I know you guys are smart, so hopefully you can help. I went to start my car this afternoon, it started to crank very slow, then stopped. I tried again, and checked not getting power. Popped the hood looked around, saw no damage. Went to start it again, saw some sparks come from the area of the regulator. Then no power at all, not even in accessory. I've looked around for burned wiring, but didn't see anything. I'm really hoping it's the regulator, as I have another in my closet.
Was just about to tell you that for about $90 and one hour you can chuck that ancient system and put a 1987 94 amp internally regulated alternator in. But I see you have a spare regulator. Darn! :laugh: In this case swap out your regulator and try again. I've got two spares (since I use that modern system) so if you kill yours I'll send you one for the price of shipping.
Ok, got a new battery, mine looked to be swollen, and was too small anyway. Update, looks like a short in the car. With negative battery cable disconnected and the ignition off I did a few tests. 1) DMM shows a short for every fuse to ground. 2) Disconnected voltage regulator, and 2-pin connector from Alternator. F-terminal showed a short to ground. So it looks like Field is shorted to ground. Is there some breaker that is getting tripped or something that could explain why I have no power after it sparks shortly. When I did look at the car this morning, after installing my new battery it operated fine in ACC, and the headlights worked. However, soon as I tried to start saw a couple sparks near the regulator, then no power.
Well, here's all the went on. Dead voltage regulator Overcharged battery Bad ground connection at battery
