Charging issue

Go Irish

Go Irish

True Classic
I have an 86 X and when I start the car it does not charge until I bump the throttle anybody have any answers why?
 
Yes,

It's because the Field winding of your alternator isn't kicking in until your RPM reaches a certain point.
This is normal among many X's I've owned. There are fixes for this but it's really not necessary IMO.
Output of your alternator is really low at low RPM's anyway.
 
One remedy ...

Attach a 3 watt diode with the band pointing toward the Field + side of the Alternator, then a 200 ohm 1 watt resistor (attached in series) then attach the other end of the resistor to the + ignition feed.
You can find the + ignition feed by finding the large ballast resistor that feeds your coil... You'll want to tap into the ballast resistor on the side that DOES NOT feed to the coil.

Be sure the diode/resistor combo is protected from the elements.
The diode insures that the field winding does not back-feed the charging circuit. Be sure the polarity is correct.
 
One more thing and I should have mentioned this before. The car has A/C plus a pretty intense stereo system with a 10 inch sub. Should we be looking at this differently?
 
as did my '81, now with GM CS130 it usually doesn't although occasionally it too wants a little rpm, if you start the car without touching the pedal (possible with FI) and it idles for a few hours (who would do that?) without ever hitting the rpms necessary to "excite" the alternator, I suppose it's theoretically possible to run the battery down.........more likely a satellite will fall on your head due to decaying orbit, probabilities and all........
 
As all have said,

I would do nothing and not worry about it. Simply tach up the RPM's to about 2500 for less than a second.
You won't hurt your car and it won't run your battery down unless you let your X idle for hours unattended.
 
bbrown said:
I would do nothing and not worry about it. Simply tach up the RPM's to about 2500 for less than a second.
You won't hurt your car and it won't run your battery down unless you let your X idle for hours unattended.
Click to expand...


I love this... The easiest directions on electrical fixes I have read from Bob yet!
 
Hey, it's a good philosophy ...

If it smokes when you plug it in, DON'T PLUG IT IN! Ha! :grin:

Seriously though, this is not an issue.
 
If charging is an issue,

Why not just drive the SOB?? You'll get some enjoyment and stress reduction out of the charging session to boot!!!!!! Or am I missing something??

Mike
 
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