Electrical woes continue. Help?
 

Latest: The alternator appears to be undercharging or not charging at
all... I have a dash voltmeter that had been reading around 14-14.5
volts but a few days ago I noticed it was sitting right at 12 volts
while driving down the road. After driving it like this a couple of
days I could tell the battery was getting low because of how slowly
the engine would turn over when I was starting it. I verified with a
voltmeter that I was only getting right at 12 volts at the battery
with the Jeep running. I took it to AutoZone and they checked the
battery and said it was ok, then checked the alternator and said it
was dead. I bought another alternator for it. Got home and went to
disconnect the wires from the old alternator when I found one of them
completely broken. I thought that was cool and that I'd just splice
it and fix it....and return the new alternator...but no... No change
after splicing that wire. So I figured maybe I'd somehow burned up my
old alternator running it with that wire disconnected... So I removed
the old alternator and put in the new one. Now there were only two
wires on the back of the alternator. One is a thick red wire which
runs to the positive terminal of the battery and the other is a thin
green wire (the one that was broken before) that runs to the voltage
regulator. I wonder if there should be a third one? Anyway, I got
out my Haynes manual and followed their directions. I got to the
point where it said "If no fault is found (and none had been up until
this point), disconnect the voltage regulator wires and connect one
lead of an ohmmeter to the F terminal and the other to a good
ground... The ohmmeter should indicate 4-250 ohms. Less than 4 ohms
indicates a short.....etc, etc. OK, I measured exactly 0 ohms, same
reading I get if I short the ohmmeter leads together so it looks like
I have a short. The manual says "If the reading is not within the
specs, the alternator should be replaced or overhauled..." Well, I
just did replace it and would like to believe that it's not faulty. I
won't rule that out but... I checked all of the surrounding wiring
and it looks um...intact. It's been hacked into a few times but I
resoldered one connection and rewrapped a couple of connections and
checked for 0 ohms across several lengths of it and it looks ok. Any
ideas? Thank you.


--
Travis
http://jeepadventures.dyndns.org/jeep.html
The meek shall inherit the earth. After I'm finished with it.
:wq!

Re: Electrical woes continue. Help?
 

Is the voltage regulator separate or built into the alternator? Try
reversing the ohm meter leads (use low ohm scale)... if it's still zero, I
would think that's bad. Take it back have them check it anyway just to rule
that out.

--
JimG
80' CJ-7 258 CID
35" BFG MT on 15x10 Centerlines
D44 Rear, Dana 30 Front. SOA
4.56 Gears, LockRight F&R
Dana 300 w/4:1 & Currie twin sticks
Warn X8000i w/ dual batteries

"travis" <travist34removethis@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:j45qqv48ui1lqoqp21ufmg349ht3h50p8n@4ax.com...
> Latest: The alternator appears to be undercharging or not charging at
> all... I have a dash voltmeter that had been reading around 14-14.5
> volts but a few days ago I noticed it was sitting right at 12 volts
> while driving down the road. After driving it like this a couple of
> days I could tell the battery was getting low because of how slowly
> the engine would turn over when I was starting it. I verified with a
> voltmeter that I was only getting right at 12 volts at the battery
> with the Jeep running. I took it to AutoZone and they checked the
> battery and said it was ok, then checked the alternator and said it
> was dead. I bought another alternator for it. Got home and went to
> disconnect the wires from the old alternator when I found one of them
> completely broken. I thought that was cool and that I'd just splice
> it and fix it....and return the new alternator...but no... No change
> after splicing that wire. So I figured maybe I'd somehow burned up my
> old alternator running it with that wire disconnected... So I removed
> the old alternator and put in the new one. Now there were only two
> wires on the back of the alternator. One is a thick red wire which
> runs to the positive terminal of the battery and the other is a thin
> green wire (the one that was broken before) that runs to the voltage
> regulator. I wonder if there should be a third one? Anyway, I got
> out my Haynes manual and followed their directions. I got to the
> point where it said "If no fault is found (and none had been up until
> this point), disconnect the voltage regulator wires and connect one
> lead of an ohmmeter to the F terminal and the other to a good
> ground... The ohmmeter should indicate 4-250 ohms. Less than 4 ohms
> indicates a short.....etc, etc. OK, I measured exactly 0 ohms, same
> reading I get if I short the ohmmeter leads together so it looks like
> I have a short. The manual says "If the reading is not within the
> specs, the alternator should be replaced or overhauled..." Well, I
> just did replace it and would like to believe that it's not faulty. I
> won't rule that out but... I checked all of the surrounding wiring
> and it looks um...intact. It's been hacked into a few times but I
> resoldered one connection and rewrapped a couple of connections and
> checked for 0 ohms across several lengths of it and it looks ok. Any
> ideas? Thank you.
>
>
> --
> Travis
> http://jeepadventures.dyndns.org/jeep.html
> The meek shall inherit the earth. After I'm finished with it.
> :wq!

