[Unclepennybags]

I wanted to freshen up a voltage regulator before putting it back on the car. Besides checking the field and regulator gaps, what do I need to check out to make sure this thing is ready for another tour of duty?

Thanks!

Mike

 

[John_Muha]

Been a very long time since I checked contact and air gaps. Gotten lazy and normally just replace the regulators. Things I look for after they are in is the idiot light circuit working and the alternator putting out the proper voltage. Maybe someone else has a thought.

 

[Unclepennybags]

John - This one was working fine when it was in the car. The idiot light operated normally, and the last battery that I had in the car lasted a LONG time, so I think it is fine. I just wanted to know what to look for while I had it apart.

I checked the field relay and voltage regulator air gaps and point gaps. All of them were very close to spec except the voltage regulator air gap. It was around .060" rather than the .067" called for in the shop manual. I am thinking of leaving it where it was rather than adjust it to the spec since the voltage regulator functioned fine in the car. Thoughts?

Thanks!

Mike

By the way, if you increase the voltage regulator air gap would you be increasing the voltage output of the alternator or decreasing it?

 

[John_Muha]

I'd leave the gap alone. The .007 isn't gong to hurt anything. Just test it out after you install it.

 

[Unclepennybags]

Thanks John. I will.

 

[JWagner]

I just checked some old Delco service literature on this topic and the adjustment procedure is done on the car. It takes only 14 steps and 3 pages of tabulated temperature compensation info.(They worked hard to make it simple!). One thing that stood out was that they "cycle" the regulator after each adjustment; this is done by stopping an restarting the engine or by unplugging and reconnecting the harness to the regulator. Seems like a lot of work. This makes the solid state regulator seem even nicer.