Expert: Kevin Pilotte - 8/20/2006

Question
Ok I may have spoke to soon because now Im having the same problem with the car not holding a charge. I had the generator checked at a local auto parts store prior to having it rebuilt and was told it had low voltage. It was reading at 11.95 and I was told it should be up around 14. I had it checked today and was told the same thing. I did polarize it after installing and had it rebuilt at a local car electrical repair shop. If my battery is fine and voltage regulator is new and generator rebuilt what else could be causing my car to not hold a charge for more than a day or two. Sorry for confusion in my first question. Thanks

Answer
Michelle,
If your regulator is adjustable, you might need to adjust it. It requires a Voltmeter and experience. Your generator has the potential to output much more than 14 Volts; you must adjust the regulator to control the generator output. I would recommend bringing your Rambler to a good technician with experience working on DC generators. If he is unable to adjust the regulator, he should be able to tell you why, i.e. bad generator. Also, have you had the battery checked? Load tested? Check for parasitic drain?
Kevin