psycho83
East of England
Rhythm and Booze
Posts: 777
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May 13, 2011 10:41:11 GMT
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My superminx is still having issues. timing ok new coil new starter solenoid points and condenser look new I got the car to start first turn of the key the other day , and left it running ( lumpy and idling a bit slow) on the drive whilst i went to grab tools from the back garden. got back to find the car missing then it cut out. on trying to restart no juice from the battery  My guess is that it was running from battery and not charging or not charging enough due to idle speed. at idle the charge light has always flickered slightly, but under normal driving conditions was ok. to stop the charge light flickering at idle wold require to high an engine speed. maybe the dynamo is knackered?  any other suggestions on what I should be looking out for. I'm going to jump start her tonight and up the idle speed a bit, will leave the other car on for a bit to charge the battery, then see if it dies again and discharges. The battery is new so it shouldn't be that at fault and a sneaky peak at work in progress  |
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May 13, 2011 10:51:04 GMT
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It's quite normal for a dynamo to not charge at idle - although I wouldn't expect the battery to become flat in 5 minutes of idling.
How long has the battery been on there, and has the car been anywhere in that time? It's possible that the battery has become discharged due to a lot of idling over an extended time.
Finally, are you quite sure that it was the battery that was at fault? For example, did the ignition warning light go out when you tried to start the engine - a classic indication of a flat battery. It's possible that the ignition switch, starter solenoid or starter itself is at fault.
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psycho83
East of England
Rhythm and Booze
Posts: 777
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May 13, 2011 11:02:51 GMT
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The battery was probably already discharged from multiple starting attempts before I changed the coil and starter solenoid.
The car hasn't left the driveway for 3 weeks now as I've been troubleshooting various issues
the battery that came with the car was definately dead but that was changed before this fault occured so can be discounted anyway, I have a known good battery on at the moment (or at least it should be, it's less than a month old). but it has done a lot of cranking that will have discharged it somewhat I would imagine.
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Dynamo vs IdleDeleted
@Deleted
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May 13, 2011 11:09:52 GMT
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Yes, it is quite common for dynamos to not be charging when the engine is idling. The engine simply isn't spinning it fast enough to be able to charge. Take my flathead V8 as an example. It idles at about 350rpm (= very very slowly) and if I'm just chugging around town I might not go above 1000rpm at all. Effectively, the dynamo won't have put a single bit of charge into the battery in all that time. I've run quite a few cars with dynamos and it's always been the same story. Trouble is, once the battery goes flat a few times it starts to strain the dynamo. You'll replace the battery but the added strain on the dynamo will have taken its toll and it'll die. You'll replace it but the starter motor will have been straining to start the engine with the empty battery, so it'll die soon after. You'll replace it but the battery will have been flattened a few times and... you see where I'm going. You'll get stuck in that vicious 3-way cycle. It's just the way it goes with dynamos I'm afraid Had you thought about swapping it to a small alternator? It's quite simple to do and all your charging problems effectively go away. |
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Last Edit: May 13, 2011 11:11:34 GMT by Deleted
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psycho83
East of England
Rhythm and Booze
Posts: 777
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May 13, 2011 11:18:36 GMT
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Yeah Jonny , the thought had crossed my mind as I eventually intended to go from posi to negi earth , and fit an accuspark ignition. However at the mo, cash is lacking so I was hoping to get running on the standard set up first for a while, whilst I save.
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Dez
Club Retro Rides Member
And I won't sit down. And I won't shut up. And most of all I will not grow up.
Posts: 11,715
Club RR Member Number: 34
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Dynamo vs IdleDez
@dez
Club Retro Rides Member 34
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May 13, 2011 12:29:38 GMT
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sounds like some epic comicbook superhero battle, with a moral about not being a lazy ass, or something.  james and johnny have already answered the question though. ait conversion time!! |
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psycho83
East of England
Rhythm and Booze
Posts: 777
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May 13, 2011 12:58:00 GMT
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if the car keeps defying me I might throw it at you Dez with a bundle of cash, and ask very nicely for some help. If you aren't snowed under with other work.
