisfaction. they say the alternator is normal, that an alternator can put out up to 16 volts and be fine. also i have a wiring problem in that my alternator wire should be 8 gauge (mine is 10) and mine abruptly changes in size. i pointed out that the wire is stock and the change in size is the fusible link. the mechanic told me "i've worked on opels for years and there is no fusible link there and that's not a stock wire." interesting since my diagram shows a link...is this an attack of the infamous p.o. or am i getting a story here? what is the correct output from an alternator? could the wire size cause all the problems i'm having with low alternator output?

[namba209 (R.I.P.)]

According to my DESTEC schematic, and I'll trust J.J. Wheatley to have it right, there is a fusable link attached to the alternator and a 10 gage wire from the link to the fuse panel. According to my aircraft electical instructor, and everything else I've read about alternators, optimum output for charging batteries is 13.8-14.2 volts. With that being said, on my electrical battery chargers, I've seen the volt go way higher than that, after the battery is charged and not taking any more amps. I think someone is blowing smoke. But I'd check the voltage at the battery and see what the voltage is with the engine running. HTH.

[RabidPanda]

Now my alternator is not charging my battery. I beleive i have the stock alternator. I have no manual so i am going by ear here. My alternator has 2 b+ posts the ground and the clip. when takeing the alternator off to go get it checked(which no one in my town can do) there was the one red wire connected to 1 b+ post and the ground and clip were connected. Is there supposed to be something connected to the other B+? From what i see everything is connected to the ammeter right the light is on . Help

[RabidPanda]

It seems to be gronded the ammeter light works. I am at a loss. Unless it is dead. Some one suggested that i upgrade to a 65 amp alternator. I would not know what to get. Hmmm maybe i need to get a manual.

[namba209 (R.I.P.)]

John, there have been quite a few folks that made the swap. I think Soybean and Ooner have done it. You could run a search for "one wire" alternator, it appears to be a fairly easy swap that does away with your regulator.

[George]

Is the ground wire that goes form the altenator to the engine block still there and hooked up on both ends?

[RabidPanda]

I checked. It looks like it is grounded to the frame not the block. Could that be the problem?

[opeldean]

john:

I had the same thing. my problem was corroded wires. I replaced and checked the alternator/regulator...it was fine

you need to "ohm out all the leads". mine had poor connections and high ohms, so current couldn't travel.

1- check from the alternator to the ammeter( pull instrumentt panel)
2- check ammeter to fusebox.
3- check the 4 brass nuts in the fusebox, remove them of any corrosion. the nuts need to come off and clean it all
4- you need the destec wring diagram.

this how I remeber that I fixed mine,

[RabidPanda]

hmmmmm i checked to the ammmeter. The light in the ammeter comes on so i know its not that. My wires are a jumbled mess. PO put in electic fule pump and push button start. Unfortuantely I have no wiring diagrams. Im in the process of getting a manual or copy of hopefully soon. PO said he thought he had a spare one or had a notebook of the original that he photocopied. Any help would be appreaciated. Thank you everyone

[Opelupogus]

Charge idiot light coming on with ignition key on? If yes, and goes off when engine starts, replace regulator.

Stupid question time...

I have a '69 that I have only owned for a couple of months. I charge the battery and it works for a while, but after a few trips it will not turn over. Starts right up when jumped.

Is the charge idiot light the top one to the right of the amp gauge?
Is it supposed to stay on after the car has started?
Mine comes on with the key but turns off after it starts. The battery reads 12.2V before started and 13.5V while running.

Battery tested good and alternator read 26 amps at autozone.

[namba209 (R.I.P.)]

First off, I would suggest you remove all battery connections and clean them thoroughly. I've actually seen 2 volt differences between the battery posts and the cable terminals. Check the battery voltage after a day or two of not running the engine or charging the battery, you may have a weak or dead cell. Also check the grounds at the alternator, again clean them thoroughly. Normal charging voltage on a functonal system is 13.8-14.2 volts, the amp output from the alternator is a function of maintaining that preset voltage. HTH.

[hallgeir]

In addition to all the things already said in this thread, I`ll tell you what I did. My battery got flat when I drove for longer trips with the lights on. The amp-meter needle pointed a little bit below zero. After I had checked all the grounds and connections I still had a charging problem. I then took of the voltage regulator cover and adjusted the armature spring tension as described in the FSM, at first, way too much, the amp-meter needle pointed steady at +30 (very small adjustments is needed). I backed off a bit until I reached a voltage of 14.3 volts. Now it works perfect. I can turn on the lights, wipers, fan and heated rear window without it dipping into negative. Just after I have started the engine it shows approx +10 for a short while before it goes down to just above zero. I always have power from the battery now, even though the temps around here are getting closer and closer to 0 degrees Celsius (32 F) .

The FSM can be downloaded or viewed from the Tech Center: http://opelgt.com/tech/publish/cat_index_22.shtml

[Lindsay]

Few years ago, I compared three voltage regulators (VR) that I have, checking voltage at battery after fast idling until amp gauge went to 0 charge:
1. Old OEM VR ~ 13.6v
2. Electronic VR ~13.6v
3. New Bosch VR (eBay) ~ 13.6v.

Was surprised that NOS Bosch relay measured 13.6v, but was stamped 14.0v. Using 31050 45 amp alternator.

So, I tweaked voltage regulator for 14.3 volts measured at battery (Optima Red Top).

[rsefczek]

fooled around with the alternator today because i'm still having charging problems. at idle i get a little over 12 volts. when i up the rpm to 2500 the alternator and battery show 16.4 volts. i'm afraid if i fiddle with the regulator my idle output will drop too low to be useful (especially if the lights are on) but i worry about the system putting out over 16 volts and its effects on the battery. any thoughts?