I recently replaced the voltage regulator on my 1983 W150 Dodge pickup. I have the old VR and am wondering if anyone knows what could be learned with a multimeter. There are two contacts and the metallic case. I can measure the resistance between any of the two contacts. Does this tell me anything u…

Like @Barkydog says, one fairly easy test is to measure the voltage on the battery when the car is idling. 14-14.5 volts usually means the alternator and VR are both working.

If the voltage regulator loses its ground it will fail. It is a good idea to sand the area around the mounting screw holes on the firewall to ensure that the new VR is well grounded and never start the engine without the VR being securely mounted if the harness is connected.

Those old Chrysler external regulators were almost impossible to field test…They were tested by testing the alternator by “full fielding” it. If the alternator responded normally, then the regulator was judged to be at fault. Typically, owners of these vehicles replaced both the alternator and regul…

I must not have made my question clear. I’m not trying to fix things, rather learn if any information can be obtained from a voltage regulator that has been removed from service. Tests on the truck show things are working, but I’m curious about what, if anything, the old VR can tell.

There probably is some kind of test you could do on the VR to bench test it, but you’d need somebody with charging system electronics expertise on 1980’s Dodges, and this person may be hard to find. Try this link, some general info on Dodge charging systems … http://ramchargercentral.com/electrica…

If I had the project to test your Voltage Regulator, I would hunt down a 0-30 volt variable power supply with at least a 200 milliampere capacity. Connect the positive lead of the power supply to the Bat contact on the regulator and the negative lead to the regulator case. Connect a 100 ohm 5 watt…

Sun Equipment offered a bench tester for starters, alternators, generators and voltage regulators but it was large, heavy and required several batteries plus 220v power. I sold one to the federal government after I diagnosed the problem they were having with Dodge trucks not charging. They had a she…

Testing voltage regulator

Maintenance/Repairs

Barkydog January 15, 2013, 5:36am 2

Do you have gauges or idiot lights? If you have a gauge you are styling. If you have an idiot light and it is not going on most likely the alternator is fine and you are looking at a bad battery or connections, ie battery to ground would be a prime suspect. If the gauge shows 14 volts or so while running it is a battery or connection issue.

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Testing voltage regulator

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