Where is the voltage regulator located on a 72?
I believe it is next to the radiator on the drivers side, mounted on the radiator support.
Hah... now why on Earth would I think they would locate it between the alternator and battery??
Thanks,
How can I test the regulator for proper operation?
To my knowledge most places cannot test them anymore unless they are part of the alternator. I could be wrong though. I assume you are having charging issues? I would take your alternator off and have it checked first. If that is ok then I would assume your voltage regulator is bad as that is the only other thing that could be wrong other than wiring.
I have an old tool that I used way back when that jumped between the A+ & F terminals on the V/R wiring connector. I have also used a small lenght of wire with male spade ends on it & does the same thing, it full fields the alt.
This will not be a test of the V/R but it will tell you if the alt. is working so you won't have to pay to have it tested.
Okay the saga continues.
1) I unhooked an amp gauge the previous owner had installed because it was broken.
2) I replaced the alternator, it was tested and was bad.
3) After replacing it, the voltage to the Battery would not change.
4) I reconnected the amp gauge and the voltage to the battery then went to 14.5v.
5) But the battery drained over night and after I got it re started today I found the amp gauge was smoking and almost caught fire so I cut the power and ground wires to it.
6) After that the voltage to the Battery dropped to 6v and the engine died.
I am afraid to replace the amp gauge for fear I would be wasting money and it would fry as well.
Electrical gremlins are what I hate the most.. What else should I check? The voltage regulator seemed to be working as long as the amp gauge was connected but it did smoke the gauge. Maybe it was because the needle was pegged and jammed with broken pieces of plastic that came off the inside rim of the gauge.
Well it sounds to me you may have a wiring problem from how the amp gauge was installed. I would retrace that stuff and see if you can figure out how to put it back to original. Maybe something is cut and grounding out somewhere? If it works when you reconnect it that tells me there is a break somewhere and the gauge is completing the circuit.
It is rare but sometimes the voltage regulator could be bad and cause the drain on the battery overnight. My 67 Mustang would charge when running but would drain the battery overnight. It was the voltage regulator that caused the short/battery drain. To rule that out, I would unplug the regulator it over night and see if the battery is dead in the morning.
Usually when you install an aftermarket ammeter, you interrupt (ie cut) the main power wire, and connect the ammeter in series; then ALL the power for the car-except the starter, goes thru the ammeter- not a good idea. I would follow the 2 big wires from the ammeter to where the factory wire was cut (probably near the starter relay), remove the added wires, and re-connect the original wire. If you want to monitor the charging system, a voltmeter is easier to hook up, and won't make your car unreliable like an ammeter can.
mike
Sorry, it was a volt meter. It was just connected to the resistor lug inline with the alternator wire. I pulled it all out for now.
The status today is I installed a new regulator. After that the battery would still fluctuate badly and go from 12.x to 5.x while just sitting there. I installed the battery from my Ranchero into it and it holds a steady 12.x volts now but does not increase any more than that while the engine is running. While driving the radio will cut out and if I turn on the dome light it will randomly flicker. It must be grounding out somewhere. The wiring must be pretty simple on these cars so it shouldn't be too hard to find. Is there a wiring diagram available that doesn't cost and arm and a leg?
Same issues... it's warmed up enough to spend some time on it. It will not recharge the battery but the alternator, voltage regulator and battery are all good. If I test the voltage coming off the red connector on the alternator it reads as high as 34 volts. Could I have the alternator wired wrong? I put the connectors back on the replacement just as they were on the original. Wire with the red cap is on the field connector. Black cap on ground.