John D
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- Last seen
- Joined
- Feb 21, 2022
- Thunderbird Year
- 1964
Hi all - I've been having wiring issues which started a month ago on a weekend trip away, about 4 hours from home the battery died whilst driving ( battery was less than a month old).
When I got home I fully recharged the battery to a standing 12.6v and measured it with the engine revving around 2-3000 rpm at 12.2v, I already had a new regulator at home so i swapped it over and tested it again with the same results.
I purchased a new 55 amp alternator ( 4 wire) and connected it up, as soon as I turned the key to start - I heard a ticking noise from the regulator followed by smoke, I quickly disconnected the battery leads and let it cool. The new regulator is toast, I've taken the top off it and the circuit behind the (I) post is melted.
I've checked the wiring at both the alternator and regulator ends, they are not in the best condition but they are wired in correctly as I've owned this bird for 4 years and this is the first time I've had these issues. The picture is of the connector that sits at the end of the radiator near the regulator, as you can see its pretty gnarly, so i decided to pull the loom and rebuild it.
A couple of things puzzle me, in the wiring scematic there are only 3 wires going through this plug - the yellow, green with red and the black with yellow (power), mine has a 4th wire which is another black with yellow power wire. I'm not sure why a 2nd power wire is needed?
I've had new wire made up by an auto electrician but wanted to confirm the wiring before putting it all back together.
TIA
The burnt regulator.
When I got home I fully recharged the battery to a standing 12.6v and measured it with the engine revving around 2-3000 rpm at 12.2v, I already had a new regulator at home so i swapped it over and tested it again with the same results.
I purchased a new 55 amp alternator ( 4 wire) and connected it up, as soon as I turned the key to start - I heard a ticking noise from the regulator followed by smoke, I quickly disconnected the battery leads and let it cool. The new regulator is toast, I've taken the top off it and the circuit behind the (I) post is melted.
I've checked the wiring at both the alternator and regulator ends, they are not in the best condition but they are wired in correctly as I've owned this bird for 4 years and this is the first time I've had these issues. The picture is of the connector that sits at the end of the radiator near the regulator, as you can see its pretty gnarly, so i decided to pull the loom and rebuild it.
A couple of things puzzle me, in the wiring scematic there are only 3 wires going through this plug - the yellow, green with red and the black with yellow (power), mine has a 4th wire which is another black with yellow power wire. I'm not sure why a 2nd power wire is needed?
I've had new wire made up by an auto electrician but wanted to confirm the wiring before putting it all back together.
TIA
The burnt regulator.
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