Re: Electrical woes continue. Help?
 

Is the voltage regulator separate or built into the alternator? Try
reversing the ohm meter leads (use low ohm scale)... if it's still zero, I
would think that's bad. Take it back have them check it anyway just to rule
that out.

--
JimG
80' CJ-7 258 CID
35" BFG MT on 15x10 Centerlines
D44 Rear, Dana 30 Front. SOA
4.56 Gears, LockRight F&R
Dana 300 w/4:1 & Currie twin sticks
Warn X8000i w/ dual batteries

"travis" <travist34removethis@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:j45qqv48ui1lqoqp21ufmg349ht3h50p8n@4ax.com...
> Latest: The alternator appears to be undercharging or not charging at
> all... I have a dash voltmeter that had been reading around 14-14.5
> volts but a few days ago I noticed it was sitting right at 12 volts
> while driving down the road. After driving it like this a couple of
> days I could tell the battery was getting low because of how slowly
> the engine would turn over when I was starting it. I verified with a
> voltmeter that I was only getting right at 12 volts at the battery
> with the Jeep running. I took it to AutoZone and they checked the
> battery and said it was ok, then checked the alternator and said it
> was dead. I bought another alternator for it. Got home and went to
> disconnect the wires from the old alternator when I found one of them
> completely broken. I thought that was cool and that I'd just splice
> it and fix it....and return the new alternator...but no... No change
> after splicing that wire. So I figured maybe I'd somehow burned up my
> old alternator running it with that wire disconnected... So I removed
> the old alternator and put in the new one. Now there were only two
> wires on the back of the alternator. One is a thick red wire which
> runs to the positive terminal of the battery and the other is a thin
> green wire (the one that was broken before) that runs to the voltage
> regulator. I wonder if there should be a third one? Anyway, I got
> out my Haynes manual and followed their directions. I got to the
> point where it said "If no fault is found (and none had been up until
> this point), disconnect the voltage regulator wires and connect one
> lead of an ohmmeter to the F terminal and the other to a good
> ground... The ohmmeter should indicate 4-250 ohms. Less than 4 ohms
> indicates a short.....etc, etc. OK, I measured exactly 0 ohms, same
> reading I get if I short the ohmmeter leads together so it looks like
> I have a short. The manual says "If the reading is not within the
> specs, the alternator should be replaced or overhauled..." Well, I
> just did replace it and would like to believe that it's not faulty. I
> won't rule that out but... I checked all of the surrounding wiring
> and it looks um...intact. It's been hacked into a few times but I
> resoldered one connection and rewrapped a couple of connections and
> checked for 0 ohms across several lengths of it and it looks ok. Any
> ideas? Thank you.
>
>
> --
> Travis
> http://jeepadventures.dyndns.org/jeep.html
> The meek shall inherit the earth. After I'm finished with it.
> :wq!

Re: Electrical woes continue. Help?
 

Is the voltage regulator separate or built into the alternator? Try
reversing the ohm meter leads (use low ohm scale)... if it's still zero, I
would think that's bad. Take it back have them check it anyway just to rule
that out.

