Battery Is Not Charging

[GC427]

Blas,

I now have 14.5 volts across the battery posts after disconnecting the external voltage regulator and wiring the alternator to the driver side post of the solenoid on the firewall as we discussed.

While the engine is running, the ammeter reads slightly negative. If more load is applied to the circuit by turning on radiator fans, the ammeter reads further negative, and if the lights are then turned on it reads still further negative. The battery still reads 14.5 volts while the loads across the circuit are applied. Under what circumstances should the ammeter read positive? If my ammeter does not read positive, might there still be a problem?

If the lights and fans are on for quite a while, therefore draining the battery, would the ammeter then read positive (indicating charging) after turning off the lights and fans?

[jhv48]

If the ammeter reads negative, you are draining the battery.

When idling or driving, it should show a slight positive.

Something is still wrong if your meter is reading negative when at idle or driving normally.

[greg schroeder]

I didn't read any of the replies, so sorry if I repeat some things. The car I had the Roush 427R came with a single wire alternator. The way it was wired ran things all over the place and through the gauge on the dash. It's one wire starting at the alternator. All the other wires and voltage regulator that come with the Superformance aren't used as the one wire alternator has the voltage regulator built in.

The problems I fixed were reattaching the wire at the alternator on two occurrences. One time the wire off destroyed the voltage regulator in the alternator as it is trying to charge like crazy having nowhere to go. The final fix was plugging back in the wires on the dash gauge securely.

[mattpatt]

Gil/Blas,

Seems to me that if you have 14.5 volts at the battery then the battery is being charged by the alternator. The fact that the amp meter reads negative says something is wired wrong to the amp meter. If the meter connections were reversed you'd get the correct charging direction (which, I said, must be true - I think). But, you also said the current increased when changing the other loads - the amp meter shouldn't be seeing these loads if wired correctly. Seems to me you are charging the battery but the amp meter and the loads wiring are honked up. You'll probably have to do a lot of snaking the wires to see how it's really wired and correct it.

Matt

[STEVE-O]

From a post on the first page..

Another person commented:
"...The ohm meter reads 0.00 ohms." Odd...that's an open circuit. No power would be going to feed cars harness thru that fuse???

A fuse reading 0 ohms is a good fuse. A fuse thats open will read infinity.