Odd ball fault

[miked]

I helped a new Elan friend with an S4FHC. Would not run properly. Traced to a bad condenser. Got going and went though all the usual bits and timed her up. Ran nice! Took her for a run and noticed a loud squeal from the charge alt' belt. Assumed high current and charge rate (lots of cranking), hence slip with more load. Off he went!

Then he came back with it not starting. Points blackened. Cleaned and got it running. Then it ran sweet again. Went for another run. Going great but noticed the squeal again. Then noticed it had a centre zero ammeter fitted and as the squeal came on it was going right across to 50 amperes charge. Stopped and checked the body of the alt', It was hot as hell. Also noticed the ignition light was not working with the engine stopped. The high amps only happened now and again after a rev through. Got it back and let it cool. Then it would not go.

Fitted new condenser and fitted a new charge alternator. It ran fine again. All is now normal. Car has been run all week and is fine.

Conclusion.

The Alt' regulation may well be stuffed but perhaps the 6 bridge rectifier (3 phase m/c) is shot and the alt' was giving out AC ripple. I am not big on electronic but something was killing the condensers.

Also the blacken of the points indicates that one of the dual functions of the condenser was not working i.e. prevention of burning the point being one and to aid the primary voltage and collapse for the coil field.

Why don?t I get simple ones? Made me look a bit of tit when he kept comming back!

Anybody else had this?


Mike

[handi_andi]

Just a thought, have you checked the continuity on the alternator control cable? If that was breaking intermitently then woudl explain why control of alternator was lost and why ignition light wasn't on without engine running as doesn't it provide the feed for the light when the engine isn't running?
Cheers
Andy

[GrUmPyBoDgEr]

I helped a new Elan friend with an S4FHC. Would not run properly. Traced to a bad condenser. Got going and went though all the usual bits and timed her up. Ran nice! Took her for a run and noticed a loud squeal from the charge alt' belt. Assumed high current and charge rate (lots of cranking), hence slip with more load. Off he went!

Then he came back with it not starting. Points blackened. Cleaned and got it running. Then it ran sweet again. Went for another run. Going great but noticed the squeal again. Then noticed it had a centre zero ammeter fitted and as the squeal came on it was going right across to 50 amperes charge. Stopped and checked the body of the alt', It was hot as hell. Also noticed the ignition light was not working with the engine stopped. The high amps only happened now and again after a rev through. Got it back and let it cool. Then it would not go.

Fitted new condenser and fitted a new charge alternator. It ran fine again. All is now normal. Car has been run all week and is fine.

Conclusion.

The Alt' regulation may well be stuffed but perhaps the 6 bridge rectifier (3 phase m/c) is shot and the alt' was giving out AC ripple. I am not big on electronic but something was killing the condensers.

Also the blacken of the points indicates that one of the dual functions of the condenser was not working i.e. prevention of burning the point being one and to aid the primary voltage and collapse for the coil field.

Why don?t I get simple ones? Made me look a bit of tit when he kept comming back!

Anybody else had this?


Mike

Well I'd still be scratchin' my head on that. Perhaps you can sort out my charge indicator lamp that stays on when connected up one day when you're around this neck of the woods.
Bloomin' 'lectric why didn't they make it visible?
A couple of hundred years ago all "Sparks" would have been burned at the stake, Wizards the lot of you!

Cheers
John

[miked]

Yeh John, We can have gander when I am on a visit.

Andi,

I grounded the WL wire to prove the ingnition lamp and it lit everytime, so figured it was ok. It also lit with the new alt' connected and then went out as the motor was run. It was showing charge on the Ammeter and also the voltage had risen to what I would have expected.

To my knowledge the car is still running fine. My understanding is a +ve run to the wl light and then down to the wl terminal of the alt'. When engine is stopped the wl is negative and hence light is lit with ignition on. It also provides an excitation supply. As the alt' starts to charge the wl then assumes a postive potential and the light then goes out (postive both end!).

Mike

[neilsjuke]

Check the earth to the engine this could cause the faults to the alt and dist
Neil