Voltage regulator

[HANDM]

After swapping out three alternators and finding that every one was only putting out 12 volts, I decided to remove the voltage regulator and take the cover off.....

I found the upper contact points were melded together, and obviously not working. What pisses me off is that it was/ is brand new out of the box and was never working properly.

After robbing the original 1969 regulator out of the Polara, the alternator is putting out the required voltage and FINALLY charging the battery.

Stupid old car! One more thing goes wrong and it's off to the junkyard..........

Just kidding...

[A383Wing]

buy an electronic one...available at most auto part stores

Bryan

[HANDM]

After reviewing some old post of mine, I realized that I had replaced the regulator last year for the exact same reason.......

Now the question is........ Why is the car eating regulators?
Is there any specific thing to look for?
Thanks for any help 

[ODZKing]

buy an electronic one...available at most auto part stores

Bryan

http://www.4secondsflat.com/regulator_tech.html

[HANDM]

Understood,   
I'll get an electronic one.....

[John_Kunkel]

Stupid old car! One more thing goes wrong and it's off to the junkyard..........

The car stupid? No. The troubleshooting? 

[HANDM]

Stupid old car! One more thing goes wrong and it's off to the junkyard..........

The car stupid? No. The troubleshooting? 

Excuse me.... My attempt at humor must have been too complicated for you,  you're obviously the be all, end all authority on troubleshooting........... 

[Chryco Psycho]

or switch to the better double field terminal alt used from 70-89 [?] & use the electronic reg for the same years , all you do is add one more wire , 12 v feed to one side of the field & a ground wire from the second terminal back to the reg

[A383Wing]

or switch to the better double field terminal alt used from 70-89 [?] & use the electronic reg for the same years , all you do is add one more wire , 12 v feed to one side of the field & a ground wire from the second terminal back to the reg

[elacruze]

Stupid old car! One more thing goes wrong and it's off to the junkyard..........

The car stupid? No. The troubleshooting?  

Excuse me.... My attempt at humor must have been too complicated for you,  you're obviously the be all, end all authority on troubleshooting...........  

Actually, he is.  

Prickly sometimes but IME never incorrect.

Welded contacts are symptomatic of high current. On an alternator field circuit, probably a short to ground someplace-look for intermittent shorts from a rub-through at a clamp or bracket. It's unlikely that the alt. itself is the problem since you switched them, unless the failed one at first caused the regulator to weld. There is some possibility that it happened due to the ignition key being left on with motor off, and the battery drained. As the voltage drops, the current increases. Then add time and you have trouble. Working properly, the points don't ever stay closed very long.

None of this is resolved by an electronic regulator, so double check the circuit before going either way.

[cdr]

Stupid old car! One more thing goes wrong and it's off to the junkyard..........

The car stupid? No. The troubleshooting?  

Excuse me.... My attempt at humor must have been too complicated for you,  you're obviously the be all, end all authority on troubleshooting...........  

Actually, he is.  

Prickly sometimes but IME never incorrect.

Welded contacts are symptomatic of high current. On an alternator field circuit, probably a short to ground someplace-look for intermittent shorts from a rub-through at a clamp or bracket. It's unlikely that the alt. itself is the problem since you switched them, unless the failed one at first caused the regulator to weld. There is some possibility that it happened due to the ignition key being left on with motor off, and the battery drained. As the voltage drops, the current increases. Then add time and you have trouble. Working properly, the points don't ever stay closed very long.

None of this is resolved by an electronic regulator, so double check the circuit before going either way.

i guess thats where the term prick came from 

[John_Kunkel]

Excuse me.... My attempt at humor must have been too complicated for you, 

Einstein is credited with having said "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." The humor in that is in the eye of the beholder.

A savvy troubleshooter would have full-fielded the alternator at the onset rather than shotgunning parts but obviously the OP isn't "savvy". Come to think of it, that is funny. (funny peculiar, not funny ha-ha)