Well since it was about 35 yesterday, I decided to take the Valiant to pick the little one up from school. When it got to operating temperature, I just left the fan on. To further test it, I turned the air conditioning fan to full and the thermostat to the coldest setting. In stages of course since I didn't want the embarrassment of being stranded. It all worked really well, and I left the fan on a few minutes after stopping each time to prevent the usual heat build up, which all too often leads to an embarrassing blowing off of excess pressure (and water).
Also during Friday I visited the wrecker and got a nice looking volt meter from a Magna (well, it was probably put together in the same factory). Have to put it on yet, but it tested OK. Should then be able to tell if we ever get a case of over voltage or if the alternator just dies.
I also picked up a different thermostat: One I had a threaded nut for. Although I haven't faltered yet with turning the fan on and off, it'd be nice if it were taken care of automatically. This will be a job for next week.
Drive safely, preferably in an old Valiant, of course.
Showing posts with label volt meter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label volt meter. Show all posts
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Monday, March 4, 2013
A few improvements
OK, last weekend was a big one for the Valiant. Several improvements made, and the car is better by far.
Luckily (or it may be normal) the alarm has the ability to activate the central locking. Mine pulses a 400mA signal. The only way to get it working is to use two standard (bosch type) relays.
Here is how a relay is wired (taken from http://www.pbase.com/image/35092434.jpg):
The activation signal is (in my case) wired with a 12V wire at the other end. Activation signal from alarm to 87, battery to 30. This will allow the other two terminals to bridge. Other terminals are 86 to earth (a good one) and 87 to the central locking's "lock all" signal wire.
Do the same with the unlock.
Electric fan
Pulled out the heavy one and put the electric fan in. Took ages (about 6 hours) and had to be offset, due to the water pump being in the way. Had to put another relay in since the fan draws a few amps. Did this first, and the ammeter went nuts every time I turned the fan on.Bypassing the firewall plug
I did the improvement mentioned last post. A simple wire to connect the alternator with the starter relay. Now of course the ammeter doesn't work (sits at zero). I have to look out for a volt meter to replace it or turn the ammeter into a volt meter. I'm thinking the second option is preferred. It's more difficult since the thing will have to be calibrated but considering over-voltage killed my last battery it's essential to get one soon.
Linking the central locking to the alarm
Luckily (or it may be normal) the alarm has the ability to activate the central locking. Mine pulses a 400mA signal. The only way to get it working is to use two standard (bosch type) relays.
Here is how a relay is wired (taken from http://www.pbase.com/image/35092434.jpg):
The activation signal is (in my case) wired with a 12V wire at the other end. Activation signal from alarm to 87, battery to 30. This will allow the other two terminals to bridge. Other terminals are 86 to earth (a good one) and 87 to the central locking's "lock all" signal wire.
Do the same with the unlock.
Next plans
Put a relay in the headlight circuit, a bigger alternator and electronic regulator.Thursday, February 28, 2013
Battery renewal
The Valiant's battery died a few weeks ago so I went and got another. This one is the heaviest duty one I could get, since the old one was only two years old.
The battery guy asked if the voltage regulator was OK, since over-voltage will do this sort of damage (acid everywhere, very low voltage, battery not charging). I shrugged and said "presume so. It's fairly new". It was also only a year or two old (probably less), but I got the old multimeter out and checked. Seems the guy just saved me another $160 (I stopped measuring when it got to 16.5V and turned the engine off). Buy one here and you will pay $125 (pentastar) to about $200. In America, you'll get a brand new one for about $2.95 but only if you live there. Those who sell to us charge about twice this. I landed one for a bit under $12, but it took two weeks. Now the Valiant is up and about again, and I have to wonder why the massive price difference. It's not the usual twice or three times as much like we're used to. We're charged over forty times what the Americans pay. No wonder the Internet is so popular. Unfortunately I missed the Ballarat swap meet because of the time taken (it arrived the day after).
When I was investigating the regulator, I found out that the Valiant's Ammeter is a major point of failure. No other car manufacturer threw 100% of generated current through the firewall (twice). This is bad, because as the car ages and the wires start to corrode, resistance increases. The physical effect of this is that the wire gets hotter. Frequently, the connectors melt (they are plastic) and everything short-circuits. It scared the bejesus out of me and I'll make conversion to a volt meter and re-routing of the alternator output. Here are some relevant references:
Replace your alternator and regulator with electronic variety
Explanation, and instructions on re-routing the wiring and replacing the ammeter
The battery guy asked if the voltage regulator was OK, since over-voltage will do this sort of damage (acid everywhere, very low voltage, battery not charging). I shrugged and said "presume so. It's fairly new". It was also only a year or two old (probably less), but I got the old multimeter out and checked. Seems the guy just saved me another $160 (I stopped measuring when it got to 16.5V and turned the engine off). Buy one here and you will pay $125 (pentastar) to about $200. In America, you'll get a brand new one for about $2.95 but only if you live there. Those who sell to us charge about twice this. I landed one for a bit under $12, but it took two weeks. Now the Valiant is up and about again, and I have to wonder why the massive price difference. It's not the usual twice or three times as much like we're used to. We're charged over forty times what the Americans pay. No wonder the Internet is so popular. Unfortunately I missed the Ballarat swap meet because of the time taken (it arrived the day after).
When I was investigating the regulator, I found out that the Valiant's Ammeter is a major point of failure. No other car manufacturer threw 100% of generated current through the firewall (twice). This is bad, because as the car ages and the wires start to corrode, resistance increases. The physical effect of this is that the wire gets hotter. Frequently, the connectors melt (they are plastic) and everything short-circuits. It scared the bejesus out of me and I'll make conversion to a volt meter and re-routing of the alternator output. Here are some relevant references:
Replace your alternator and regulator with electronic variety
Explanation, and instructions on re-routing the wiring and replacing the ammeter
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