200 amp meter bouncing
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Category: Allis Chalmers
Forum Name: Farm Equipment
Forum Description: everything about Allis-Chalmers farm equipment
URL: https://www.allischalmers.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=137670
Printed Date: 04 May 2024 at 12:44pm
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Topic: 200 amp meter bouncing
Posted By: dnel45
Subject: 200 amp meter bouncing
Date Posted: 23 Apr 2017 at 5:50am
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The needle on our 200 amp meter bounces up and down at all RPMs, we replaced the alternator, and it is still doing it. Would this be the voltage regulator under the black cowl hood in front of the cab? Also any idea if this would affect a ACP-6 population planter monitor? We have had our monitor gone through twice and they tell me it is fine, not working right though. Thanks
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Replies:
Posted By: JoeO(CMO)
Date Posted: 23 Apr 2017 at 8:02am
The ammeter on my 185 bounced until I put new brushes in the alternator, I assumed the brushes were the problem
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Posted By: DanWi
Date Posted: 23 Apr 2017 at 5:12pm
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You should hook your monitor directly to the battery If you dont already.
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Posted By: steve(ill)
Date Posted: 23 Apr 2017 at 5:20pm
I would connect a volt meter and see if the alternator is really spiking, or is the present amp meter broken and the needle bouncing on its own. ? Hard to believe the alternator is the problem, after change out.
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Like them all, but love the "B"s.
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Posted By: steve(ill)
Date Posted: 23 Apr 2017 at 5:24pm
If the amp meter is really GOOD, then you spiking up and down on amps. That means the alternator is seeing a momentary dead battery... Must be a loose / corroded wire that shows momentary dead battery..
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Like them all, but love the "B"s.
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Posted By: dnel45
Date Posted: 23 Apr 2017 at 6:56pm
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Would a bad voltage regulator cause this as well? I will connect a volt meter to it tomorrow and see what it's doing. Thanks
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Posted By: DaveKamp
Date Posted: 23 Apr 2017 at 9:10pm
could be any number of things that cause that.
Current flow is a function of battery state, charging system ability, and house load.
Let's say your battery is fully charged, and the charging system is totally able to maintain that load, and you have no house load (no ignition, no lights, nothing at all drawing power. You'll have no current flow, or extremely low, to the battery. That's because the regulator has detected and gone into cutoff.
Let's say all the same above, but there's 20A of house load... you'd see a steady 20A pull on the ammeter.
If you have some device that's got an intermittant draw, the needle of the ammeter will indicate that change.
If you have some limitation in the battery cable, though... or a cracked busbar in the battery, or a shorting plate, or a bad ground cable to the engine or frame, a poor ground from the alternator to the chassis and battery, a bad sensing lead connection (from alternator to voltage regulator), then all sorts of crazy things will happen.
I'd recommend on not ignoring this problem for too long.
No matter what... do NOT limit your troubleshooting to just the primary components. The wiring, and the chassis, and the grounds are also intimately intertwined with this problem. Don't assume ANY wiring is good, especially if you've simply tested it with a continuity meter or ohmmeter... a bad battery cable can indicate zero resistance with an ohmmeter, but put a heavy load on it, it'll fail to carry current... and you'll get wierd issues from all over.
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Ten Amendments, Ten Commandments, and one Golden Rule solve most every problem. Citrus hand-cleaner with Pumice does the rest.
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Posted By: LeonR2013
Date Posted: 23 Apr 2017 at 9:15pm
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I lean towards a bad ground. Seen it happen any times.
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Posted By: JC-WI
Date Posted: 23 Apr 2017 at 11:32pm
Could be the regulator points aren't buzzin but more like sticking and then letting go and repeating... maybe a little cleaning of both the upper and lower points might alleviate the problem... just an opinion
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He who says there is no evil has already deceived himself
The truth is the truth, sugar coated or not. Trawler II says, "Remember that."
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Posted By: steve(ill)
Date Posted: 24 Apr 2017 at 9:17pm
regulator is a definite place to look......... I mistakenly ASSUMED it had an internal regulator and was changed out with the NEW alternator !
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Like them all, but love the "B"s.
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Posted By: Steve in NJ
Date Posted: 25 Apr 2017 at 8:34am
Could be two things. Corrosion on the contacts in the VR, (if external VR) or as Leon mentioned, bad ground. The system could be searchin' for a ground. Its always good to install an external ground strap off the chassis of the VR to make sure its grounded correctly. Corrosion or rust gets under the VR's chassis mounting loosing the ground. That in turn causes a fluctuation in regulation causing "spiking" due to the poor ground. Sometimes removing the VR, cleaning up the grounding foot and adding a aux. ground strap or wire and running it to a good engine or tranny ground or right to the Battery. If the problem still exsists, a shot a Brakekleen or tunner cleaner on the regulator contacts may remove the corrosion. If the contacts show signs of being burnt, its probably best to renew the VR. If you do that, make sure you get the correct VR that will work with the Generator you have. Get the number off the Gennie to get the correct VR. HTH.
Steve@B&B
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39'RC, 43'WC, 48'B, 49'G, 50'WF, 65 Big 10, 67'B-110, 75'716H, 2-620's, & a Motorhead wife
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