soundrediscovery Posted August 12, 2015 Report Share Posted August 12, 2015 1963 Vitesse 6 1600 I had the original radiator re-cored via the TSSC shop as the 1600 rads are not manufactured (excellent service to be recommended!). 4 bolts and reconnected hoses plus antifreeze later I looked forward to using again on a daily basis. Started first time, warmed to temperature, no leaks, no smoke, oil pressure OK, .... BUT......ignition light not going out..... So in between standing for a couple of weeks and putting everything back together the dynamo is no longer picking up charge. The fan belt is good and all the connections seem sound, I haven't touched any earths.... I have also fully charged the battery on a trickle charger to see if the lost charge whilst standing may have been a cause but has not made a difference. Where shall I start? I am not averse to calling out my friends in the RAC who are very helpful, but it seems odd that post MOT service everything was fine but now is not.... I had been hoping to sort out the heater/blower next but now have a different challenge (and not the one where the petrol gauge shows full when empty and vice versa ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted August 12, 2015 Report Share Posted August 12, 2015 apart from fitting the rad in the front end has not disturbed the two wires to the dynamo or any stry engine earth leads in the rack area you need to get in the footwell and have a look at the regulator its down in the passenger footwell behind the side kick panel could be the contacts have stuck.or the box has failed even dynamo has seen better days , maybe a overhaul of the brush set all a possible coincidence, if you connect the battery to the dynamo and case earth it should act as a slow motor has anyone changed the car earth from pos to neg , the dynamo may need a flash from the battery on its 30amp terminal to polarise it Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundrediscovery Posted August 18, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2015 Thanks Pete, it is still on positive earth and I am on the look out for a new voltage regulator to test that The dynamo was new last March/April so I am hoping I can rule out failure there for the time being. I anticipate I will need to replace the brush set as it seems that where new parts were installed (prior to my ownership) it was the bare minimum to get things running rather than a full job (which is fine because I quite like dealing with the challenge and have been expecting them ). The reason for the query is that I can't see that I have touched ANY wires in removing and replacing the radiator so wanted to check that there aren't any I may not have seen or should have disconnected prior to removal for some reason. The car is standard apart from the driving lamps (which don't work at present) and the combined oil pressure/water temp gauge. The heater doesn't work though. I think the problem for previous owners has been the electrics which I am gradually tidying up/checking - e.g. I can cope with knowing that the petrol gauge reads full when it is actually empty now that I know, but will still need to sort it when I remove the dashboard to clean it up and put a new ignition switch in etc... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted August 18, 2015 Report Share Posted August 18, 2015 Originality is either a in love or out of love conviction putting an alternator on when the dyno is stuffed is a simple move and often cheaper , certainly more reliable, bit like adding strombergs put it on a wish list pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougbgt6 Posted August 18, 2015 Report Share Posted August 18, 2015 I'm with Pete, time to think about alternators and -ve earth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundrediscovery Posted August 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 19, 2015 as it happens I have strombergs in the boot and an alternator from Mrs F's old Rover 200 which I am sure I read somewhere is just a straight swap.... I agree that originality is a conviction choice.... prior to purchase I was in favour of 'change as much as I can to my own spec for 21CN use', but post service I was surprised at how well original running was on the previously unbalanced Solex carbs. When I posted a muse around to stay out of the box or 'modernise' I had two offers of first refusal if I wanted to sell in original state..... It seems the relative rarity of the Saloon 6 might tip the balance toward originality, but I'm not sure that is what was I was looking for..... Maybe I need to trade for a Vitesse Convertible Mk2 2 litre, and then buy and fit the nitrous oxide engine that I saw advertised recently that had been running in a drag strip Herald..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted August 20, 2015 Report Share Posted August 20, 2015 srd, "an alternator from Mrs F's old Rover 200 which I am sure I read somewhere is just a straight swap" You are joking, I hope? Positive earth, and a Voltage regulator box would need changing/removing. Possible but not trivial. What you do need is a multimeter, to start checking where the volts are going. My bet is the Regulator. They are complex and old, always a recipe for breaking down. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted August 20, 2015 Report Share Posted August 20, 2015 John, pretty trivial. Simple bit of joining of wires via your chosen method, swap battery terminals around and fit the alternator....... OK, guess that sounds easy bit will involve a little faff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted August 20, 2015 Report Share Posted August 20, 2015 Maybe electrics terrify me? Especially the 'power' side! John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundrediscovery Posted August 26, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 26, 2015 srd, "an alternator from Mrs F's old Rover 200 which I am sure I read somewhere is just a straight swap" You are joking, I hope? Positive earth, and a Voltage regulator box would need changing/removing. Possible but not trivial. What you do need is a multimeter, to start checking where the volts are going. My bet is the Regulator. They are complex and old, always a recipe for breaking down. John Yes John, I see your point what I meant was that the actual alternator is an easy swap in terms of brackets, size, bolting points etc. In terms of going down that road I would have to take the more significant step (in my mind) to swap from positive earth. I haven't made that decision yet (so probably didn't express my comment particularly well) I am sure I located a step by step guide to both swap to negative earth and then fit an alternator and 'filed' it away for future reference...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted August 26, 2015 Report Share Posted August 26, 2015 apart from the battery leads being able to reach the posts an alternator is a straight fit the starter will still operate ok as will everything else you only need to re polarise the dynamo if you keep the dynamo. the way the starter fields are connected with the armature should always go only one way what ever polarity you have if it goes backwards ......Im wrong Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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