Charging Problems

IN my 1970 chevy impala i just put in a alternator and voltage regulator and the volts run alright in the daytime but in the morning when i drive to school i have the lights on and the volts are jumping all around. it goes from 13.5 to 14.4 and then when i put the heater on it sits for about 5 minutes before jumping up to 18 volts and staying there driving down the road until it blew out my headlight. I think Schucks gave me a bad voltage regulator. But i am completely baffled. Any help will be appreciated.

Thanks,
GeneralNutt

Sounds like a grounding issue - check to ensure that the regulator is properly grounded (bolted to the radiator support) and also check the grounds for the headlights. Since you are getting high voltage, the regulator is suspect if it's properly grounded. It wouldn't be the first time I've seen a bad regulator from the parts store - my old 1972 Impala had the same problem with an Autozone regulator back in 1986 (back then it was Auto Shack, not Autozone for some useless trivia that you'll never need).

http://www.gfgilmore.com/images/auto.jpg

Thanks man i thought it was a regulator but i will check the ground. Never know i have fixed quite a few things on this thing but it keeps friggin breaking something but that is what you get when you own a hotrod that is 37 years old right.

I'd still bet on the voltage regulator being bad. Your car should charge at around 13.6-14.1 volts. But take off the ground wire on the radiator wall, scuff up the terminal until you see bare metal, also do the part where it connects to.

Bob

Many regulators can be adjusted. The fact that the covers are riveted on is only a small inconvenience.