Gaa! Electrical nightmare.
6th Gear Member
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 5,232
From: PA
Yeah, even with a brand new battery, alternator and regulator (you know, working ones) I've never gotten a reading of more than 12 and change.
The current regulator is brand new, but it is just a $15 four wire from advanced. Maybe I fried it somehow while i was fiddling with the alternator. Tomorrow morning I'll drive out to the NAPA and get an electronic regulator. I'll post as soon as I get some readings.
*Also* Are there any notorious weaknesses in that wiring harness I should be looking for?
The current regulator is brand new, but it is just a $15 four wire from advanced. Maybe I fried it somehow while i was fiddling with the alternator. Tomorrow morning I'll drive out to the NAPA and get an electronic regulator. I'll post as soon as I get some readings.
*Also* Are there any notorious weaknesses in that wiring harness I should be looking for?
As for weaknesses, corrosion in the connectors is always a problem on older cars. Clean them with Brasso using Q-Tips and an old toothbrush, and grease them with silicone dialectric grease. This is the ONLY way to get the factory ammeter to work, by the way.
Last edited by 2+2GT; Jun 28, 2009 at 02:38 PM.
3rd Gear Member
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 790
From: Arkansas
Yeah, the case is aluminum or some soft metal of the like. I would take your current alt. in and compare it to a few GM alts. as I can't remember what make it was for, but I remember it was the first time they had internal voltage regulators.
Thread Starter
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 7
From: VA
Hopefully, the final post:
I was suspicious of those the wiring harness. I used a seam ripper from a sewing kit to do a few harnessectomies, ie I slit the outer wrapping of the harness to take a look at the condition of the wires inside. The only place the wire looked really bad was the top of the harness where it connected to the alternator, battery, etc. I cut off the top foot or so and spliced in shiny new wires, and viola! I'm back up and running. Its current;y operating at about 12.75/12.4.
Those numbers that 2+2 was throwing around made me realize that I must have "leaks" all over the system, so I think the next step or a re-wiring of everything in the engine compartment. I found some pre-assembled wiring harnesses here:
http://www.virginiaclassicmustang.co...sp?itemid=WG34
The harness for the dash is $500, which seems high, but the ones ill be dealing with only look like $95 + $15.
Many thanks to all of you who weighed in on this one. My main fear was that this would be some weird, pony-specific issue that I didn't know about.
I was suspicious of those the wiring harness. I used a seam ripper from a sewing kit to do a few harnessectomies, ie I slit the outer wrapping of the harness to take a look at the condition of the wires inside. The only place the wire looked really bad was the top of the harness where it connected to the alternator, battery, etc. I cut off the top foot or so and spliced in shiny new wires, and viola! I'm back up and running. Its current;y operating at about 12.75/12.4.
Those numbers that 2+2 was throwing around made me realize that I must have "leaks" all over the system, so I think the next step or a re-wiring of everything in the engine compartment. I found some pre-assembled wiring harnesses here:
http://www.virginiaclassicmustang.co...sp?itemid=WG34
The harness for the dash is $500, which seems high, but the ones ill be dealing with only look like $95 + $15.
Many thanks to all of you who weighed in on this one. My main fear was that this would be some weird, pony-specific issue that I didn't know about.
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