If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Battery durability/generator question
Hey all,
My generator crapped out on the way back from work today. I drove about 15 minutes in daylight with it down. I need to drive a total of two hours tomorrow (to and fro work) with no headlights on or windshield wipers. Do you think the battery will hold out long enough for me to make it? As for the generator it is a new Bosch unit, less than a year old. I had the heater on and could smell something burning, kind of a sweet smell, and then the red light came on. Belt was fine, no smoke spewing forth but there was a cigarette but sized bit of brown, papery like material that I pulled out of the gennie. Any ideas of what happened here? --Dan E |
Ads |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
Hmmmmm interesting........I suggest you get a new battery, then if that
doesnt work take the car to trustwoethy and reliable mechanic. Thank you for your time sir "Braukuche" > wrote in message ... > Hey all, > My generator crapped out on the way back from work today. I drove about 15 > minutes in daylight with it down. I need to drive a total of two hours tomorrow > (to and fro work) with no headlights on or windshield wipers. Do you think the > battery will hold out long enough for me to make it? > As for the generator it is a new Bosch unit, less than a year old. I had the > heater on and could smell something burning, kind of a sweet smell, and then > the red light came on. Belt was fine, no smoke spewing forth but there was a > cigarette but sized bit of brown, papery like material that I pulled out of the > gennie. Any ideas of what happened here? > --Dan E |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
Hi
Depends on your battery rating. My gen packed up on my split bus months ago. I got a bigish battery on it and can go a week or two between charges. driving an hour a day, with some night driving ! Then there is my wife with her austin mini (uk), will only fit a small battery in the tray, with a working alternator etc and it still wont start some mornings ! Can you charge it up at work for the return journey ? I think once you got it started it needs to be really flat before your engin stalls. Rich Braukuche wrote: > Hey all, > My generator crapped out on the way back from work today. I drove about 15 > minutes in daylight with it down. I need to drive a total of two hours tomorrow > (to and fro work) with no headlights on or windshield wipers. Do you think the > battery will hold out long enough for me to make it? > As for the generator it is a new Bosch unit, less than a year old. I had the > heater on and could smell something burning, kind of a sweet smell, and then > the red light came on. Belt was fine, no smoke spewing forth but there was a > cigarette but sized bit of brown, papery like material that I pulled out of the > gennie. Any ideas of what happened here? > --Dan E |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
Sounds like your regulator is faulty, and fried the generator. It would be a
good idea to disconnect the generator and not rev the engine, if you decide to drive it, otherwise the gen will continue to burn... While the engine is running, the ignition system draws something like 2.5 to 3.5 amps. In the worst case of (3.5 amps, + 1 amp for reserve) X 2 hours = 9 Ah. If the battery is in a decent condition it will have a capacity of more than 20Ah, so I wouldn't worry about it. It would be good if you can charge it overnight. Bill, '67 bug. "Braukuche" > wrote in message ... > Hey all, > My generator crapped out on the way back from work today. I drove about 15 > minutes in daylight with it down. I need to drive a total of two hours > tomorrow > (to and fro work) with no headlights on or windshield wipers. Do you think > the > battery will hold out long enough for me to make it? > As for the generator it is a new Bosch unit, less than a year old. I had > the > heater on and could smell something burning, kind of a sweet smell, and > then > the red light came on. Belt was fine, no smoke spewing forth but there was > a > cigarette but sized bit of brown, papery like material that I pulled out > of the > gennie. Any ideas of what happened here? > --Dan E "Braukuche" > wrote in message ... > Hey all, > My generator crapped out on the way back from work today. I drove about 15 > minutes in daylight with it down. I need to drive a total of two hours > tomorrow > (to and fro work) with no headlights on or windshield wipers. Do you think > the > battery will hold out long enough for me to make it? > As for the generator it is a new Bosch unit, less than a year old. I had > the > heater on and could smell something burning, kind of a sweet smell, and > then > the red light came on. Belt was fine, no smoke spewing forth but there was > a > cigarette but sized bit of brown, papery like material that I pulled out > of the > gennie. Any ideas of what happened here? > --Dan E |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
>Sounds like your regulator is faulty, and fried the generator. It would be a
>good idea to disconnect the generator and not rev the engine, if you decide >to drive it, otherwise the gen will continue to burn..< Curious, why do you think it would be the regulator? Is there some way I can test the regulator to see if it is faulty before I replace the generator and end up frying another one? If I convert over to an alternator what do I have to change other than the pedestal? --Dan E |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
The regulator used with the generators, has two relays in it. The one is
used to select between high and low charging rate, depending on the voltage on the battery's terminals. The other is used to protect from overcurrent or reverse current or something, I can't remember now. When the battery is in low charge state, the voltage on it's terminals will be lower (eg 12.5-13V with the engine running) than when the battery is fully charged (14-15V with the engine running). So the regulator should select high charging rate when the battery is not fully charged and low charging rate otherwise. Things gets a bit more complicated when the engine is running at high revs, or when you turn on the headlights which draw a significant current. When the engine revs high, the power output of the generator exceeds what the battery can absorb with charging, and the voltage is raised (the battery is being overcharged), so the regulator should switch to low charging rate. But when you turn on the head lights, they draw the excess power, so the regulator should switch back to high charging rate. If the regulator fails to switch from high charging rate to low charging rate at the correct voltage threshold, or if the batery is damaged and the voltage won't climb to 14-15 Volt when fully charged, then the generator will work allways hard, at it's maximum power output. And if you rev the engine at high rpms, the generator will fry. I don't have a test procedure for the regulator handy, maybe someone else has. But you have to use a Bosch regulator matching the generator. The alternators usually have an internal electronic / solid state regulator, which adjusts the output voltage of the alternator to a constant 14.2V (if the revs are enough). So if you replace the gen with an internally regulated alternator, you have to remove the old regulator. The (internally regulated) alternator has two terminals, a B+ terminal which goes directly to the battery (and the fusebox), and a second that goes directly to the speedo light. Setup with regulator -------------------- Battery _____________ ========| |======= Gen + | Regulator | ------------|____________|----------- Gen DF Speedo light Setup with alternator --------------------- Battery - - - - - - ======================== Alt B+ | | ------------------------------------ Alt Speedo light Speedo light - - - - - - ^ Removed regulator. Bill, '67 Bug. "Braukuche" > wrote in message ... > >Sounds like your regulator is faulty, and fried the generator. It would > >be a >>good idea to disconnect the generator and not rev the engine, if you >>decide >>to drive it, otherwise the gen will continue to burn..< > > Curious, why do you think it would be the regulator? Is there some way I > can > test the regulator to see if it is faulty before I replace the generator > and > end up frying another one? If I convert over to an alternator what do I > have to > change other than the pedestal? > --Dan E |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
2000 BMW Z3: Discharged Battery, Hydro Meter Black, Jumped Car, yet still black? | MathMan | BMW | 3 | November 22nd 04 06:40 AM |
Strange Battery Issue | Black Bomb | Corvette | 22 | October 8th 04 03:49 AM |
96 Saturn SC2 - Battery light comes on after ten minutes of driving...then goes away. | tuko | Saturn | 2 | September 3rd 04 08:34 PM |
Dead Battery current leak | Jeremy | Saturn | 3 | July 1st 04 07:54 PM |
Replacing Corroded Battery Cables for SL1 2000 | Chris Gutierrez | Saturn | 2 | June 28th 04 03:40 AM |