Help! Please Help Me Identify This Part.

[SteveJ]

Of course, I just want to see it so I can take it apart.

 

Hey, Bruce, make your way over to his place and grab that part.

[Captain Obvious]

Haha!! Sounds like a plan!

 

Osteopath, when you're fully back on your feet and are accepting company, let me know. I'd be happy to perform an autopsy on that device and figure out what it is.

 

1. Alien beings from a highly advanced society visit the Earth, and you are the first human they encounter. As a token of intergalactic friendship, they present you with a small but incredibly sophisticated device that is capable of curing all disease, providing an infinite supply of clean energy, wiping out hunger and poverty, and permanently eliminating oppression and violence all over the entire Earth. You decide to:

 

a. Present it to the president of the United States.
b. Present it to the secretary general of the United Nations.
c. Take it apart.

 

"C".  Duh.

[The osteopath]

Well, looks like the issue was the voltage regulator. Alternator output was normal, battery held a charge. Voltage regulator appears,to be the original one. Opened it up- two coils, one copper and one green coated copper. Copper one was charred and wire near connection terminal was fried and disconnected. Should have replacement Wednesday morning.

Will keep you posted.

Hey, Captain obvious: are you anywhere near Bala Cynwyd?

-Andy

[SteveJ]

Haha!! Sounds like a plan!

 

Osteopath, when you're fully back on your feet and are accepting company, let me know. I'd be happy to perform an autopsy on that device and figure out what it is.

 

 

"C".  Duh.

I knew I could count on you, Bruce. Make a video of it. 

[Captain Obvious]

Green coated copper, charred, fried and disconnected. I think we've found the smoking gun on your charging issues...  

 

Yes, I'm maybe ten miles north of Bala Cynwyd. Easy shot down Lincoln Dr. (assuming it's not rush hour...).

[Zed Head]

I don't want to be a Zeddy Downer but if the car and engine were running great, and the LED installation or the other things caused the VR failure, it seems like there would have been some smoke and/or sparks during the process.  Just saying, the smoking gun/wire is missing.

 

And, the cause of the VR failure may still be in place in the wiring.  You might install and immediately burn up a new regulator.  Might check those VR wires for shorts to ground.

 

Also not clear what alternator output normal means.  If that's the case, that means the VR is working.  Sometimes the "obvious" causes aren't.

[The osteopath]

Well, so far it appears it was simply the voltage regulator crapping out. Will hopefully be able to report Ina test run later today.

Andy

[Captain Obvious]

Cool. Sounds like that was the issue. Wonder what fried your original voltage regulator...

 

What's your battery voltage now when the engine is running? You got a meter to check that?

[The osteopath]

Ok, here's the update: it really was the voltage regulator crapping out that caused the issue. 200 plus miles on car since replacement with no problems.

Just started replacing and re running vacuum lines. It looks as though some time in the past when there were repairs done, some mechanic simply shunted lines when they didn't know where they were supposed to go. That and the fact that many were old and cracked means that with each replaced line I have a slightly better car. First obvious improvements were smoother running and better brakes (vacuum line to brake booster)

Will continue to update.

-Andy