timo376 Posted April 9, 2007 Share Posted April 9, 2007 There is always something else to go wrong!! :cry: just had the Hotchkiss jeep out over the weekend, the first good run out of the year. :-) i'd done about 30-40miles of main road driving (through the lake district) & made a short stop. My son told me there was a bit of 'steam' coming from the bonnett & on opening it I found a small wire giving off a bit of smoke! The wire is connected to a rectangular box, that is connected to the bulkhead on the passenger side of the engine compartment (The voltage regulator?) there are 2 screw connectors in the top, one a thick wire that leads to the generator, the other the thin wire that leads towards the dash board. It was this wire that was beginning to burn. (it had electrical tape wound on it, as if previously repaired) I disconnected the thin wire & was able to restart the engine, without trouble & drove home without further trouble. The ammeter doesn't register now, so I presume the wire was that one. I would like to know... :dunno: is it ok to still use the jeep with this wire disconnected? does disconnecting this wire alter/stop the battery charging? i will be repairing the wire soon, but I'd like to know what went wrong it is a 24v system Cheers Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Posted April 9, 2007 Share Posted April 9, 2007 I would guess that the wire is too thin and/or already had a break in it hence the tape so it could have been "arcing" and skoke would come from that, I would go up a gauge of wire when you replace it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TooTallMike Posted April 9, 2007 Share Posted April 9, 2007 Sounds like you may have a short circuit further down the system. I wouldn't drive anywhere else until you've isolated the fault. You may damage the generator and/or regulator, you aren't charging the battery, and there may be a fault somewhere. I'd find out what current is being drawn through the wire which has failed. If it is unusually high, look for faults elsewhere. If not, it may just have been deteriorating and needed changing. Nothing lasts forever :-). - Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bodge Deep Posted April 10, 2007 Share Posted April 10, 2007 Did you get it fettled Tim? Get away to the other event okay? Nice t'see you again storming the cliffs at 'Point du Silverdale' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timo376 Posted April 19, 2007 Author Share Posted April 19, 2007 Got a new wire made up & fitted it back onto the jeep. There seems to be something else wrong... :cry: having refitted the wire, I put the electrics on & immediatly the ampmeter read +40(off the scale) in the negative!, I started the engine & high revs produced +40 in the positive. But when the engine was turned off it was +40 in the negative again. I tried a different ampmeter but still got the +40 negative when I turned the electrics on. Then the batteries seemed to be flat & the starter wouldn't turn but if I disconnected the cable the starter would turn but the batteries were still flat. :-( :-( I could start the jeep on the handle but it was running a bit rough, reconnecting the wire with the engine running didn't seem to make much difference, however it did not register much positive charge now, it registered a negative when lights or indicators were on. I think that either the generator &/or the voltage regulaor are faulty to have discharged the batteries so quickly, before fitting the cable it was starting OK & the starter kicked over no problem. Would a conversion to 12v be a better option & what does this entail? ( i believe I'd need a new starter motor, New alternator, New HT cables & plugs & new light bulbs) anything else? any ideas would be gratefully accepted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyB Posted April 20, 2007 Share Posted April 20, 2007 Timo I have a Generator and Regulator you can loan to try and eliminate the problem regards AndyB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cripp Posted April 20, 2007 Share Posted April 20, 2007 Would a conversion to 12v be a better option & what does this entail? ( i believe I'd need a new starter motor, New alternator, New HT cables & plugs & new light bulbs) anything else? any ideas would be gratefully accepted You'd also need a new distributor and coil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timo376 Posted April 20, 2007 Author Share Posted April 20, 2007 Cheers for the offer Andy b, I may well take you up on it, but I'm going to a local auto electrician to have the generator& regulator checked out, I recharged the batteries (just 1 needed doing) & she starts ok again. I'll let you know how i get on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Farrant Posted April 20, 2007 Share Posted April 20, 2007 I recharged the batteries (just 1 needed doing) & she starts ok again. Makes me wonder if you might have a faulty battery, as so say only one battery needed charging. When you go to the auto electrician, take the batteries and get a heavy discharge test done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grasshopper Posted April 21, 2007 Share Posted April 21, 2007 Had a similar problem on a vintage bus once. The regulator had a fault and was making the generator act like a motor. This caused the batteries to flatten and the wiring poduced smoke. The engine also sounded under load when idling. Reconditioning the regulator cured the fault. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timo376 Posted May 4, 2007 Author Share Posted May 4, 2007 It seems it may be the generator that was faultly, Anyone any ideas how much a new one is, as I'm recovering from the quote for the repair by the auto electrician!! :schocked: (there were too many zero's involved) :cry: Could I fit a 24v alternator instead? (from an HGV?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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