starbiscuit
Well-known member
Hello all,
After a large list of issues left me by the PO, I have just got the engine and gearbox back into the bus.
It's taken ages because I get so little time on it and only in short bursts.
I checked oil pressure and fuel delivery, connected ignition to coil and after a few seconds cranking it burst into life.
Brilliant
Running a bit lumpy, but running. Having made no effort than best guess at distributor timing and carb mixture, that was a result.
Except that the generator light won't go out when the engine is running. Which is really depressing
The light comes on bright with ignition ON and stays on bright with engine running. At low, medium and high rpm the light stays the same.
I am sure that it was OK before I pulled the engine.
However, the original regulator was fried; the resistance wire on the bottom was gone. I found this when the engine was out, so I had replaced it with a spare HUCO electro-mechanical one.
And the wiring between the generator and the regulator was missing the ground wire which had melted at some point, so I fitted a new harness section.
I have found quite a lot of advice here on EB about generator testing and here's what I have tried:
Battery is 12.6V with engine off, and exactly the same with engine running.
The wire from the dash G light to terminal 61 is not broken or shorted and is connected correctly at the regulator.
The D+ and DF wires are new and correctly connected.
The wire to the battery from regulator B+ is correctly connected.
Fan belt tension is fine. Fan belt was replaced recently, but not since engine-out.
I disconnected the generator wiring from the regulator and removed the fan belt.
With DF grounded and D+ flashed momentarily to battery, the generator spins.
With DF grounded and voltmeter on D+, I spun it with an electric drill and it made barely 20V at fairly high rpm.
Some folk on youtube seem to get 80-100V doing this.
Although the brushes looked plenty long enough, I replaced them. And tried to clean the armature.
But no change; G light still on.
I have tried a new Bosch solid-state regulator in place of the HUCO one, but no change; light still on.
Now I have completely run out of ideas.
Is it possible that the original fried regulator has also damaged the generator?
Or the generator is faulty and fried the regulator?
Is the generator dead?
What else can I test?
Is it possible to change the generator without removing the engine?
Is it worthwhile to fit an alternator kit, and can that be done with the engine in the bus?
I think if I have to take the engine out again so soon, I'll be made to wear concrete boots and count fish.
Thanks for reading
After a large list of issues left me by the PO, I have just got the engine and gearbox back into the bus.
It's taken ages because I get so little time on it and only in short bursts.
I checked oil pressure and fuel delivery, connected ignition to coil and after a few seconds cranking it burst into life.
Brilliant
Running a bit lumpy, but running. Having made no effort than best guess at distributor timing and carb mixture, that was a result.
Except that the generator light won't go out when the engine is running. Which is really depressing
The light comes on bright with ignition ON and stays on bright with engine running. At low, medium and high rpm the light stays the same.
I am sure that it was OK before I pulled the engine.
However, the original regulator was fried; the resistance wire on the bottom was gone. I found this when the engine was out, so I had replaced it with a spare HUCO electro-mechanical one.
And the wiring between the generator and the regulator was missing the ground wire which had melted at some point, so I fitted a new harness section.
I have found quite a lot of advice here on EB about generator testing and here's what I have tried:
Battery is 12.6V with engine off, and exactly the same with engine running.
The wire from the dash G light to terminal 61 is not broken or shorted and is connected correctly at the regulator.
The D+ and DF wires are new and correctly connected.
The wire to the battery from regulator B+ is correctly connected.
Fan belt tension is fine. Fan belt was replaced recently, but not since engine-out.
I disconnected the generator wiring from the regulator and removed the fan belt.
With DF grounded and D+ flashed momentarily to battery, the generator spins.
With DF grounded and voltmeter on D+, I spun it with an electric drill and it made barely 20V at fairly high rpm.
Some folk on youtube seem to get 80-100V doing this.
Although the brushes looked plenty long enough, I replaced them. And tried to clean the armature.
But no change; G light still on.
I have tried a new Bosch solid-state regulator in place of the HUCO one, but no change; light still on.
Now I have completely run out of ideas.
Is it possible that the original fried regulator has also damaged the generator?
Or the generator is faulty and fried the regulator?
Is the generator dead?
What else can I test?
Is it possible to change the generator without removing the engine?
Is it worthwhile to fit an alternator kit, and can that be done with the engine in the bus?
I think if I have to take the engine out again so soon, I'll be made to wear concrete boots and count fish.
Thanks for reading