• Steel Soldiers now has a few new forums, read more about it at: New Munitions Forums!

  • Microsoft MSN, Live, Hotmail, Outlook email users may not be receiving emails. We are working to resolve this issue. Please add support@steelsoldiers.com to your trusted contacts.

M1078 100amp alternator charging issue

coachgeo

Well-known member
5,147
3,462
113
Location
North of Cincy OH
DriverDarrell is the 2016 posts, are we wishing to rehash what was solved 8 years ago?
no,- reviewed the thread since it came back up.... sparked a hope that mayyyyyyyyybe by remote chance my charging failure is not a bad regulator after all. Hence the question

PS- .. tis actually considered good Netiquette TO NOT start new threads but instead ask in existing threads on the topic.... Especially when all one seeks is more refined info or clarity of things found there.
 
Last edited:

hike

—realizing each day
Steel Soldiers Supporter
531
838
93
Location
Texas Hill Country
no,- reviewed the thread since it came back up.... sparked a hope that mayyyyyyyyybe by remote chance my charging failure is not a bad regulator after all. Hence the question

PS- .. tis actually considered good Netiquette TO NOT start new threads but instead ask in existing threads on the topic.... Especially when all one seeks is more refined info or clarity of things found there.
I agree with using related threads rather than starting anew. Will add that often folks, myself included, do not realize a thread is old and stale and direct questions toward those whom have long ago left. DriverDarrell was last seen in fall 2022. Hope springs eternal. He verified the voltages on each leg from the batteries? What are your legs telling you?
 

coachgeo

Well-known member
5,147
3,462
113
Location
North of Cincy OH
I agree with using related threads rather than starting anew. Will add that often folks, myself included, do not realize a thread is old and stale and direct questions toward those whom have long ago left. DriverDarrell was last seen in fall 2022. Hope springs eternal. He verified the voltages on each leg from the batteries? What are your legs telling you?
my right Achilles is telling me to stop tumbling. Ive given up on the alternator issue right now... I got to get to work and back and that exhaust me as it is.... so I just charge batts at home and then often again once I get to work.
 

Lostchain

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
285
587
93
Location
Portland, OR
my right Achilles is telling me to stop tumbling. Ive given up on the alternator issue right now... I got to get to work and back and that exhaust me as it is.... so I just charge batts at home and then often again once I get to work.
If you pay the shipping round trip I’ll bench test your regulator for free, I have a spare alternator I can test it on, and I can load bank it.
 

Lostchain

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
285
587
93
Location
Portland, OR
Mighty kind of you..... but it's a 200amp alt that appears to have the bad regulator and not the 100
oh darn, I could test the whole alt for you but the shipping would be pretty spendy..

Have you tried wiring up a small set of batteries directly to the alternator? If you do this carefully it will completely rule out any faulty wiring or other issues in the truck.

IMG_0940.jpeg
 

coachgeo

Well-known member
5,147
3,462
113
Location
North of Cincy OH
oh darn, I could test the whole alt for you but the shipping would be pretty spendy..

Have you tried wiring up a small set of batteries directly to the alternator? If you do this carefully it will completely rule out any faulty wiring or other issues in the truck.

View attachment 920419
been when weather allows.... concentrating on putting fresh engine in my daily driver. that put me in the truck as last resort.

PS- did get two 140amp 24v alts for half price of a Neihoff. Got to alter the LMTV mount to fit one.. which is back to an outside in the cold project issue and risking not getting done and no one to teach my class at YMCA (my job).

Getting old sucks.
 
Last edited:

SS WFO

New member
18
3
3
Location
washington nj
I start out with green lights and 28-29v/14-15v and after a few minuets running my gauge starts dipping and I start getting amber on 24 and red on 12 with24-25 and 12.6v. If I disconnect and reconnect power to alt I get power for a few seconds. Also I don't have a polarity protector.batterys are new
 

Ronmar

Well-known member
3,846
7,475
113
Location
Port angeles wa
I start out with green lights and 28-29v/14-15v and after a few minuets running my gauge starts dipping and I start getting amber on 24 and red on 12 with24-25 and 12.6v. If I disconnect and reconnect power to alt I get power for a few seconds. Also I don't have a polarity protector.batterys are new
Well if you are sure of your connections between alt and battery(voltage drop test pass), and your excite voltage(forward screw terminal on alternator) is above 21V, then that sounds like a regulator issue…
 

SS WFO

New member
18
3
3
Location
washington nj
Having found the C E niehoff troubleshooting guide on line I see that a flashing red means over current. Im thinking Im thinking Igot something wired wrong where the polarity protector was. I think I got some 24 going to the 12
 

MatthewWBailey

Thanks for this site. My truck runs great now!
Steel Soldiers Supporter
835
1,519
93
Location
Mesa Colorado
Having found the C E niehoff troubleshooting guide on line I see that a flashing red means over current. Im thinking Im thinking Igot something wired wrong where the polarity protector was. I think I got some 24 going to the 12
For the 100a/260a/300a dual voltage Neihoff, Flashing Red = Over voltage, either intermittent or steady, on either 28v or 14v side or both. Shutdown is at 32v on 28 side or 16v on 14 side. I went thru this whole annoying process on mine. Best to bench top test it like @Lostchain shows.
3EC6F627-55C4-44B7-8A57-98E2AEE95EA2.png3C19E914-7C2B-4CF3-B6EA-0E6579313F97.jpeg
 

Ronmar

Well-known member
3,846
7,475
113
Location
Port angeles wa
Yep, flashing red is over-volt, solid red is locked out/disconnected due over-volt anything over 14.1/28.2 is not normal. This thing relies on proper connections to battery to operate correctly, which is why I mentioned a voltage drop test, which confirms this connection. You can achieve the same thing by voltage tests at alt and then immediately at battery. These voltages should always be within 3% of each other, the difference is the voltage lost thru cable/connection resistance…

in general over-voltage indicates to me a poor connection between alt and load/batteries, and the regulator is delivering minimum drive but the voltage cannot really go any lower… that or a failing regulator… so I always validate cables/connections because the alt/regulator performance can very easily be a case of garbage in = garbage out…
 
Top