Overcharging?

[marksgarage2]

I think my truck is overcharging. The gauge reads high and the batterys are a little wet on top. I saw a allen screw with a plate that says turn to raise or lower voltage. Do these units have a built in voltage regulator? I have a spare unit that came with the truck, but want some info before I change it. Thanks

 

[marksgarage2]

Well, right now I have the radiator out for recore. That when I saw this adjustment. Also the belts are off, easy to change right now. Which do I have gen or alt? How can I tell the difference? Thanks

 

[Jones]

Generators usually have a large cannon plug that the cable to the regulator plugs into. Alternators are self-regulated and a fairly common feature is a ring of big slots about 3/5 of the way back, sometimes with a cooling fan (like usually found behind the belt pulley) inside for air circulation. Don't stick anything in there while running; results are spectacular but painful. In the site Tech Manuals section is a good set of pictures in the Deuce -20 and -20P manuals under Electrical.

 

[cranetruck]

Before signing off tonight, I might take a stab at this.

Firstly:Make sure the battery terminals are clean and tight.
Make sure all ground straps are good. The 25 amp regulator is grounded via jumpers that go across the mounting screws.

The 25 amp generator has a separate regulator mounted on the firewall, big black box with fins. It can be adjusted by first removing the cover and then, using a small screwdriver, turning the small potentiometer on the very top of the circuit board. There are two, I think it's the one on the right as you are facing them.

The 60 amp alternator has a built-in regulator. It is adjusted by first removing a small pipe plug on the housing to gain access to the trimmer pot. It's near the wire terminals. The housing should be marked accordingly.

The dash bat/gen gauge can be useful if calibrated correctly. Best to put a DVM on the battery terminals, though.

 

[marksgarage2]

Thanks for the great info guys. My rad should be done on weds. Then I will check it out.

 

[Ugg013]

Mark:

Check your batteries out and see if maybe the fluid froze.

Later
Ugg

 

[marksgarage2]

I don't think thats it because its been overcharging for a year. I keep the lights on when I start it to eat up some of the extra juice, but its time to fix it. Mark

 

[Ugg013]

Mark:

Actually, what you do is kinda like an old timers trick when starting when it's real cold out. Ya eurn your lights on for about 10-15 sec then crank. You'll get the battery's max output then.

Later
Ugg

 

[Crazyguyla]

I have a 25 Amp charging system that pegs out at 30v. I have the older non electronic regulator. I have taken off the cover and everything looks ok. How do I adjust the voltage output?

 

[westfolk]

I have one that sits in the green for about a minute. Then shoots to the high red, and stays there. If you almost kill the engine(RPMs) it'll drop back to the green and stay there for about a minute and then right back to the high red. My fix....unplgged the little wire(not the ground cable or the starter(+) cable) from the alternator. Now it sits in the high yellow all the time. My guess is the regulator sticking.

 

[Recovry4x4]

THere is an output adjustment on the alternator. I had to adjust mine on the M108A2. Got the alternator from Rizzo and after backing down the volatge a bit, it's perfect.

 

[jwaller]

mine stopped working so I thought I'd play with the voltage adjustment screw to see if it would help. well I moved it just enough to say I moved it and low and behold it started to work again.

PS. I couldn't get the plug out of the case but if you remove the rear case cover you can access that pot fro there instead