Strange volts

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So I replaced my battery in my 68 fury iii then my alternator was replaced... Now my alternator gage is constantly bouncing from D to C and my lights get bright then dim depending on where the gage is bouncing ... Just replaced my voltage regulator and nothing any suggestions??? Tia
 
What voltage regulator are you using? Did it do the same thing with the old voltage regulator?
 
What is the alternator's output? Are you running an electronic ignition? What started the parts replacements?
 
The battery was the first replacement from a 540 cca to a 850 cca battery.. then alternator and now voltage regulator... Not sure about the alternators output ...except for the pulley it looks identical to the original... And yes it's a electronic ignition... I don't know much about this car I've only had her since Father's day
 
Mechanical voltage regulators can be very unreliable. Converting to an electronic voltage regulator might help. It's the stainless steel flat pack to the left of the windshield wiper motor in the picture. It would take a different alternator and 1 additional wire, but would give a lot more reliability. Best of luck!
DSCN8210.JPG
 
First, whoever told you to replace the ballast resistor is wrong, that is a part of the ignition system, not the charging system
Second, is it possible to post some pictures of the voltage regulator and the alternator? Chrysler made some running changes during the early 70's, some parts have to be modified to work in the older cars,
Third, Do you know if the new voltage regulator has electronic internals, or mechanical? It is possible if it has the mechanical internals for the regulator not to be calibrated correctly.
Fourth, It is also possible your ammeter gauge is going bad, all the voltage used in the car is fed thru the ammeter. With a volt meter hooked across the battery and the engine running you should have a steady 14.2 volts.
Good luck and welcome to the site. Bill
 
Did you order a stock replacement alternator? It is VERY important for many reasons to know the amperage output of the alternator your installed. There may be a tag on it. If the voltage regulators that the car had and that you used as a replacement were stock type, mechanical voltage regulators, they are known to have a very short lifespan with electronic ignitions. They are not compatible. You need a solid state type voltage regulator and have a few choices. You can use the one that I and others sell on eBay that look like the factory voltage a regulator or you can either the '70 & up style Chrysler voltage regulator or some other type of solid state voltage regulator.
 
Bouncing fast or slow. Fast may be diodes or rectifier, slow points toward regulator.
Whoever told you the ballast resistor, show them the door and give them directions to the Toyota dealer.
 
It sounds like you might have installed a mechanical regulator. These have contact points that open or close when a certain voltage measurement is reached. Does the ammeter go back and forth all the time, or just at idle? Bouncing of the ammeter at idle is normal as the gauge will react each time the points open or close. This is very common with a fully charged battery. As stated in the earlier posts, you can not run electronic ignition with a mechanical regulator, the electronic ignition is not designed to compensate voltage spikes caused by the the opening and closing of the mechanical points and will fry itself fairly quickly. If the cover of your regulator has screws, take the cover off to see if it has a points. If so you will need to replace it with an electronic unit.

Dave
 
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IF the alternator gauge was acting like a battery charger as the battery approaches full charge, bouncing a little, that's one thing, BUT wildly bouncing from C to D and back again, would indicate some sort of intermittent load on the system, to me. The alternator produces AC voltage and the diodes don't allow the negative part of the voltage cycle to happen, IF they were working correctly. When a diode fails, it will allow voltage back into the alternator and usually drain the battery overnight.

Get the alternator checked.

CBODY67
 
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