Going Crazy Over Electrical Issue
12-12-2023, 11:05 AM
#21
A lot of good alternator inforamtion here.
I just went through something similar with my '62. Drove it and parked it one day and when I went back to it the battery was dead. Swapped in a new battery and it was an instant spark show. The culprit in my case was the starter. A quick trip to O'Parts Store and a rebuilt starter was brought home and installed. Back on the road again.
I just went through something similar with my '62. Drove it and parked it one day and when I went back to it the battery was dead. Swapped in a new battery and it was an instant spark show. The culprit in my case was the starter. A quick trip to O'Parts Store and a rebuilt starter was brought home and installed. Back on the road again.
12-12-2023, 11:55 AM
#22
Racer
Im reaching out to the substantial knowledge base of this group. My car is a 66 convertible, base 327/300 with Powerglide and factory A/C. It is the original engine. The car was completely rewired three years ago and is currently running a Pertronix ignition system. The alternator has a built in regulator so the voltage regulator and the ballast resister have been bypassed. The alternator is showing correct voltage output. The car has been set to factory tune-up specs and runs very well. The problem is something is burning out coils and causing my battery to overheat and boil out the water in it. The problem is intermittant and until three days ago the car had run fine for over five months and approximately 500 miles since the last ignition coil got too hot and quit working. Before that I have replaced two batteries and at least four coils over the past year and a half. I have checked and cleaned any and all ground connections but they all looked pretty good and unlikely to be the culprit. I have not noticed the ammeter reading any surges, but it’s possible I could have missed it while driving. My first thought is it could be the alternator is defective, although it is relatively new, and only about two years old, but my mechanic tested it and he says it is putting out the correct amperage.
Any suggestions on what could be causing the excessive voltage
Thanks in advance
Mark
I
Any suggestions on what could be causing the excessive voltage
Thanks in advance
Mark
I
12-12-2023, 12:27 PM
#23
Melting Slicks
Here is the AC Delco ignition conversion. I believe it costs twice of pertronics. Wonder why? Because pert uses the cheapest parts they can get and pass the crap off to you with an "acceptable" failure rate because they trademarked a nifty name. Do you wonder why they mark the lot code? So they can weed out the stock when they get failures.
https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/...sion+kit,11340
I like hei's that you can get in small caps and bury under the distr shield.
The charging system is incredibly simple here You may be a candidate for a 1 wire alternator. They are not the best but it would likely solve the battery boiling problem.
https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/...sion+kit,11340
I like hei's that you can get in small caps and bury under the distr shield.
The charging system is incredibly simple here You may be a candidate for a 1 wire alternator. They are not the best but it would likely solve the battery boiling problem.
12-15-2023, 11:40 PM
#24
Drifting
Im reaching out to the substantial knowledge base of this group. My car is a 66 convertible, base 327/300 with Powerglide and factory A/C. It is the original engine. The car was completely rewired three years ago and is currently running a Pertronix ignition system. The alternator has a built in regulator so the voltage regulator and the ballast resister have been bypassed. The alternator is showing correct voltage output. The car has been set to factory tune-up specs and runs very well. The problem is something is burning out coils and causing my battery to overheat and boil out the water in it. The problem is intermittant and until three days ago the car had run fine for over five months and approximately 500 miles since the last ignition coil got too hot and quit working. Before that I have replaced two batteries and at least four coils over the past year and a half. I have checked and cleaned any and all ground connections but they all looked pretty good and unlikely to be the culprit. I have not noticed the ammeter reading any surges, but it’s possible I could have missed it while driving. My first thought is it could be the alternator is defective, although it is relatively new, and only about two years old, but my mechanic tested it and he says it is putting out the correct amperage.
Any suggestions on what could be causing the excessive voltage
Thanks in advance
Mark
I
Any suggestions on what could be causing the excessive voltage
Thanks in advance
Mark
I
1) Boiling and heating of the battery are clear signs of the battery being over-charged. The built-in regulator in your alternator is not working properly. Somehow, more than 14.5 V is being applied to the battery.
2) Overheating of the coil is a clear sign of too much voltage being applied to the coil primary winding. This can happen if the coil is designed to work with a ballast resistor and no ballast resistor is installed, or if the nominal 14.5V charging voltage from the alternator is too high.
Rather than just checking the battery voltage at idle, I suggest that you install a voltmeter that will allow you to monitor the battery voltage as you drive the car. There are several inexpensive voltmeters available that will plug into your cigarette lighter socket. Here is an example:
You may find that the voltage output of the alternator is too high under conditions other than at idle. Even when the alternator is charging the battery, the voltage should never exceed about 14.5 V.
BTW, do not leave a voltmeter installed in the cigarette lighter when the engine is not running. The cigarette lighter is powered even when the engine is off, so the voltmeter will discharge your battery if left in the cigarette lighter socket while the engine is not running.
Regarding coil overheating, most stock coils are designed to operate with a ballast resistor that reduces the coil voltage to about 8V EXCEPT during cranking for starting. A pair of relay contacts in the starter solenoid short out the ballast during cranking, to help get the engine started.
If the full 12V is applied to the stock while the engine is running, the coil will overheat. If you want to run without a ballast resistor, the coil must be a non-stock coil that is designed to operate without a ballast resistor, at a nominal 12 V.
The following users liked this post:
leif.anderson93 (12-16-2023)
12-16-2023, 01:13 AM
#25
Team Owner
You have two problems not one.
Many replies aren't understanding your internally VR alternator and your Pertronix.
You need to double check your wire up to the coil. Yes a number of systems eliminate the ballast resistor. I never have ran that system..
Then figure out your charging problem.
A couple of things, we assume your battery is properly sized?
We assume you havyn't got an alternator pulley incorrect for your alternator, turning things incorrectly? Abnormally at higher rpms.
Many replies aren't understanding your internally VR alternator and your Pertronix.
You need to double check your wire up to the coil. Yes a number of systems eliminate the ballast resistor. I never have ran that system..
Then figure out your charging problem.
A couple of things, we assume your battery is properly sized?
We assume you havyn't got an alternator pulley incorrect for your alternator, turning things incorrectly? Abnormally at higher rpms.
12-16-2023, 09:19 AM
#26
Pro
First off, you have two separate problems that may or may not be related:
1) Boiling and heating of the battery are clear signs of the battery being over-charged. The built-in regulator in your alternator is not working properly. Somehow, more than 14.5 V is being applied to the battery.
2) Overheating of the coil is a clear sign of too much voltage being applied to the coil primary winding. This can happen if the coil is designed to work with a ballast resistor and no ballast resistor is installed, or if the nominal 14.5V charging voltage from the alternator is too high.
1) Boiling and heating of the battery are clear signs of the battery being over-charged. The built-in regulator in your alternator is not working properly. Somehow, more than 14.5 V is being applied to the battery.
2) Overheating of the coil is a clear sign of too much voltage being applied to the coil primary winding. This can happen if the coil is designed to work with a ballast resistor and no ballast resistor is installed, or if the nominal 14.5V charging voltage from the alternator is too high.
12-16-2023, 11:39 AM
#27
Racer
It has to be the alternator, no other source for voltage to over charge your battery. It may be intermittent or it may be happening at higher RPM but either way it's the only source of voltage.