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Seth
South East
MorrisOxford TriumphMirald HillmanMinx BorgwardIsabellaCombi
Posts: 15,521
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May 13, 2011 13:29:11 GMT
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You'll get stuck in that vicious 3-way cycle. It's just the way it goes with dynamos I'm afraid . I never suffered that in several years and tens of thousands of miles running dynamos.  Have you driven it much yet? It might all settle down once you get some miles under it and you can then determine if it is charging well or not. Might be that the dynamo needs new brushes which are only a few quid and easy enough to change. I don't know if the Superminx has a similar bracket to my hunter shape one but there was provision for an alternator to bolt straight on. If not it may be that you could bolt a Hunter bracket on to your block as I imagine they are the same if its 1725 car. Then use a generic Lucas alternator as fitted to heaps of cars in the '70s/'80s |
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Follow your dreams or you might as well be a vegetable. |
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Dez
Club Retro Rides Member
And I won't sit down. And I won't shut up. And most of all I will not grow up.
Posts: 11,715
Club RR Member Number: 34
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Dynamo vs IdleDez
@dez
Club Retro Rides Member 34
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May 13, 2011 13:53:15 GMT
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if the car keeps defying me I might throw it at you Dez with a bundle of cash, and ask very nicely for some help. If you aren't snowed under with other work. well seeing as leigh seems to have disappeared off the face of the earth, or more likely him and his bug have been eaten by a pothole, I'm sure I could fit you in. I recon the majority of your niggly problems could be sorted in an afternoon, with enough time left beofre tea to cut your suspension in half ;D did you get all your wiring working in the end? |
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Last Edit: May 13, 2011 13:54:10 GMT by Dez
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psycho83
East of England
Rhythm and Booze
Posts: 777
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May 13, 2011 14:18:13 GMT
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Sounds like a plan to me! providing I can limp it to your place. I especially like the last bit  Yeah managed to get everything working that should work. so the electrics are ok, it's just the running probs now that are stumping me, thing is I'm sure it'll turn out to be something simple I just cant pinpoint it. well seeing as leigh seems to have disappeared off the face of the earth, or more likely him and his bug have been eaten by a pothole, I'm sure I could fit you in. [glow=red,2,300]I recon the majority of your niggly problems could be sorted in an afternoon, with enough time left beofre tea to cut your suspension in half [/glow] ;D did you get all your wiring working in the end? |
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Dynamo vs IdleDeleted
@Deleted
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May 13, 2011 17:55:18 GMT
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I never suffered that in several years and tens of thousands of miles running dynamos. I guess it doesn't help that small Fords came with tiny batteries and woefully inadequate starter motors. And it probably didn't help that I was using a starter motor designed for a 997cc engine on a high compression cammed up 1700. I've spotted the problem |
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May 13, 2011 20:38:27 GMT
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My tip is to look at the regulator box. The contacts in there tend to 'adjust' themselves after a while.
I had a similar problem on a dynamo and after adjusting the contacts in the regulator box, the problem went away.
I know Practical Classics had a tech article on this many years ago, anyone got any back issues from 20+ years ago?
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1953 Minor (Long term project)
PT Cruiser
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Dynamo vs Idleautomatic
@GUEST
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May 13, 2011 21:12:20 GMT
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Just to put this into context. I drove my car 50 miles and not particularly slowly occasionally needing windscreen wipers with a completly non charging dynamo. Ameter was pointing firmly at D. At the end of the journey it was still running fine although didn't have enough juice for the starter.
Basicly if the car cuts out after 5 mins idling either your battery was nearly flat already or the dynamo is not the real problem
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May 13, 2011 22:23:11 GMT
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If your not after originality or old timey looks an alternator is worth fitting, its not difficult and although people do manage with dynamos alternators are undeniably better for modern driving.
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Volvo back as my main squeeze, more boost and some interior goodies on the way.
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If the light is flickering at idle check that the regulator is properly disconnecting the dynamo at low RPM- if it's not at idle the dynamo will be assisting the engine turning as the behest of battery life.
The light should come on positively with a light clunk from the bulkhead in front of the driver.
As you rev it up the light should go off positively too with a plink from the bulkhead.
Check it's adjusted properly. If you have a multimeter, the Haynes book gives the correct adjustment.
I never had any problems with mine, even idling a bunch in traffic- if you're spending a lot of time just be frugal with stuff that draws current (wipers, fan etc)
--Phil
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did you take off the battery and fully charge it,and get it load tested , a car spares shop should do it whilst you wait in case you have a duff cell
ive run all my anglias on dynamos even in winter and they are fine
also like you say the battery is small,theres a place nr twickenham called cpc thats just sells batteries that used to do uprated ones in standard cases
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