Hi, I recently installed a STANDARD MOTOR PRODUCTS VR106 in my 68' Polara (6.3L) and i have noticed (by noticed, i mean i went to start my the thing this morning, and found the battery had a cell cap missing, and the other was lifted, all cells dry, and the sulfur smell i was smelling was coming from it. Oh, and the case is nice and bulged). I had previously noticed that my ammeter was showing 18V at highway rpms, and didn't think much of it. Apparently that is not good. The regulator I installed has a field adjustment on it, but i am not sure how to make the adjustment as far as what my average reading should be at idle, and fast idle. Yesterday morning my ammeter was showing 9v at idle with my headlights on. I am not sure if that is attributed to the battery overcharging and depleting. I believe it to be, but i am not sure. Thanks.

 

You say "ammeter" which does NOT indicate voltage, but AMPerage, that is, current

So did you or someone covert the ammeter to a voltmeter, or install a voltmeter?

In any case the condition of the battery indicates overcharging.

I don't remember anymore, if that VR-106 will or will not control the standard issue alternators on Mopars. I believe it was meant for "heavy duty" truck use with larger alternators. I could be wrong -- it's been a few years.

What I would have recommended is either a Standard VR-128 or an NAPA / Echlin VR-1001, which good quality, solid state replacement for the original. It looks different, but hooks up the same

BUT BEFORE YOU condemn the regulator, do some tests. Frankly, I get rather tired of folks asking questions, and then going right out and throwing expensive parts at a problem. No accusation intended.

There are a couple of things that can cause this problem that are NOT caused by the regulator

1 The battery now may be damaged. At least for the time being, for testing, try to rob a battery out of another vehicle which you know is good. Meanwhile, bring the water back up if necessary to the original make sure it's charged, and have it LOAD TESTED.

2 The regulator cannot "regulate" if it's not receiving EXACT battery voltage. This includes BOTH the ground and +12V

To check this out, get a good battery in the car, get your multimeter, and connect the voltmeter to the IGN terminal of the regulator and battery POSITIVE, on low DC volts. Turn the key to "run" with engine off. What you are hoping for here is a VERY low reading, not more than .2--.3V That's 3 TENTHS of ONE volt. What you are measuring here is the voltage crop in the ignition feed from the battery, through the harness, to the regulator.

If this voltage is OVER .3V, you need to find the cause. Your top suspects are the bulkhead connector, the ignition switch connector, the switch itself, the ammeter connections and ammeter, or, in rare cases, the welded splice under the dash.



3 Check the GROUND. To do this, get the engine running to simulate "medium cruise" This time, hook your meter to the battery NEG post, and stab the other probe directly onto the regulator MOUNT. Once again, you should read very very low voltage, not over .1--.2V More voltage means you have a poor ground between the battery, engine, body, and regulator.