johny Posted August 20 Report Share Posted August 20 Turn your lights on and all other available electrical draws on the car (the ammeter will register them nicely) and leave for 10 mins. Then come back and start the car and if all is working correctly you should see a fair charging current which will drop down quite quickly👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpitfireGeorge Posted August 20 Author Report Share Posted August 20 Hi Johny, Looking at the circuit diagram the brown wire from control box terminal B to the starter solenoid is the only route that the battery can be charged. As you said it has to be the correct location for the ammeter to be connected. I will reconnect it at the solenoid end and try draining the battery as you suggest. I won't have time to do this until Thursday afternoon but will report back when I do. Thanks again Brett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johny Posted August 20 Report Share Posted August 20 Great, dont think we're too far off a result now😀 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpitfireGeorge Posted August 22 Author Report Share Posted August 22 Hi Johny, When I turn on the lights or press the horn the ammeter does not show any discharge, it does when I turn on the ignition though. Also the 2 brown wires attached to the solenoid are of differing thicknesses, the one for the horn is about twice as thick is this correct or did I manage to cross them somehow when I fitted the new wiring loom? Cheers Brett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johny Posted August 22 Report Share Posted August 22 Hi Brett, trouble is not really sure got the right wiring diagram😁 How many fuses are there in your fuse box 2 or 3? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpitfireGeorge Posted August 22 Author Report Share Posted August 22 3. Sometimes wonder if I was sent the correct loom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johny Posted August 22 Report Share Posted August 22 Yes its difficult to explain with the diagrams Im looking at🤔However how about trying the discharge test by flattening the battery a little and then starting to see if the ammeter registers a charging current? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted August 23 Report Share Posted August 23 ammeters.....just a worry gauge , cause of fires and wiring problems volt meter gives you a good clue and so much simpler to wire in always best to keep things simple Pete 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpitfireGeorge Posted August 24 Author Report Share Posted August 24 Hi Pete, johny, Got the voltmeter fitted as well. As you said easy to install. Dash looks like Concordes! If the red ignition warning light goes out does it necessarily mean that the dynamo is charging? Could it be charging at a very low rate and still extinguish the warning light. Cheers Brett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johny Posted August 24 Report Share Posted August 24 With your set up the light goes out as the voltage out of the dynamo increases (although the bulb will actually stop glowing slightly before the dynamo voltage reaches the battery's). The thing is if you look at the regulator diagram, D is the output from the dynamo and W/L is coming from the ignition light so once D votlage is high enough no current will flow from the bulb. The output from the dynamo then passes through the control coils to cut out contact 7 and off to the system through the B terminals. So if cut out contact doesnt make a circuit (dirty, broken etc) or the system isnt connected to terminals B for some reason youre not charging the battery and it alone is supplying the system.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpitfireGeorge Posted August 24 Author Report Share Posted August 24 Time to test the dynamo output I think. Will connect the ammeter to the dynamo output and see what it shows. Odd it only shows discharge and no charge. Tried putting everything on which made the ammeter negative but the best it would achieve was zero after running for some time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johny Posted August 24 Report Share Posted August 24 Im beginning to think the wiring is different to the diagrams seen so Ive got the definitive solution😁 Your ammeter has to be connected one side to the solenoid terminal and the other to BOTH brown wires that are currently on the solenoid terminal! That way with ignition on but not started you must measure all the car circuit demands (as each is switched on) and once engine running will show current flow in the opposite direction to charge the battery. Its a bit of hassle because you have to find a way of ensuring a good and protected 3 way connection between the two brown wires and the wire from the ammeter but perhaps something like this would work. However also have to protect the now exposed terminals on your solenoid.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpitfireGeorge Posted August 24 Author Report Share Posted August 24 Seems a good idea. Got some brass sheet so will make a temp connector to try it out. Will test dynamo output too. Cheers Brett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johny Posted August 24 Report Share Posted August 24 yes that'll do it and has to be the answer as theres no other route to the battery🤪 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpitfireGeorge Posted August 25 Author Report Share Posted August 25 Tested the dynamo by connecting the ammeter to the brown/yellow thick wire and the ammeter showed outputs up to 25 amps so that is working OK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johny Posted August 25 Report Share Posted August 25 wow something is drawing some power - suppose thats the battery charging after starting? Must be taking a strange route to the battery as doesnt seem to flow through the normal brown wire to the solenoid. Anyway if as discussed you put the ammeter as the only connection to the solenoid terminal then it must register that current going to the battery! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpitfireGeorge Posted September 4 Author Report Share Posted September 4 I am still not 100% sure that the dynamo is working correctly. Read an article the other day in Practical Classics on how to test it. Connected the casing to the battery earth and the battery positive to the large dynamo terminal. It is supposed to spin rapidly but mine just clicked and did not rotate. I can turn it very easily by hand. Did I connect it correctly or is it broken? Cheers Brett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johny Posted September 4 Report Share Posted September 4 One thing at a time eh Brett - did you connect the ammeter as agreed and what did it read? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpitfireGeorge Posted September 4 Author Report Share Posted September 4 Hi Johny, Not yet thought I would try this first as it seemed a quick way of determining whether the dynamo was working or not. Will try your suggestion and see what happens. Need to make/source the connections at the moment. Cheers Brett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johny Posted September 4 Report Share Posted September 4 Well it makes me nervous connecting up any electrical equipment in a different configuration from design as its easy to damage windings. I can see that to test yours as a motor you should have connected both wires (F and D) to power so that the magnets in the armature and field were both energised to produce rotation. By connecting just the large wire you only produced a magnet in the armature which had nothing to 'push against' and hopefully you didnt leave it like that too long.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johny Posted September 4 Report Share Posted September 4 In fact Brett if you want to check the dynamo the free to download work shop manual has all the correct procedures👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpitfireGeorge Posted September 4 Author Report Share Posted September 4 It was only connected momentarily, just long enough to hear a click. I will try your original suggestion first before going any further down that route. Cheers Brett 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daverclasper Posted September 4 Report Share Posted September 4 (edited) 3 hours ago, johny said: In fact Brett if you want to check the dynamo the free to download work shop manual has all the correct procedures👍 I know this is hard to believe, though the testing procedure in various publications (maybe gleaned from one original source), though I'm not sure if that was also the factory manual?, didn't work for me and led me to believe the dynamo had failed. I bought two dynamos and they apparently weren't working correctly either. Turned out to be the Voltage regulator!. Long thread by me on Club triumph, regarding this, if you need the details Edited September 4 by daverclasper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johny Posted September 4 Report Share Posted September 4 oh dear Dave and I thought the procedure for dynamo testing was much easier than that for the regulator😆 Maybe yours had lost their residual magnetism and needed flashing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daverclasper Posted September 4 Report Share Posted September 4 Wouldn't let me edit above?. Also my AM only shows discharge. Maybe info on the above CT thread, if not should be on another of my CT threads (they apparently can be wired differently to show different stuff) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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