No Voltage Stabilizer on Late Series 3?

[jac04]

I'm re-installing the instruments on my late Series 3 Air Portable. This vehicle should use the same fuel and water temp senders as a civilian S3.

Now, there definitely was NOT a voltage stabilizer installed on this vehicle, and there was no sign whatsoever of there ever being one. The green wire feeding the water temp and fuel gauges comes off of the fuse block and goes directly to the gauges. Is this normal?

All the wiring diagrams I have shows that the green wire should go into the voltage stabilizer, then a light green wire should come out and go to the gauges. I have the stabilizer and was about to modify the wiring when I thought that I better check with the experts.

What should I do?

[scott]

Maybe the green wires went to the stabilizer and when removed the light green wires went with it so the greens were just plugged into the gauges. I've got an old post here somewhere where I made my own v s for a couple of bucks

[jac04]

There is no sign of there ever being a VS. The area on the speedo where it mounts has no indication. Also, ther green wire is set up with 3 daisy-chain connections (presumably for fuel level, water temp and oil temp, although I do not have an oil temp gauge).

[brucejohn]

jac04 since most of my truck in pieces right now, I pulled my instrument cluster (82 SIII 109) to look. I have a green w/ blue stripe straight from temp sensor to lower post on gauge. Light green from top post temp gauge to top post fuel gauge and then down into loom. Green w/ black stripe to straight to fuel sender.

Now I am new to these trucks. I also have a light green wire coming out of the loom attached to a rusty rectangular item attached to the back of my speedometer. Voltage stabilizer?

[Nium]

On the Land Rover UK Forums there's a retired military mechanic that has a few Lightweights goes by Ruxy

Later GS 12 volt Lightweights did not have a voltage stabilizer , uncertain of change point but probably about 1980

picked quote out of thread

http://forum.landrovernet.com/showthread.php?t=163110&highlight=lightweight+voltage+stabilizer

So I'd say it depends on what year vehicle you're dealing with and what gauges have been fitted.

[jac04]

^^ Interesting stuff.

When I bought my Lightweight, the temp gauge read in the red, but the temp was checked with a thermometer according to the PO and the temp was OK. At least that's the story I got.

I think what I have is a 1983 Lightweight (11" front brakes, metric brake system). The original gauges (fuel & water temp) are fitted. I also believe that the fuel level senders are original. However, I have fitted a new 560794 water temperature sender. Does this mean that I need to have a VS in the water temp gauge circuit since I am using a 'normal' temp sender? I'm not sure, because the difference may be in the actual gauges. Hmmmm.......

[jac04]

OK, here's some more info. From what I gather, the voltage stabilizer provides a voltage to the gauges that is lower than battery voltage. I have read that this voltage is both 10 volts and 8.5 volts. I don't know who to believe. I don't have a battery yet, so I couldn't measure the output voltage of the stabilizer.
However, if I hook up a 9 volt battery to either the fuel gauge or the temp gauge, the gauge rises to either the "full" or "hot" position. Since I know that the fuel sender has no resistance at the full level, this means that I definitely need less than 12 volts to produce an accurate gauge reading. Does this sound reasonable?

[Nium]

What happens when you hook 'em up to 8 AA, AAA, D, or C batteries in series? Battery voltage when hooked up in series ( + batt-+batt-, etc) is additive. Alkaline battery voltage is 1.5 VDC (printed on side of battery). NiMH is 1.2 VDC.

[Nium]

Are there an Ohm numbers on the gauages?

[kevkon]

It's really a voltage regulator and it is meant to provide 10.5v to the gauges as opposed to the 14v supplied thru the charging circuit.

[jac04]

Nium-
No ohm numbers on the gauges that I saw, but I didn't remove the individual gauges from the main round gauge.
My next step was to try different voltages to the gauges. Either that or I will just install a battery and move the fuel sender to different positions and see what the gauge reads.

kevkon-
It is actually called a voltage stabilizer according to Land Rover.

[jac04]

jac04 since most of my truck in pieces right now, I pulled my instrument cluster (82 SIII 109) to look. I have a green w/ blue stripe straight from temp sensor to lower post on gauge. Light green from top post temp gauge to top post fuel gauge and then down into loom. Green w/ black stripe to straight to fuel sender.

Now I am new to these trucks. I also have a light green wire coming out of the loom attached to a rusty rectangular item attached to the back of my speedometer. Voltage stabilizer?

brucejohn-
The light green wire should go to the voltage stabilizer, and it sounds like that's what it is going to. Is there another wire (green) going to the VS?

According to the S3 manual:
Green -->VS-->Light Green-->Fuel gauge-->Temp gauge.

The Green wire should be key-on power coming from the fuse block, and should be connected to the "B" terminal on the VS. The Light Green wire is connected to the "I" terminal.

[kevkon]

The green wires are power and need to come from the voltage stabilizer. The green/ ---- wires go to the sender. Any gauge operating at 10.5v needs to fed thru the stabilizer.
Walker- Yes it's called a stabilizer, but it really is a regulator. I think the reason they called it a stabilizer is because the gauges operate in a more stabile manner at a steady 10.5v.

[brucejohn]

jac04...
I will check what is coming in to the stabilizer when I get home tonight, I don't remember it as green?
Going the direction you listed:
V/S > light green > loom > light green > fuel gauge upper post > light green > water temperature gauge upper post.

Fuel gauge lower post > green w/ black stripe > loom > fuel sender
and
Water temperature gauge lower post > green w/ blue stripe > loom > engine block temperature sender near thermostat housing.

That all appears to match the diagram available from our hosts Finally, something on my SIII as it should be! WooHoo! Maybe working on the wiring won't be so bad?

[Nium]

Walker- Yes it's called a stabilizer, but it really is a regulator. I think the reason they called it a stabilizer is because the gauges operate in a more stabile manner at a steady 10.5v.

Kevin, jac04 wrote that about stabilizer/regulator not me.

jac04 some resistance numbers I found for the temperature sending unit 560794...

Cold 300 ohms
Hot 45 ohms

If that helps any.