<VV> Alt (gen) warning light--still need help

[Bob Gilbert]

Howdy Folks,

I had the same type problem on my '61 PU. With the blower on hi, lights on 
the dash bulb would come on. Wipers on made it worse. The feed wire for the 
fuse box was small and caused a large enough voltage drop to light the bulb. 
I ran a 12 gauge wire from the generator foward to the fuse panel and 
spliced into the feed wire and the light never came on again.

Bob


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jim Corey" <jcorey at escapees.com>
To: <HallGrenn at aol.com>
Cc: "Corvair" <virtualvairs at corvair.org>
Sent: Tuesday, February 05, 2008 1:25 PM
Subject: Re: <VV> Alt (gen) warning light--still need help


> Thanks for the response.  No overcharging symptoms so far.  New 
> connections  at the regulator and alternator.  Puts out about 12.5v at 
> idle, 14.3  or so at higer RPMs.  A real mystery to my and a few others. 
> I know trhe theory, but, doggone, I don't know why it isn't working right.
>
> J Corey
> '63 Corvair Convertible
> '62 Greenie
> '64 Coupe
> '66 Sedan
> All running as daily drivers
>  ----- Original Message ----- 
>  From: HallGrenn at aol.com
>  To: jcorey at escapees.com
>  Sent: Tuesday, February 05, 2008 11:02 AM
>  Subject: Re: <VV> Alt (gen) warning light--still need help
>
>
>  Jay,  I'm rusty on this, but my '64 Brier alternator conversion does the 
> same thing--and has for 17 years.  The idiot light is electrically 
> "balanced" taking voltage from each side and only glows when one side is 
> higher than the other in the circuit.  My "problem" was caused by the fact 
> that I had an 85 amp alternator where the Brier was used to a generator 
> with less than 40 amps output.  I would just make sure your connections 
> are clean and tight--especially the one in the engine compartment--mine 
> fried itself and I had to make a new connection with new wires and 
> connectors around the connector block.  I would plan on doing this 
> sometime soon as that 40 year old connection (the red wire) is carrying 
> more current than it did with the generator.  Remember that a newer 
> alternator has to turn at a higher speed than the original generator or 
> alternator--1500rpm (not the engine speed) before it starts to charge so 
> you may find that the light doesn't go on until the engine is run
> ning a little higher than idle.  Otherwide your testing shows a correct 
> charging voltage and as long as you don't have other symptoms of 
> overcharging (battery "boiling" over etc.) it sounds like you've done 
> everything right.
>
>  Bob Hall
>  Group Corvair