Bugeye charging issues

[ichthos]

Pretty frustrated by a number of issues on my bugeye. I am hoping for some help. My first one involves my charging system. My wife uses a lot of amperage, so I decided to put one of those alternators in that look like the original generator. After driving for three hours, my battery is low. i tried to follow directions on the minor rewiring. I think I did it correctly, but I am not totally sure. So a few questions. My first question is how can I test to see if the alternator itself is functioning correctly? If it is working correctly, at least I will know there is something wrong in my wiring.

 

[JPSmit]

first of all, what is your wife doing to use so much amperage?

Alternator is a fairly easy check - with the car running you should be reading about 14.4 volts if you place a multimeter across the battery posts - I trust you have a multi meter, otherwise, even a cheap one from harbor freight will do.

 

[DrEntropy]

Kevin, I'd disconnect your wife from the circuit first, then recharge battery, start the beast and measure voltage at the starter solenoid "Big Brown Wire." Should see 13+ V with anything over 1500 RPM. If not, the faux alternator needs testing for output. Some parts stores will do it for free. If it tests good, someplace in the rewiring process for the alternator conversion, there's a mistake. My money's on an "out-of-the-box" bad alternator.

Once you get that sorted, reconnect your wife but put an auxiliary "off" switch between battery lead and wife unit. It likely draws current to keep "memory" even when switched off.

 

[ichthos]

I bought this out of England. The said it was simple to put in. How many times have I heard that? Their directions were very confusing. I ended up going on Youtube to watch various generator to alternator conversions, so I think I have everything hooked up correct. The company reccomended putting a smaller pulley if it does not put out enough amps. So, how the heck am I supposed to figure that out? So, here is the perplexing part to me. I drove for 5 hours, (I was desperate to get the bugeye to my grand daughters photo shoot.) and there was no drop in volts on the battery when I got home. If the alternator was not working, I should have run out of electricity, correct? When I use my tester, it should be reading 14 volts, and yet it only reads 12.4 When the car is running. I talked to a mechanic I go to when I get over my head with things, and he said he experienced problems with these too. I may very well take it in to be tested, but with only the big chain stores only in business, I am not sure the are capable. A good suggestion though-there has to be an auto electric shop around here that can do this.

 

[DrEntropy]

Look for a service that rebuilds starter motors. They usually can deal with alternators and generators too.

 

[ichthos]

A better idea than what I had. Hopefully it is something that CAN be fixed. It is becoming increasingly more difficult to find people that know what they are doing. So, you may be wondering what my wife has connected to draw so many amps. First of all, when I had everything running with the generator, it could not keep the battery charged, especially in stop and go traffic. So, at the worst now she has everything on along with an electric blanket and cell phone. I am not sure what her total amp or volt draw is. Could I run the car with a meter and watch how much she draws by watching how far the volts drop?
in any case, thanks for the input.

 

[bobhustead]

Checking the voltage at the battery does not tell you how strong the battery is in terms of charge (available amps). A 12 volt electric brake emergency battery will read 12.6, but it won't turn a car starter. On another point you raise, the 14 volt reading should only be when the alternator is turning.
Bob

 

[DrEntropy]

Electric blanket?!? That's just shy of a dead short! The cell phone is likely insignificant.

Almost hate to suggest it, but a hot water bottle under a blanket may be a better answer for short runs...

Again, find a local shop specialising in rebuilding things with windings in 'em.

 

[SaxMan]

What happens if you put the original generator back in with no accessories? When I start having issues with the car, the first question is always "What has changed?" and then try to go back to where the car was before the issues started. If the car is running fine with the generator with no accessories attached, then the power draw from the electric blanket is likely your culprit.

For something with a high amperage draw, it may be a better route to attach it to the battery direct and use a relay switch, such as when doing a headlight upgrade to halogen headlamps.