--
JimG
80' CJ-7 258 CID
35" BFG MT on 15x10 Centerlines
D44 Rear, Dana 30 Front. SOA
4.56 Gears, LockRight F&R
Dana 300 w/4:1 & Currie twin sticks
Warn X8000i w/ dual batteries

"travis" <travist34removethis@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:j45qqv48ui1lqoqp21ufmg349ht3h50p8n@4ax.com...
> Latest: The alternator appears to be undercharging or not charging at
> all... I have a dash voltmeter that had been reading around 14-14.5
> volts but a few days ago I noticed it was sitting right at 12 volts
> while driving down the road. After driving it like this a couple of
> days I could tell the battery was getting low because of how slowly
> the engine would turn over when I was starting it. I verified with a
> voltmeter that I was only getting right at 12 volts at the battery
> with the Jeep running. I took it to AutoZone and they checked the
> battery and said it was ok, then checked the alternator and said it
> was dead. I bought another alternator for it. Got home and went to
> disconnect the wires from the old alternator when I found one of them
> completely broken. I thought that was cool and that I'd just splice
> it and fix it....and return the new alternator...but no... No change
> after splicing that wire. So I figured maybe I'd somehow burned up my
> old alternator running it with that wire disconnected... So I removed
> the old alternator and put in the new one. Now there were only two
> wires on the back of the alternator. One is a thick red wire which
> runs to the positive terminal of the battery and the other is a thin
> green wire (the one that was broken before) that runs to the voltage
> regulator. I wonder if there should be a third one? Anyway, I got
> out my Haynes manual and followed their directions. I got to the
> point where it said "If no fault is found (and none had been up until
> this point), disconnect the voltage regulator wires and connect one
> lead of an ohmmeter to the F terminal and the other to a good
> ground... The ohmmeter should indicate 4-250 ohms. Less than 4 ohms
> indicates a short.....etc, etc. OK, I measured exactly 0 ohms, same
> reading I get if I short the ohmmeter leads together so it looks like
> I have a short. The manual says "If the reading is not within the
> specs, the alternator should be replaced or overhauled..." Well, I
> just did replace it and would like to believe that it's not faulty. I
> won't rule that out but... I checked all of the surrounding wiring
> and it looks um...intact. It's been hacked into a few times but I
> resoldered one connection and rewrapped a couple of connections and
> checked for 0 ohms across several lengths of it and it looks ok. Any
> ideas? Thank you.
>
>
> --
> Travis
> http://jeepadventures.dyndns.org/jeep.html
> The meek shall inherit the earth. After I'm finished with it.
> :wq!

Re: Electrical woes continue. Help?
 

On Sat, 08 Nov 2003 16:35:45 GMT, "JimG" <jimg@cj7.com> shared the
following:

>Is the voltage regulator separate or built into the alternator? Try
>reversing the ohm meter leads (use low ohm scale)... if it's still zero, I
>would think that's bad. Take it back have them check it anyway just to rule
>that out.

It's separate. But the tests I did per the Haynes manual say the
alternator is faulty. ? You mean take it back and have them check
the alternator again? Or the voltage regulator? Does AutoZone test
your voltage regulator? I hope it was just the regulator that was bad
since that would take all of 2 minutes to swap out. :-) I'm just
concerned because of what I found by following the step-by-step
instructions in the Haynes manual.


--
Travis
http://jeepadventures.dyndns.org/jeep.html
The meek shall inherit the earth. After I'm finished with it.
:wq!

Re: Electrical woes continue. Help?
 

On Sat, 08 Nov 2003 16:35:45 GMT, "JimG" <jimg@cj7.com> shared the
following:

>Is the voltage regulator separate or built into the alternator? Try
>reversing the ohm meter leads (use low ohm scale)... if it's still zero, I
>would think that's bad. Take it back have them check it anyway just to rule
>that out.

It's separate. But the tests I did per the Haynes manual say the
alternator is faulty. ? You mean take it back and have them check
the alternator again? Or the voltage regulator? Does AutoZone test
your voltage regulator? I hope it was just the regulator that was bad
since that would take all of 2 minutes to swap out. :-) I'm just
concerned because of what I found by following the step-by-step
instructions in the Haynes manual.


--
Travis
http://jeepadventures.dyndns.org/jeep.html
The meek shall inherit the earth. After I'm finished with it.
:wq!

Re: Electrical woes continue. Help?
 

On Sat, 08 Nov 2003 16:35:45 GMT, "JimG" <jimg@cj7.com> shared the
following:

>Is the voltage regulator separate or built into the alternator? Try
>reversing the ohm meter leads (use low ohm scale)... if it's still zero, I
>would think that's bad. Take it back have them check it anyway just to rule
>that out.

