Electrical issue

[jebudallaha]

Hey,
This isn't a tercel specific question, per say, but I'm at my wits end with it. So here's the story:

I blew my water pump on my '83 tercel 4wd about a week ago (not a big deal, and it was about due so it makes sense). When my pump went, my charge light came on (makes sense as the belt fell off and the alternator wasn't charging). So I put a new water pump in all was good with the cooling system.

But my charge light is still on. First thought was that the alternator somehow got damaged when the belt was thrown. So I take it in to get it tested but they "didn't have right adapter" so I bought a new one because I needed the car. So I throw in the new alternator, charging light is still on. So I go and put in a new voltage regulator, no luck. It had been cold and I had driven a little bit on the battery without the alternator so I thought the battery might be dead, so I charge it for 15 hours and take it in to have it tested and it tested good, but that didn't solve the issue either. So I have a good battery, a new, supposedly good, alternator, a new voltage regulator, but my battery is still not charging.

I can get the charge light to go out by revving the engine to ~3500 rpm when the battery is freshly charged, and ~3000rpm when it is dying. I've looked for wire damage and haven't found any.

So if anyone has experienced with a similar problem or has any idea of what's wrong, let me know. Like I said, I can't think of any other logical problems and it's driving me nuts. Thanks in advance.

[takza]

I once spent 5 days or so trying to hunt down a charging problem...and it turned out to be a non-functioning NEW regulator (I did nothing but plug it in). I've only replaced maybe 3 of these in 50K miles...that's where I would look. Return it? Might check that the connecters (alt and reg) are all good...I usually use a small jewelers screwdriver to tighten up the small female side connectors..just don't crack the plastic...work the whole plug back and forth and use some dielectric or silicone on them.

[jebudallaha]

Problem solved!!! It was a faulty NEW voltage regulator (thanks takza for the tip, if the same thing hadn't happened to you, I wouldn't have even considered the new voltage regulator to be an issue). Now the question is why have I destroyed two voltage regulators within 4 months. But that can wait.

[takza]

Might go thru all the relevant connectors I mentioned and also make sure you have good ground and battery wires? At least remove and clean up any corrosion and use some dielectric?

They say to replace the alt and reg together...can get a bit expensive that way.

Might be that your battery is marginal?

Glad that info helped...sure bummed me out...doing endless troubleshooting over a faulty part.

[danzo]

Now the question is why have I destroyed two voltage regulators within 4 months.

The blame may actually rest with the manufacturer and not on your hands. As many others here can attest, parts from certain makers and countries may have questionable quality control. Just be sure to keep your receipts.

I discovered this the hard way years ago when I was working in an Autozone while attending school. I bought a rebuilt OEM Marinelli starter motor for my Fiat X1/9. About 3 months later the car wouldn't start, I assumed the starter was OK and tried for a couple days to figure it out. I eventually gave up and had it towed to an Italian car specialist who discovered a poorly rebuilt starter. They assured me they cussed AZ in Italian for me (no extra charge) since I didn't know the language.

Glad to hear you got it working again.

[tercelwill]

I had the same problem with a rebuilt starter. They take your worn out starter send it to mexico they clean it paint it pop in some new brushes and slap a 80 dollar sticker on it. criminal.

On the bright side most rebuilt stuff has a life time warranty. I know Advanced Auto Parts has it. the guy got me a new one no questions asked. they know it's a problem