Alternator not charging (Volvo/MD22)

[Paul Holmes]

My alternator seems to have stopped charging and the warning lights on my intrument panel are not coming on. It happened after I bled the injectors. Some diesel spurted over the engine which I cleaned up. I don't know if this had anything to do with it. I also found a stray brown wire that looked like it had snapped off a spade terminal; again I don't know if this was anything to do with it. I'm using a Sterling alternator booster. I think this overrides the alternator regulator. Not sure if this could cause this type of problem. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Paul

 

[Playtime]

My alternator seems to have stopped charging and the warning lights on my intrument panel are not coming on.

I also found a stray brown wire that looked like it had snapped off a spade terminal; again I don't know if this was anything to do with it.

Sounds as though the main feed to the instrument panel, which also provides initial excitation to the alternator, has failed.

Where exactly was the brown wire that looked as though it had "snapped off".

Could this be the instrument panel feed?

 

[VicS]

The Sterling regulator does to some extent overide the internal regulator it is true but I think you will find that the internal one is still an essential part of the system.

Consulting the Wiring diagram in the MD22 owners manual reveals that the main +ve feed to the panel is a Red wire not a brown one!
If the feed to the panel became disconnected you would not even be able to crank the engine..

The connection between the alternator and the warning light is shown in the diagram as a brown wire and as far as I can see it is the only brown wire.

If it has snapped off at the alternator then reconnect it to terminal 61!


You do not say exactly what Sterling regulator you have. The current range of Digital advanced regulators also use a brown wire which the instruction manual shows connected to the alternator terminal D+, 62, L, or DL

It might be that wire if it comes from the Sterling regulator.


I suggest you take a look at the engine wiring diagrams in the owners manual and also the Advanced regulator wiring diagrams in the instruction manual for that.

http://www.volvopenta.com/volvopent...lication_search/pages/publication_search.aspx

http://sterling-power.com/index.php