Charging Issue! About to give up...

[RoverForm]

Ok so now I'm about to throw in the towel and take her down to the shop to drop some cash for a diagnosis.

'66 IIa 2.25 petrol RHD positive earth

issue:
charge light is on
amps in the negative

what i've done:
new interstate battery (exact specification to the truck)
new voltage regulator (identical to OG lucas)
totally rebuilt OG lucas generator (tested good)
polarized gen to pos earth (negative batt terminal to field contact on gen)
polarized reg to pos earth (A1 and F terminals)
belt properly tensioned
checked wires from gen to regulator (no issues)
checked behind dash, rear of gauges- both ammeter and charge light wiring (cannot locate issue)

while engine at idle (1000rpm), ammeter reading below 0, charge light is on, battery is putting out between 12.5 to 13.5 volts. all electronics work.

has no one experienced this type of issue before?

i'm frustrated and stumped...

[Terrys]

Sometimes, when a newly rebuilt generator is tested on the bench, it gets a good solid magnetizing in the polarity the guy figured it should be (Neg Earth most of the time) and it takes repeated 'flashing' to reverse the magnetic field of the field coils. (actually it isn't the coils themselves, it's the iron core of the generator as a whole)I've had stubborn ones too, so don't give up.
Normally it only takes flashing once or twice with the engine off, but when it doesn't 'take' I've started the engine, gotten it to idle as low as possible, clipped a lead of number 10 wire to the field terminal, and held it on the neg battery terminal (or which ever way I was polarizing it) for a few seconds. The wire may get hot momentarily, but then, if the field coil polarity reverses, the wire will simply conduct. Keep the cover off the regulator so you can watch the right-hand coil (facing it)

[Rineheitzgabot]

Sometimes, when a newly rebuilt generator is tested on the bench, it gets a good solid magnetizing in the polarity the guy figured it should be (Neg Earth most of the time) and it takes repeated 'flashing' to reverse the magnetic field of the field coils. (actually it isn't the coils themselves, it's the iron core of the generator as a whole)I've had stubborn ones too, so don't give up.
Normally it only takes flashing once or twice with the engine off, but when it doesn't 'take' I've started the engine, gotten it to idle as low as possible, clipped a lead of number 10 wire to the field terminal, and held it on the neg battery terminal (or which ever way I was polarizing it) for a few seconds. The wire may get hot momentarily, but then, if the field coil polarity reverses, the wire will simply conduct. Keep the cover off the regulator so you can watch the right-hand coil (facing it)

Now that's the kinda post I like.

[RoverForm]

thanks terry. i'll try this today.

[RoverForm]

with the engine at low idle, when i connect the 10 wire to the negative terminal on the batt and then to the field contact on the gen, the charge light on the dash goes out. when i disconnect the wire, the dash charge light goes on.

also, the regulator is not doing anything. there is no activity.

[I Leak Oil]

It sounds like you have a bad wire somewhere. Is your harness original or new?

[RoverForm]

from the looks of it, probably original... definitely not new.

i feel like the issue is somewhere between the battery to regulator, because the regulator is not doing anything. it isn't clicking or moving at all.

[I Leak Oil]

Time to get a volt\ohm meter, your wiring diagram and start doing some checks...No easy way around it.

[RoverForm]

have a voltmeter.

does anyone have a cover pic of the green bible?

the shop manual i have is the brookland edition http://www.4x4shop.se/grafikk/LR70WH.jpg, it isn't totally inclusive and tends to focus more on the SIII.

[73series88]

our host has a wiring diagram 2a neg earth and pos earth under the electrical equipment
http://www.roversnorth.com/store/images/category/medium/LR-page83.pdf
yeh i would go wire by wire
my rover came with no dash so i had to go wire by wire for a series III.
became really famillar with the series3 diagram
good luck
aaron

[yorker]

If you can wait until tomorrow I could scan whatever you want. Shoot me an email.

[RoverForm]

thanks yorker!

i'll take you up on that...

[RoverForm]

so i think i may have isolated the issue...

the lower half of the fuse box is not conducting, however, the top half is. i checked the fuse and it is good.

anyone have any input on these? diagrams?

[I Leak Oil]

Stupid question but are you checking it with the key on? One set is on constant and one set is key on only.

[stomper]

looks a little dirty, did you use any emery cloth to ensure you were getting a good connection with the ohm meter? Sounds like this is where the problem lies, with the fuse in, it should pass current right through the fuse from one side to the other.

[RoverForm]

thanks stomp. i'll check it.

does anyone have a pic of their voltage regulator? particularly the F terminal? the wiring diagram shows the F terminal on the regulator connecting to the F terminal of the dynamo. i assume the F is for field?

my field wire from the dynamo was connected to the D terminal... want to verify placement.

thank you.

[yorker]

fwiw

[RoverForm]

thanks yorker!