<VV> flickering lights

[Frank DuVal]

Instead of guessing, put a voltmeter across the battery at idle and see 
what the voltage fluctuation is. A Spyder is supposed to idle at 900 
rpm, so the generator is just starting to work. Flickering, if just 
around 12.6 volts, can be normal. Generators do NOT charge at idle, a 
typical idle of 600 rpm, they discharge the battery. So, the points in 
the regulator switch back and forth trying to do its job. Thus the 
flickering.

Disconnecting a wire to the generator eliminates the flickering, because 
now the generator is not working, therefore the regulator cannot 
"chatter" and the lights cannot flicker.

Do check the brushes, but I don't think the problem is there. Worn 
brushes typically bounce at high speed, not idle.

Have you noticed the flickering before? Is the idle different?

You may be chasing a non-problem. The voltmeter will give answers. If 
the voltage goes above 13 when you raise the speed above idle, all is well.

Frank DuVal

On 9/3/2011 8:48 PM, Markpowhatan at aol.com wrote:
> Last night I arrived home after dark in my 63 Spyder, and was opening  the
> garage door and noticed my headlights were slightly flickering.  The  tail
> lights were too, and most noticeably the dome light was as well.  I  jiggled
> all the wire connections in the engine compartment as well as under the
> dash that I could get to, but the lights kept up a slightly  "stroboscopic"
> flicker that went away slowly as I raised engine  rpms.   I checked the voltage
> regulator and found that the field  contacts were closed, but if I pulled
> them closed tighter with my fingers, the  flicker would stop.  I cleaned the
> contacts with no change.  I then  changed the regulator, with no
> improvement.  Then I tried  disconnecting a wire to the generator to disable it, then
> started the engine,  and my lights were then steady.   Any guess folks if i
> have a  generator problem, or a pair of defective regulators?  Since the
> lights are  steady without the generator, I would think the wiring is OK.  Am I
> right?    Thanks again for all the help in the  past.      Mark Francis  63
> Spyder    Powhatan, Va.