At 01:34 PM 4/19/2000 -0400, Tony Woodruff wrote:
>My 67 (actually mid-66) MGB roadster has the stock positive ground /
>dynamo set up.
>
>Is it normal that at idle my radio, etc. should be "starving" for
>electricity - or is this a sign of a failing unit? The radio gets really
>quiet and won't pull in a signal at all unless the engine revs are up
>around 2000 RPM.
>
>At speed the battery is getting plenty of current to keep itself charged
>up. At idle I see 13-14 volts across the terminals - so it looks OK from
>that perspective.
>
>The thing is that at the times I'm waiting at a stop light - and not
>enjoying the thrill of moving about in my LBC - the darn radio won't
>work! (of course it doesn't work very well ever.....)
I would suspect a weak (bad) battery. The voltage regulater will allow the
generator to charge the battery(s) once the engine rpm exceeds 1100-1200.
It sounds like the power is insufficient before the generator kicks on. It
should be more noticeable with the head lights at night - they will dim
somewhat at idle, which is not unusual unless they really dim.
It could also be a bad ground or connection. So you may want to clean your
battery connections, ground cables, and connection to starter first. If you
have to rev your engine to 2000 rpm before you get significant power, your
voltage regulater may need adjusting. I think there is a gap that is
adjusted to get it to kick on at lower rpms (its been so long since I did
it that I'm not sure on the details).
David
67 BGT
71 BGT
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