> Car starts right up but the generator light stays brightly lit
> and when I turn on the headlights the car immediately dies.
Do the headlights stay lit when the engine dies ? Do they look really dim ?
> This
> doesn't happen with the wipers or my driving lamps.
How are the driving lamps powered ? I assume there's a relay, but where
does it get battery power from ?
> I'm gonna
> finally trouble shoot this tonight and some help would be greatly
> appreciated.
I'm guessing this is multiple problems, possibly a bad or deeply discharged
battery combined with a charging system fault. I would start with the
charging system ... first check that both wires to the generator are
attached at both ends, connections clean and dry, and no chafing anywhere
along the wires. Also check that the fan belt is tight and the generator
isn't loose. (I always had a terrible time with the lower front generator
mount coming apart.) If there is a suppression condensor anywhere,
disconnect it. (TR3's didn't originally have them, but they do reduce noise
if you've fitted a CB or AM radio.)
Then check the voltage from the D terminal of the regulator to a good
ground. (If you don't have a meter, HF currently has one on sale for
$3.50.) If it's near 12v, then there is some problem with the circuit to
the warning lamp (and the rest of these tests don't apply). Most likely, it
will be near 0v. If it's exactly 0v, then either there is a short in the
wiring or an internal fault in the generator. If it's a volt or two, then
check the voltage between the D and F terminals. If you can read any
voltage here, the control box is failed. If the voltage on the D terminal
is below 0 (opposite polarity of the battery), then the generator is
polarized backwards and must be repolarized.
If the voltage on the D terminal is above 12v, check the voltage on the E
terminal. If you can read anything between E and a good ground, the ground
wire to the regulator is bad. If D is higher than A or A1, then the
regulator itself is probably bad. It's also bad if you can measure any
voltage between A and A1.
That should do for starters, let us know how you make out.
Randall
|