Not Charging

[rugbyjon112]

Hello all,

For some reason my ‘69 Fury isn’t charging. I’ve replaced the voltage regulator and the alternator but still not working. The wire circled is VERY loose because the person that owned the car before me swapped out the circled bolt with a larger one. When I swapped out the regulator, it went back in very loose. The top bolt is pretty loose too so I can’t use that one either. When I disconnect the battery with the car running, it instantly dies so I know it’s something to do with the charging system. Any help/idea would be greatly appreciated. Also, if anyone can provide any pictures/diagrams of their system, I would appreciate it. Thank you in advance.

 

[SIPLOWGUY]

Try metric bolts. They will be slightly larger and that might be enough. Did you put a meter on it to confirm it is not charging? I know disconnecting the battery is an old trick. DON'T EVER DO THAT ON MODERN VEHICLES!

 

[SIPLOWGUY]

From Google:
Diagnosing a 1969 Plymouth charging system involves a systematic check: visually inspect the belt and cables, perform a battery voltage check (around 12.6V off, 13.5-14.5V running), then test the alternator by applying electrical loads (headlights, blower) to see if voltage stays above 13V; if voltage is low (no charge), test the voltage regulator and field circuit by momentarily jumping the field terminal to the battery positive to see if the alternator kicks in, confirming if the regulator or wiring is the issue.

 

[SIPLOWGUY]

 

[Big_John]

The wire circled is VERY loose because the person that owned the car before me swapped out the circled bolt with a larger one. When I swapped out the regulator, it went back in very loose. The top bolt is pretty loose too so I can’t use that one either.

I have no idea what the yellow wire is. I assume it's for something else unrelated. The regulator should be grounded to work properly and if the bolts are loose, it's not going to have a good ground. You're gonna have to fi that even if the problem turns out to be something else.

When I disconnect the battery with the car running, it instantly dies so I know it’s something to do with the charging system.

Not a good way to check and may do more harm than good.

 

[Ross Wooldridge]

The mounting tabs of the regulator MUST be grounded. It looks like clean paint underneath that regulator, and while it looks nice and clean and new, it will simply make for a challenge in getting a good ground. It is worthwhile running a separate ground wire from the mounting tab to a known good ground - I ran mine back to the battery. Worked like a charm.

Do this as step # 1. It is essential.

After that, test the charging system as noted in responses above.

 

[rugbyjon112]

The mounting tabs of the regulator MUST be grounded. It looks like clean paint underneath that regulator, and while it looks nice and clean and new, it will simply make for a challenge in getting a good ground. It is worthwhile running a separate ground wire from the mounting tab to a known good ground - I ran mine back to the battery. Worked like a charm.

Do this as step # 1. It is essential.

After that, test the charging system as noted in responses

 

[rugbyjon112]

So is it better to run a separate ground wire from one of the tabs back to the negative of the battery or to sand a spot of paint to bare metal under one of the tabs? I’m guessing it’s better to run a separate wire so I don’t have to worry about bare metal rusting. I’m planning to move the regulator about a half an inch one way or another so I can secure it to the firewall better.

 

[rugbyjon112]

I have no idea what the yellow wire is. I assume it's for something else unrelated. The regulator should be grounded to work properly and if the bolts are loose, it's not going to have a good ground. You're gonna have to fi that even if the problem turns out to be something else.

Not a good way to check and may do more harm than good.

It looks like that wire goes back to the alternator but I haven’t checked it yet. The car’s wiring is a mess from the previous owner. When I had the engine out I discovered about four inches of bare wire where the positive from the battery connects to the starter plus a few spots that were very poorly spliced. I’m planning to move the regulator about a half an inch to the left or right so I can secure it to the firewall better.

 

[rugbyjon112]

Try metric bolts. They will be slightly larger and that might be enough. Did you put a meter on it to confirm it is not charging? I know disconnecting the battery is an old trick. DON'T EVER DO THAT ON MODERN VEHICLES!

I can try metric bolts, but I was planning to just move the regulator over about a half an inch to the left or right and use some new bolts or self tapping screws to secure it to the firewall. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a meter with me to check anything. I’ll try that tomorrow when I go back to where I store the car.

 

[rugbyjon112]

From Google:
Diagnosing a 1969 Plymouth charging system involves a systematic check: visually inspect the belt and cables, perform a battery voltage check (around 12.6V off, 13.5-14.5V running), then test the alternator by applying electrical loads (headlights, blower) to see if voltage stays above 13V; if voltage is low (no charge), test the voltage regulator and field circuit by momentarily jumping the field terminal to the battery positive to see if the alternator kicks in, confirming if the regulator or wiring is the issue.

Thank you. I’ll try that tomorrow

 

[Ross Wooldridge]

So is it better to run a separate ground wire from one of the tabs back to the negative of the battery or to sand a spot of paint to bare metal under one of the tabs? I’m guessing it’s better to run a separate wire so I don’t have to worry about bare metal rusting. I’m planning to move the regulator about a half an inch one way or another so I can secure it to the firewall better.

That was my thinking as well. The sheet metal screws get loose where they go through the firewall. A star washer that bites into the paint can help, but I found that running a ground wire was just good insurance regardless.