My classic 67 Riviera has a power drain, and ive heard many tales, but i have returned here, the great alter of buick wisdom, to get the truth. SYMPTOMS: Car has trouble starting up, and when running, with lights on, the eventually dim. the kenwood cd player i put in dash (im considering going back to the original radio, got that too) flashes dead, then revives. I admit that the points most likely need to be replaced and may be my start up problem, but the motor seems to turns over, but doesnt seemt to get enough power to complete it. POSSIBLE CAUSES?: Voltage regulator, Alternator (brand new, kragen unkown amps) and Battery, Kicker amp, cable running from batter to amp/remote running from amp to radio. Of course i want to get her running ASAP the road calls her. I do however plan on over hauling the motor as soon as Uncle Sam pays back the taxes they took from me I checked kanter, and they dont seem to have in their catalog a voltage regulator for a 67 riviera. So if it does turn out to be a VR, any information on how to obtain one would be so kickass. Thanks! Noah 1967 Buick Riviera GS 96k Original Motor, soon to be overhauled
Kenwood radio relation? Prior to the car dieing, due to lack of power, the cd radio flashes, then comes back. Then the car dies. With some negotiation, ie jumper cables. The car starts back fine. The issue is really hit and miss, it'll come, then it'll go... really pisses me off because when i get close to the cause, it goes away! :af:
I suspect the ground connection from the battery to the engine case. I am not familiar with that model but there are usually other unshielded grounds from the engine case to somewhere on the firewall like the case of the voltage regulator. Use a multi meter to measure the resistance between those points or while the lights are on wiggle those cables and see if you can duplicate the SX.
OK! heres the updates, alternator is good, battery was low.. alternator isnt more than 6 months old. battery, same age. im thinking the voltage reg, but i dont know what volts it should be at? any info is good, thanks for your help im gonna sit in the corner now, my brains fried...
Alt should be 13 - 14.4 volts when off idle. Like 2500 rpm's or so. Posted on your other thread too. I think it is the voltage reg also. You can make a little jumper wire and with the volt regulator unplugged jump the 2 @ 4th wire I think. The 2 thickest wires on the regulator connection. This will put the alt in full field/ load. You will hear the alt whine under load when you get the right combo. Measure the output at that time. You can get a cheapo meter that goes right on the + and - of the battery. If its only 12 - 12.5 volts, the alt is junk. If its 13 - 14 volts, its the regulator. Remember just because the alt is new, doesn't mean anything. I have had plenty of new parts from reputable companies that go bad quickly. Batteries too. I'm used to trouble shooting the big truck stuff lately, so I may be off on which 2 wires to jump on the regulator harness, but you will figure it out. You won't melt your car or anything. Tony
unplug jump 2 and put in 4? or make a wire go in two and 4? what guage of wire? im SERIOUSLY confused lol :error:
Its just a cheater way to test the alternator. Take a peice of 12 or 10 gauge wire, unplug the black wide connector that goes into the voltage regulator on the one side, and place the jumper wire in the (I think) the second wire, and the last wire on that black connector. It is probably easy to get turned around on which ones, but they should be the heaviest gauge 2 wires on the connector. You can also take the alternator off and have it tested at a local parts house, but this is just a quick trick. I think a regulator is your fix though if all the cables and grounds check out. Was this an all of a sudden problem, or after you replaced some parts? Or was it all linked to the radio install, or has that been in their for a while? Tony
Replaced parts! Ok folks, i replaced the battery and the Voltage Regulator, battery is from clarks in bellflower, gotta love clarks, and so is the VR, car was running fine today, fiance said it ran fine, but now she says it is experiencing the same issue! :ball: now im left with the alternator as the trouble maker... maybe im not getting the right one from clarks, which one should i get? i just ask them for the alternator for a 1967 BUICK riviera, and i put it in. Now its apparently not working. ou: HELP!!
You probably have to many options and acsessories (sp?) so your running down the battery. Happens to all of the foreign cars with sub-woofers, amps, cd-players, neons and a ton of other useless junk. Just my thought. Goodluck
I think that maybe you should look at the add ons that you mentioned in your original thread. I am not too familiar with the amp that you mentioned but I do know that they can draw a heck of a lot of current from the battery! Try unhooking the amp from the battery and running the car for a while and see if it has the same problem. I have assisted my son install a few real 'thumpers' and there are times when we added a second battery and a really fat capacitor to keep from interfering with the ignition system. I only mention this because they can really effect the car if not properly isolated. Just my $.02. Good luck!
Capacitors do different things in different circuits but when used in the power supply circuit for a power amp it is actually a temporary voltage storage device. Usually they tend to be of large capacitance and can give you a nice little jolt in the right circumstances. Their primary purpose is to smooth out the drain from the battery by acting as a 'temporary battery' to the amplifier. This way the DC circuit in the car does not experience huge negative voltage spikes when the amp calls for an immediate need as when there is a big base thump to the speakers. Big fluctuations also wreak havoc with the old style voltage regualtors that were in use in '67. :beer
You can also take the car to your local AutoZone, O'Reilly's, or whatever, most major chain parts stores can do a load test on the alternator and or battery while in the car. Just don't let them actually turn a wrench on the car... :spank: If you need a larger alternator for the additional load, check out this thread on bolt-in alternator upgrades. Good Luck! :TU:
so i should go with my kicker amp, unkown amps i think 700 or 800, and my subs connected, have them test it and roll from there? i have been reading at :Comp: http://www.madelectrical.com/electricaltech/delcoremy.shtml and it seems like the 12si is my best bet. any input?
**update** when i replaced the battery and voltage regulator i didnt look too hard at either one, just wanted to replace them, since the previous owner painted on the VR, i figured it may have gotten some paint on the mechanisms and thats how it was ruined. any who, last night i take a gander at it and low and behold, the threads on both screws for it were pretty much stripped! it appears it hasnt been working for some time! good thing i got electronic now :Brow: now to remove the points for electornic too!
Just let them test the alternator without your car loading it, their machine will put a load on and test. Looks like you found your problem, the regulator?
12 volts at idle is low, but may not be a problem. Old-style alternators often don't charge very well at idle. With no lights, radio, etc, on, if you'll rev the engine up to about 1500 rpm, the alternator should output should jump to at least 13.5 volts, 15.5 max. If not, then I'd pull the alternator and have it tested by itself (parts store can do this.) Sounds like you may have an internittent problem, which would point to loose wiring, often the connector at the back of the alternator is a trouble spot. Check your connectors and grounds, and the high idle output. If the output goes up with revs, you're probably ok, but might want to upgrade the alternator to one that puts out more at idle.
problem with that is, the alt isnt very old maybe 6mo-1yr! a friend of mine said the motor itself my be idling low.. could that be a cause?
Unfortunately, age doesn't mean much, as many parts sold today aren't rebuilt very well...as in: "Rebuilt" often means they replaced ONLY the part that failed, and "Remanufactured" often means they replaced most of the parts that USUALLY fail. Either way, many "remanufacturers" don't take the time/effort to truly FIX what's wrong with the cores they get... :rant: Anyway - Engine should idle around 600 in gear. What's the higher rpm voltage? That's the number you're interested in.
