Looking for help with an electrical issue.
The car has been completely stripped and rebuilt, no expense spared, albeit the wiring harnesses are the original.
Battery light will not go out after starting and revving and alternator will not charge. Both battery and alternator have been renewed. I have traced all the blue wire connections in the fuse box and dash checking for continuity. All fine <<1 Ohm resistance. I have checked the diodes on the dash cluster one read 500 Ohm, the other about 560 ish?. Resistors all fine (some 60 Ohm, some over 500ohm from memory?).
I can hotwire the alternator to charge by running a wire with a diode from the coil + terminal. Doing this gives a charging voltage of about 16.5 V! So don't really want to keep having to do this! Any more ideas? Could it be a short in the fuse box? The voltage regulator is brand spanking new! I have heard that the stator should excite normally with revving, I have not yet tried this test.
The car has always had problems with a lumpy idle but then again the 2e2 carb is notorious. Suspect this is something else like poor quality HT leads. Then again, the Newman 276 cam doesn't help either! Accelerating is fine. Timing is spot on (factory marks). think all the symptoms are linked.
Finally, with the ignition off indicating left or right illuminates the front right or left dipped beam, weird! Turning on ignition sends everything back to normal (indicators work normally). Help?
Update, I gave up on the alternator and concentrated on lumpy idle. Wow the pierburg 2e2 is complicated. I was lucky in having no vaccuum leaks and replaced those hoses that looked perished. No change.
Hot idle is about 850-900rpm but lumpy. I checked this when the waxstat had pushed the accelerator cam out of the way (fully warm). Then the accelerator stop is governed purely by the 3-point vaccuum unit at the back. On mine, the adjustment pin on the right hand side had to be set almost at full extended length to maintain 850-900rpm, would be good to know others cars how much this is adjusted. Adjusting the CO screw to extremes causes the engine to cough and lower rpm. Is it fully out for maximum fuel flow at idle or fully in for no fuel flow? (important for CO emissions). Anyway, mine is set in (I assume closed-off) until the car begins chugging then wind out 2 half turns to idle as smooth as possible. Still intermittent random coughing and missfire. Replaced HT leads, spark plugs and coil. No Change.
Decided to check the timing again. Spot on albeit time light mark is blurred - might be minor distributor wear or rubbish timelight.
Decided to MOT it, failed on CO and HC emissions:-
UK Llimit 3.5% CO - mine 5.72%
UK Limit Max 1200ppm HC - 2455ppm
Yikes.
Took it back home and rechecked the cambelt timing marks..........................camshaft was out by one tooth. Grr.
It idles now without obvious missfire but still sounds like it hunts a bit between 800 & 900rpm. Taking to a specailist next week, grr.
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