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Not charging

grahamemmett
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Re: Not charging

Post by grahamemmett »

I understand you can get fully electronic versions now that fit inside the old cover which have better charging characteristics than the analogue version.
Graham Emmett ¦ DLOC Chairman ¦ chair@dloc.co.uk ¦ 07967 109160
Northwich, Cheshire
DB18 1949 LCV522 (Yes that one with the P100s)

GrahamH
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Re: Not charging

Post by GrahamH »

Thanks all, that is a good document so I’m going to run some more in depth tests next week, the battery is new so should be ok, I thought I would run a wire direct from the D dynamo terminal to the box as that would rule out the wiring in that bit.

Thanks again for all the suggestions 👍🏻

Graham
1951 Daimler DB18 Consort

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John-B
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Re: Not charging

Post by John-B »

grahamemmett wrote: Fri Nov 22, 2019 11:51 pm I understand you can get fully electronic versions now that fit inside the old cover which have better charging characteristics than the analogue version.
Peter Jury is the man, he's a forum member BeezaDaimler and runs http://www.dynamoregulatorconversions.com/ My regulator was charging then discharging with wild swings; it had copper corrosion at the bottom of supports internally and broke when I tried to clean it. I found a replacement regulator impossible to adjust settings so I got an electronic conversion from Peter which has been brilliant.

qantasqf1
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Re: Not charging

Post by qantasqf1 »

As long as it’s definitely the control box it’s almost certain that the problem lies with one of 4 things. There are 2 sets of points on these beasts, one pair for the cutout and one pair for the regulator. The cutout points are always open at rest while the regulator points are closed at rest. These points can get dirty over the years so cleaning them up with fine wet or dry should fix them. Do that without removing the points because then you won’t need to reset the air gaps. If that doesn’t fix the damn thing then one or both of the shunt coils are probably u/s. This is easily checked - once the wires are disconnected from the box run a 12 volt supply to the D and E terminals. If the coils are OK their soft iron cores will magnetise, easily tested by touching the cores with a screwdriver and see if it sticks! The coils can be replaced, but it’s tricky!
I would definitely try this procedure (except coil replacement because new coils are thin on the ground) because overhauling the box can be expensive and possibly unnecessary. These boxes are pretty common at auto jumbles, at least here in Australia; only last week I bought one for a not-exactly-heart-stopping $10 ( about 5.50 quid) and it passed electrical checks with flying colours!
Steve

classiclife
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Re: Not charging

Post by classiclife »

Thanks John, you have endorsed my earlier recommendation; good to see small companies getting flagged and used - they are the life blood of classic vehicle restoration / continued maintenance.

May that always be the case.

Regards.

Richard.
1968 Daimler V8-250 Saloon
DLOC East Sussex Branch Secretary
DLOC 2.5L V8 & V8-250 Registrar - https://www.dloc.org.uk/v8-250
DLOC 2024 International Rally - https://www.dloc.org.uk/rally-2024

Stan Thomas
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Re: Not charging

Post by Stan Thomas »

Hi Graham,

As your dynamo is putting out a voltage and the battery voltage is 12.6 volts, don't spend any dosh yet, as there's a few things to check after following or in conjunction with Steve's advice above. .......

Check all connections first. Now, with the engine stationary, close the cut out on the regulator, you should get a splash of current which will put some residual magnetism into the field yokes and correct the polarity if it has changed (and it can!!). Test results at about 2500 rev/min.

No go? So now disconnect the dynamo and joinn the "F" and "D" terminals together with a piece of wire and insert your volt meter in circuit to earth - at about 2500 rev/min you should get about 28 volts. In practice, when the cut out cuts in, the resistance of the battery limits the dynamo output to just about 13 volts to provide a charge. Test again.

With the engine running at about 2500 rev/min and if you still have zero registering on the ammeter, switch on the headlights. Does the ammeter show a discharge - which points to the regulator - but if the regulator is limiting the output to 12.6 volts there may not be too much wrong.

Of course the battery may be faulty, or if it is fully charged the ameter will only show a minimal or no charge.

Let us know how you get on.

Stan.

P.S.
Don't blow yourself up!

qantasqf1
Posts: 299
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Re: Not charging

Post by qantasqf1 »

Agreed, Stan, but a caveat here regarding dynamo output. Connecting the dynamo’s D and F terminals and measuring the voltage between the jumper lead and earth is measuring unregulated dynamo output. It’s a convenient and simple check, but running the engine at high speeds for too long can cause problems because these are shunt wound dynamos and their output is self perpetuating if working OK. This means the output will go on increasing until it gets so hot the armature solder can - and will - literally melt. (Hence the control box’s regulator which prevents this.) I confess I’ve checked dynamos myself like this, but anyone doing this type of test needs to be aware of the attendant hazards, so do it briefly!
However, this may all be academic in this case since the dynamo appears to be OK.
Steve

Stan Thomas
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Re: Not charging

Post by Stan Thomas »

Ah Yes! Thanks for correcting me Steve - I should have pointed that out.

Connecting "D" and "F" terminals should only be for a moment, just to quickly measure the output voltage. Best approach is to run the engine about 2500rev/min with the dynamo totally disconnected, (speed is not critical) then with one lead from a volt meter earthed use the other lead to "short" across the "D" and "F" terminals just long enough to take a reading.

Stan.

P.S.
The Rotax dynamo on my sleevevalve is as big as a washing machine drum but only produces about 12 amps! As they say "They don't make 'em like that anymore".

GrahamH
Posts: 126
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Location: Bridgwater Somerset

Re: Not charging

Post by GrahamH »

Doris is now charging whoop whoop 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

(I’ve just re-read that comment and it sounds rude, apologies to any Doris’s out there)

Anyway it was the regulator, the cut out was stuck fast, I was checking the gaps and it suddenly went ‘ping’ and it’s ok now👍🏻

Thanks to all of you for your thoughts it helped me find the issue much easier👍🏻

Cheers

Graham
1951 Daimler DB18 Consort

Stan Thomas
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Re: Not charging

Post by Stan Thomas »

Hence confirmation yet again of the old saying:

"Daimlers don't break down, they merely stop for adjustments"

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