It's separate. But the tests I did per the Haynes manual say the
alternator is faulty. ? You mean take it back and have them check
the alternator again? Or the voltage regulator? Does AutoZone test
your voltage regulator? I hope it was just the regulator that was bad
since that would take all of 2 minutes to swap out. :-) I'm just
concerned because of what I found by following the step-by-step
instructions in the Haynes manual.


--
Travis
http://jeepadventures.dyndns.org/jeep.html
The meek shall inherit the earth. After I'm finished with it.
:wq!

Re: Electrical woes continue. Help?
 

Take the alternator back... I don't think they check the regulator. If the
alternator checks OK get the regulator while your there. Swap them leads...
make sure your on low ohm scale.


JimG

"travis" <travist34removethis@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:d47qqvg3cf0jk4s4voj7cfnlgm9afoajn3@4ax.com...
> On Sat, 08 Nov 2003 16:35:45 GMT, "JimG" <jimg@cj7.com> shared the
> following:
>
> >Is the voltage regulator separate or built into the alternator? Try
> >reversing the ohm meter leads (use low ohm scale)... if it's still zero,
I
> >would think that's bad. Take it back have them check it anyway just to
rule
> >that out.
>
> It's separate. But the tests I did per the Haynes manual say the
> alternator is faulty. ? You mean take it back and have them check
> the alternator again? Or the voltage regulator? Does AutoZone test
> your voltage regulator? I hope it was just the regulator that was bad
> since that would take all of 2 minutes to swap out. :-) I'm just
> concerned because of what I found by following the step-by-step
> instructions in the Haynes manual.
>
>
> --
> Travis
> http://jeepadventures.dyndns.org/jeep.html
> The meek shall inherit the earth. After I'm finished with it.
> :wq!

Re: Electrical woes continue. Help?
 

Take the alternator back... I don't think they check the regulator. If the
alternator checks OK get the regulator while your there. Swap them leads...
make sure your on low ohm scale.


JimG

"travis" <travist34removethis@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:d47qqvg3cf0jk4s4voj7cfnlgm9afoajn3@4ax.com...
> On Sat, 08 Nov 2003 16:35:45 GMT, "JimG" <jimg@cj7.com> shared the
> following:
>
> >Is the voltage regulator separate or built into the alternator? Try
> >reversing the ohm meter leads (use low ohm scale)... if it's still zero,
I
> >would think that's bad. Take it back have them check it anyway just to
rule
> >that out.
>
> It's separate. But the tests I did per the Haynes manual say the
> alternator is faulty. ? You mean take it back and have them check
> the alternator again? Or the voltage regulator? Does AutoZone test
> your voltage regulator? I hope it was just the regulator that was bad
> since that would take all of 2 minutes to swap out. :-) I'm just
> concerned because of what I found by following the step-by-step
> instructions in the Haynes manual.
>
>
> --
> Travis
> http://jeepadventures.dyndns.org/jeep.html
> The meek shall inherit the earth. After I'm finished with it.
> :wq!

Re: Electrical woes continue. Help?
 

Take the alternator back... I don't think they check the regulator. If the
alternator checks OK get the regulator while your there. Swap them leads...
make sure your on low ohm scale.


JimG

"travis" <travist34removethis@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:d47qqvg3cf0jk4s4voj7cfnlgm9afoajn3@4ax.com...
> On Sat, 08 Nov 2003 16:35:45 GMT, "JimG" <jimg@cj7.com> shared the
> following:
>
> >Is the voltage regulator separate or built into the alternator? Try
> >reversing the ohm meter leads (use low ohm scale)... if it's still zero,
I
> >would think that's bad. Take it back have them check it anyway just to
rule
> >that out.
>
> It's separate. But the tests I did per the Haynes manual say the
> alternator is faulty. ? You mean take it back and have them check
> the alternator again? Or the voltage regulator? Does AutoZone test
> your voltage regulator? I hope it was just the regulator that was bad
> since that would take all of 2 minutes to swap out. :-) I'm just
> concerned because of what I found by following the step-by-step
> instructions in the Haynes manual.
>
>
> --
> Travis
> http://jeepadventures.dyndns.org/jeep.html
> The meek shall inherit the earth. After I'm finished with it.
> :wq!