[DeTomaso] Interesting ammeter situation

Wed Feb 15 22:09:01 EST 2017

As far as helpful suggestions, the guys are giving good theoretical and technical ideas but anyone who knows that age old legend, knows his main issue was who he selected for the drive home.
Laurie
(me thinks he was Drewastered)
[DeTomaso] Interesting ammeter situation.
Mike Drew MikeLDrew at aol.com 
Tue Feb 14 22:19:28 EST 2017

Guys,

Yesterday I accompanied the new owner of a '74 Pantera from Sacramento to his home in San Diego. 

We almost made it. 

As we entered the worst of the LA megopolis, the charging system suddenly didn't. The am we had been dancing around for hours and it finally stabilized deep in the discharge zone. With headlights and fans on, crawling in stop and go traffic, it wouldn't be too long before the car quit completely so we dove off the freeway into a gas station and then enjoyed a two-hour tow truck ride (gotta love AAA premium!)

Today we started troubleshooting. The new owner is almost devoid of tools, but we started by changing the regulator since its cheap. The result was an ammeter that now danced violently either side of center. 

Next suspect was the alternator. Although it was new, it was a standard Ford remain and thus probably only 50A. We took it to a nearby alternator/starter shop where they rebuilt it and converted to 90A in just over an hour. They said it tested good beforehand, but since we were there, why not improve it?

With the rebuilt ammeter installed, the needle swing was even more pronounced, wider at idle, and reducing at about 3000 rpm. 

Now armed with a recently purchased voltmeter, we tested voltage at the battery and found it cranking out 14.3-14.6 volts depending on rpm and electrical load (headlights etc)

After a quick call to SOBill Taylor (bless him!!!!) we reinstalled the old regulator to see what would happen.  

Ammeter jumping stopped, replaced with a constant discharge. Voltmeter testing at the battery revealed 12.5 volts--the battery was powering the car and the alternator was doing nothing. 

We reinstalled the new, electronic (as opposed to stock-style mechanical) regulator, and once again had proper charging indications at the battery, but the ammeter continued its wild ways. 

I shot a video and stupidly oriented my phone vertically. Only idiots shoot videos like this, so my profound apologies:

http://youtu.be/lLKf2Z23P_Q

So what do you think the next course of action should be? I have at least one extra stock ammeter and several regulators, so I am thinking of loaning them to him for troubleshooting purposes. Do any of you have any suggestions?

(No, don't suggest he just bypass the gauge or switch to a voltmeter--a voltmeter would not have warned us of our charging system failure and would have left us stranded on the freeway!)

Thanks in advance for any constructive advice (other than to learn how to hold a phone properly when shooting a video!)

Mike

Sent from my iPhone
-------------- next part --------------
   Guys,

   Yesterday I accompanied the new owner of a '74 Pantera from Sacramento
   to his home in San Diego.

   We almost made it.

   As we entered the worst of the LA megopolis, the charging system
   suddenly didn't. The am we had been dancing around for hours and it
   finally stabilized deep in the discharge zone. With headlights and fans
   on, crawling in stop and go traffic, it wouldn't be too long before the
   car quit completely so we dove off the freeway into a gas station and
   then enjoyed a two-hour tow truck ride (gotta love AAA premium!)

   Today we started troubleshooting. The new owner is almost devoid of
   tools, but we started by changing the regulator since its cheap. The
   result was an ammeter that now danced violently either side of center.

   Next suspect was the alternator. Although it was new, it was a standard
   Ford remain and thus probably only 50A. We took it to a nearby
   alternator/starter shop where they rebuilt it and converted to 90A in
   just over an hour. They said it tested good beforehand, but since we
   were there, why not improve it?

   With the rebuilt ammeter installed, the needle swing was even more
   pronounced, wider at idle, and reducing at about 3000 rpm.

   Now armed with a recently purchased voltmeter, we tested voltage at the
   battery and found it cranking out 14.3-14.6 volts depending on rpm and
   electrical load (headlights etc)

   After a quick call to SOBill Taylor (bless him!!!!) we reinstalled the
   old regulator to see what would happen.

   Ammeter jumping stopped, replaced with a constant discharge. Voltmeter
   testing at the battery revealed 12.5 volts--the battery was powering
   the car and the alternator was doing nothing.

   We reinstalled the new, electronic (as opposed to stock-style
   mechanical) regulator, and once again had proper charging indications
   at the battery, but the ammeter continued its wild ways.

   I shot a video and stupidly oriented my phone vertically. Only idiots
   shoot videos like this, so my profound apologies:

   [1]http://youtu.be/lLKf2Z23P_Q

   So what do you think the next course of action should be? I have at
   least one extra stock ammeter and several regulators, so I am thinking
   of loaning them to him for troubleshooting purposes. Do any of you have
   any suggestions?

-------------- next part --------------
As far as helpful suggestions, the guys are giving good theoretical and
technical ideas but anyone who knows that age old legend, knows his main
issue was who he selected for the drive home.

   Laurie
   (me thinks he was Drewastered)

[DeTomaso] Interesting ammeter situation.

