1966 newport 383 over charging?

[Big_John]

thanks. thinking about it, there are two brushes in all alternators. just a little matter of how they are wired and regulated internally or externally. asking in context of buying parts for this vehicle. it has a dual field alternator but it's configured for a single field system. if the vehicle is still wired as a single field system then parts purchased for it would be specified as such. just want to be clear as to which type of system he should be ordering parts for.

Yes, he would want a '69 and earlier regulator.

I think most replacement alternators have the dual field connections. You can use it "as is" with the 1970 and later cars or by just adding a ground wire to one field connection, it works with the 1969 and earlier cars. Kind of makes a lot of sense to have one alternator fit a bunch of cars.

 

[Toolmanmike]

Make sure the voltage regulator is grounded, if not it will overcharge.

Boy, no doubt. I changed the regulator on my 66 to a electronic look alike and the sheet metal screws were a bit loose. It didn't take long and the battery was boiling and the light bulbs were popping. Of course the ammeter had been bypassed so the gauge didn't work. A big lesson learned.

 

[rags]

Yes, he would want a '69 and earlier regulator.

thank you. that answers the question. thinking about it a moment more and i realized that anything with a charged armature will have at least two brushes. starters, power tools. then there are induction motors such as house fan motors which have none.

 

[Newport 664door]

Just out of curiosity I did a load test on battery, it does drop down to 11 volts, forgot its been in 5 years already, with not alot of driving time. I see everybody recommend the 27 group battery, so I'll grab 1 of those also. Thanks again

 

[Retired auto tech]

The proper charging voltage is 14.2 volts. If you are getting in the range of 15 plus volts it can be caused by a resistance in the charging circuit. To charge the battery the system increases the the voltage to overcome the resistance to supply the current the battery needs to charge. Step one, check all battery cable connections. Are the posts and cables clean shiny and free of corrosion? Black lead patina between the post and battery clamp is a surefire alternator and regulator killer. Check bulkhead connector for loose or overheated connection, long lost count of how many of these I've had to bypass over the years.
Check connections on back of ammeter, they come loose and overheat and can even melt the meter itself. Make sure your battery ground cable to the block is also clean shiny metal with no paint and a serrated lock washer to bite into the cable end under the bolt. Because these cars have many years on them it can also help to have a ground wire between the block and firewall as well as a ground wire from the negative battery clamp to the rad suport as well.

 

[Big_John]

Check connections on back of ammeter, they come loose and overheat and can even melt the meter itself.

^This^

People blame the ammeter for everything, including kidnaping the Lindberg baby, instead of checking if the connections are loose.

 

[Retired auto tech]

That's why I said to check for loose connections at the ammeter, loose connections cause heat and cac melt the ammeter. Not the ammeters fault, but we are dealing with a system that was originally designed with a 37 amp alternator in mind. Not a lot of headroom for anything that may cause an abnormal load on the system.

 

[D Cluley]

I had my cluster out this spring, and after cleaning up the ammeter studs, used double nuts to fasten it to the circuit board and then double nuts to attach the red and black wires when I reinstalled the cluster.

 

[Newport 664door]

Just swapped out voltage regulator from FURYGT, perfect 14.3 charging. Here's the original one. Looks burned up? Thanks to all

 

[Newport 664door]

And oh yeah, the ammeter did meltdown already last year, took the gas gauge and power supply out. Had to re-wire and add aftermarket gauges.