I have to think his is aftermarket stuff @triedaq I do not recall ever seeing this as stock.
@Barkydog–it seems to me I remember seeing an electro-mechanical voltage regulator on a 1967 Oldsmobile 88. This was on a relative’s car. The alternator had gone out and the regulator did not have a cut out to prevent power from flowing back to the alternator. The alternator had a diode that was supposed to prevent the current from flowing backward from the battery. On a generator equipped car, one section of the regulator opened up to prevent this back flow of current from the battery to the generator.
Like you, I’m surprised that by 1972 the Oldsmobile still had an electo-mechanical voltage regulator.
Yep, 72 still had it. I have pictures from when this car was retrieved from the junk yard and it had it on the firewall still installed. I also bought a new M&H wiring harness for the car while I was reassembling it and the harness was set-up for external voltage regulator. All the parts houses sell the electro-mechanical but offer a solid state replacement. I have about 30 more minutes of patience left in this module before I go to solid state.
I went for a 20 minute ride last night with varying results that I am pretty sure are the cig lighter contact issue with my Volt meter because I parked it, went in the house for about an hour. Came back out and checked the rest voltage, 12.5V right where it should be.
If you are going for a concours award use the OEM. If your just the average muscle car guy go with solid state and make it look like the OEM unit and save everyones sanity including your own.
I went through hell with my 63 falcon my first car out of a bone yard then I got smart and swapped the charging system out for for one from a Fairmont.
Just food for thought
@greenmonster I understand and will probably be throwing on a solid state very soon. I’m just stubborn when I spend more money for the “better” part and it still doesn’t work as advertized. I know the solid state is actually cheaper than the part I am using and a whole lot less trouble but money spent is never easy to recover. Time spent isn’t either but as a hobby type car still gives me a challenge to fix.
Perfectly understandable I own an old BSA so I know exactly were you are coming from.
So like I said, I was only going to put about 30 more minutes into this before throwing in the towel. I took the car out a couple days ago and the charging was low with the lights on. Today it went full tilt and shorted a contact inside the regulator as far as I could tell. I could not run the car above an estimated 2000 RPM because I would flash over 15V.
I threw on the solid state one and was very pleasantly surprised by the steady charge state with headlights on or off. Now to disguise it with the metal cap from the one that I could never get to work.
Isn’t today’s modern electronics wonderful!?
Where do you get this solid state voltage regulator?
Autozone carried it years ago. Maybe htey still do.
| Larry-250
September 9 |
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Where do you get this solid state voltage regulator?
I thought GM had the regulator in the alternator by ‘72.
My 72 Oldsmobile had the external regulator on the firewall when pulled from the junk yard in early 90s.
| texases
September 17 |
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I thought GM had the regulator in the alternator by ‘72.
OK. I’m surprised, what I can dig up says GM had switched over by '72, but Rockauto has external regulators available for your car, but not the '73, so there must have been exceptions. I wonder why…
Model year change over without having to do wiring harness changes? The 71/72 Cutlass look alike except for some small trim differences. Who knows.
September 17 |
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OK. I’m surprised, what I can did up says GM had switched over by '72, but Rockauto has external regulators available for your car, so there must have been exceptions. I wonder why…