   Mike Drew [1]MikeLDrew at aol.com
   Tue Feb 14 22:19:28 EST 2017
     __________________________________________________________________

Guys,

Yesterday I accompanied the new owner of a '74 Pantera from Sacramento to his ho
me in San Diego.

We almost made it.

As we entered the worst of the LA megopolis, the charging system suddenly didn't
. The am we had been dancing around for hours and it finally stabilized deep in
the discharge zone. With headlights and fans on, crawling in stop and go traffic
, it wouldn't be too long before the car quit completely so we dove off the free
way into a gas station and then enjoyed a two-hour tow truck ride (gotta love AA
A premium!)

Today we started troubleshooting. The new owner is almost devoid of tools, but w
e started by changing the regulator since its cheap. The result was an ammeter t
hat now danced violently either side of center.

Next suspect was the alternator. Although it was new, it was a standard Ford rem
ain and thus probably only 50A. We took it to a nearby alternator/starter shop w
here they rebuilt it and converted to 90A in just over an hour. They said it tes
ted good beforehand, but since we were there, why not improve it?

With the rebuilt ammeter installed, the needle swing was even more pronounced, w
ider at idle, and reducing at about 3000 rpm.

Now armed with a recently purchased voltmeter, we tested voltage at the battery
and found it cranking out 14.3-14.6 volts depending on rpm and electrical load (
headlights etc)

After a quick call to SOBill Taylor (bless him!!!!) we reinstalled the old regul
ator to see what would happen.

Ammeter jumping stopped, replaced with a constant discharge. Voltmeter testing a
t the battery revealed 12.5 volts--the battery was powering the car and the alte
rnator was doing nothing.

We reinstalled the new, electronic (as opposed to stock-style mechanical) regula
tor, and once again had proper charging indications at the battery, but the amme
ter continued its wild ways.

I shot a video and stupidly oriented my phone vertically. Only idiots shoot vide
os like this, so my profound apologies:

[2]http://youtu.be/lLKf2Z23P_Q

So what do you think the next course of action should be? I have at least one ex
tra stock ammeter and several regulators, so I am thinking of loaning them to hi
m for troubleshooting purposes. Do any of you have any suggestions?

(No, don't suggest he just bypass the gauge or switch to a voltmeter--a voltmete
r would not have warned us of our charging system failure and would have left us
 stranded on the freeway!)

Thanks in advance for any constructive advice (other than to learn how to hold a
 phone properly when shooting a video!)

Mike

Sent from my iPhone
-------------- next part --------------
   Guys,

   Yesterday I accompanied the new owner of a '74 Pantera from Sacramento
   to his home in San Diego.

   We almost made it.

   As we entered the worst of the LA megopolis, the charging system
   suddenly didn't. The am we had been dancing around for hours and it
   finally stabilized deep in the discharge zone. With headlights and fans
   on, crawling in stop and go traffic, it wouldn't be too long before the
   car quit completely so we dove off the freeway into a gas station and
   then enjoyed a two-hour tow truck ride (gotta love AAA premium!)

   Today we started troubleshooting. The new owner is almost devoid of
   tools, but we started by changing the regulator since its cheap. The
   result was an ammeter that now danced violently either side of center.

   Next suspect was the alternator. Although it was new, it was a standard
   Ford remain and thus probably only 50A. We took it to a nearby
   alternator/starter shop where they rebuilt it and converted to 90A in
   just over an hour. They said it tested good beforehand, but since we
   were there, why not improve it?

   With the rebuilt ammeter installed, the needle swing was even more
   pronounced, wider at idle, and reducing at about 3000 rpm.

   Now armed with a recently purchased voltmeter, we tested voltage at the
   battery and found it cranking out 14.3-14.6 volts depending on rpm and
   electrical load (headlights etc)

   After a quick call to SOBill Taylor (bless him!!!!) we reinstalled the
   old regulator to see what would happen.

   Ammeter jumping stopped, replaced with a constant discharge. Voltmeter
   testing at the battery revealed 12.5 volts--the battery was powering
   the car and the alternator was doing nothing.

   We reinstalled the new, electronic (as opposed to stock-style
   mechanical) regulator, and once again had proper charging indications
   at the battery, but the ammeter continued its wild ways.

   I shot a video and stupidly oriented my phone vertically. Only idiots
   shoot videos like this, so my profound apologies:

   [1][3]http://youtu.be/lLKf2Z23P_Q

   So what do you think the next course of action should be? I have at
   least one extra stock ammeter and several regulators, so I am thinking
   of loaning them to him for troubleshooting purposes. Do any of you have
   any suggestions?

References

   1. mailto:detomaso%40server.detomasolist.com?Subject=Re:%20Re%3A%20%5BDeTomaso%5D%20Interesting%20ammeter%20situation.&In-Reply-To=%3CD9FA7B04-D27C-40C9-AE38-0D207CB31D3B%40aol.com%3E
   2. http://youtu.be/lLKf2Z23P_Q
   3. http://youtu.be/lLKf2Z23P_Q