Electrical Charging System.

[PattyJoe]

Hey guys,
I have an 84 gt with some kind of electrical issue. First the starter was staying engaged while the car was running. So I changed the starter solenoid on the firewall and that fixed that problem. Then my battery was dead. I charged my battery and pulled my battery cable with the car running and the car stalled. I then pulled the connector on the voltage regulator and ran a jumper wire between the 1st and 3rd tab on the connector and ran the car with no battery, the car stayed running with the system looped, which I thought meant the alternator was good and voltage regulator was bad. I just put a new voltage regulator on and my system is still not charging. Also my amp gauge has been stuck dead center since the problem began(even when the car is off, not sure how relevant this is). By my tests and reasoning, my alternator is good so I was wondering if there is anything else it could be?

 

[TuneUpsNSuch]

First, let just stop taking the battery cable off with the vehicle running. While this was valid for some designs back in the day it no longer is a rule with electronic ignitions and computerized engine controls. Ford Ammeter gauges are notoriously inaccurate so you really should have a decent voltmeter to work with. The procedure you are looking for is called "full fielding" to see if the alternator is putting out and to help isolate the fault. Since I don't know which exact alternator you are working with I can't be of further detail at the moment. Get a hold of a quality service manual for your vehicle. Noting it's age and model I wouldn't be surprised if you could find the factory service manual pdf online somewhere.

 

[jgrono]

I had horrible problems awhile ago, ended up replacing the starter, solenoid, alternator, voltage regulator and all the wiring in the engine bay... It turned out the ammeter connections were loose behind the cluster. Check that if you haven't figured it out yet.

Jim