51Woodie

Greetings. Newbie alert! I recently bought a street rodded '51 Ford woodie wagon with a 5.0 HO crate motor. The other day I took it out and the stereo started to switch off and on as though it wasn't getting enough power. As I hit the throttle and brought the rpms up, the stereo would kick back on. Then the ignition started misfiring, and it bogged down even with the accelerator 3/4 down.

I limped home for about a mile in this state, when all of a sudden it lurched back to life and I was cruising again. I left it in the garage a few days, and tried to start it up today. Power enough for the stereo to power up, but not enogh to turn the starter. I jumped it, and it fired up. Charged the battery with an external charger, and it seemed to be running fine. The battery seems to hold a charge, so I unscrewed the battery disconnect while iat idle. The motor killed within a second.

So...am I facing a voltage regulator issue or just a failing/failed alternator? Clearly it isn't charging the battery, but what is the significance of it initially seeming to keep the power up at high RPMs?

Anyway, thanks for any wisdom you guys might be able to impart on the subject!

nemethjames1

put a high amp alt and see what happens

roundman

does the motor have underdrive pulleys on it??
I would remove both battery cables and clean the connections and battery posts really good with a battery post cleaning brush and reinstall them good and tight. also check the negative cable ground where it attaches to the block, which is where it should be attached. check to see it there are grounding straps from the engine back to the chassis also. if not, add some. start the engine and check the voltage at the battery. should be reading about 14.5 volts or so if the alternator is charging properly. if not, pull the alternator and get it tested at local auto parts store and replace if necessary.

51Woodie

No underdrive pulleys on the motor. Battery posts are clean. I'll check the grounds...would a bad ground lead to the alternator not performing correctly? It was running fine for the first 5 months I had it, then this issue reared its ugly head. Thanks.

nemethjames1

yep ground would be a cause... but alt's do just lose it... if you gotta volt meter start the car and make sure while car is running that its puttin out no more and no less then 13.5-14.5V