I am almost ready to start my buick that has been dead for 7 years. while installing the wiring harness i came accross this I don't think my car has this attached to the external voltage regulator. if needed where can I get one or is the regulator ok with a straight ground. that diagram just shows a groung. thanks ahead of time
I measured the resistance using a fluke 7 and it stated at 5 M and climbed all the way to open. then i hooked the meter again (after a few minutes) and it was going down in resistance this time
It's actually a capacitor, but...yeah...it's for radio noise. Really doesn't do much, you can run w/o it, you don't need to ground your reg. Your reg should already be grounded by the engine ground strap.
It has two purposes. It reduces the arc that jumps across the points on your external voltage regulator when they open. Double EEs would say that it introduces VARS to the overall impedance of the circuit. This aids the longevity of the points just like the one in your distributor does. When you reduce the arc drawn across the points, you reduce the EMF impulse you hear over the radio receiver.
... along with Jims advice I'll add - If you painted the firewall, make sure the ground strap attachment point is free of paint. I like to grind it clean with a wire brush on my Dremel and then coat it with Dielectric grease. You never see it when the strap and regulator are installed
Condenser or capacitor, same part, different name. It is a high pass filter to ground. Will pass a minor amount of DC, as you have measured. The capacitor charges from the meter's injected energy. The fact that it went to a high resistance means it is actually good. If the resistance stays low in a capacitor, it is leaking, thus defective. You might have attached the Fluke in the other direction, the second time. BTW, when I say "high pass filter", that is in the radio frequency (RF) range. Put them back wherever you find them. The arcing that occurs when points break is in the RF range- that's why it is noticed in the Radio. It'll increase the longevity of whatever device has it installed from the factory- it grounds all that bouncing energy. :Smarty:
Are there less expensive alternatives................. I need this for my car only has AM and it is loud now? Someone has to have a good used one somewhere or new ones that are not factory correct. Just want my radio back. thanks in advance.
Couldn't you just use One from a distributor? It wont have the plug end on it but just hook it to one of the screws to the regulator base? PONCH Hi Joe, Sorry I haven't been in touch.
Not sure, it has that funny connector for the voltage regulator? Could I get something similar and splice it in. I am starting to get other electrical issues too, like there is bad ground somewhere. Blinkers are slow and all bulb connections are good. Going to try and find a new blinker relay tonight. Not sure why it would just start happening now though? And no worries on the communication, been so busy I don't know which way is up.
www.lectriclimited.com for a repro. These circuits are designed and the components specified in voltage and microfarads which are stamped on the can.
These have a different capacity, depending on where they are located. You should put an equivalent unit wherever they are. NAPA carries one...doesn't say for what car make, so it may be just an example: http://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/C...age-Regulator-Condenser/_/R-ECHRC2_0431132565 $13...insane! Depending on how much looking around you want to do, you can try an electrical supply house, providing them with the voltage range and capacity. I feel like it should be 1/4th to 1/2 that price, personally.
This great, I need a blinker relay too. Went to AZ and they had a similar part for 6 bucks but not in stock for either. Your NAPA link helped make the connection. They are further away but will try tomorrow. The ones online are insanely priced. If that fails then onto electric ltd. thanks again guys
VARS and impedance are only AC terms, in DC circuits the capacitor takes the up charge that occur when points either ignition or voltage regulator open. They discharge again as the points close.
\ You are mistaken. Ask yourself why a capacitor, which under your analysis is just an open circuit in a pure DC circuit, is being used in what you thought was a pure 12 volt DC circuit. A capacitor would be an unneeded component in a pure DC circuit. They are also applicable terms when one has a transient circuit which is what happens when points open and close. AC circuits in this sense are just a species of a much broader term, the transient circuit --meant the voltage and current vary and are not steady state over time. In an auto circuit using points in a regulator, the current and voltage do not change instantaneously from 0 to 12 volts. So during this phase when the points activate, it is no longer a pure DC circuit. It is a transient circuit, meaning the voltage and current ramps up and down. If one specified the circuit in its Thevenin equivalent, in the real world it would show a voltage supply in series with a switch and an inductor and in parallel with a resistor, a capacitor and an inductor. Even if one uses a transistor as the switch, this hold true. So why do the wiring diagrams not show all of the this? The simple answer is, "For simplicity". Otherwise, one would have to call in an EE to try to explain all of this when 99% of the time it is not needed.
You naughty boy! I would never do such a thing! It's especially entertaining when there is a sign under it saying "Do not touch". :laugh:
