No charging

[ReAxs7]

Your improvised voltmeter looks like it was made for the job; nice one Petemate.

Could I ask where you sourced it and which make / model it is?
Having not done much related to vehicle electrics; is access and tapping in to the cigarette lighter supply relatively straight forward?
Finally, though I realise you added some sort of filter to the lens I'm not completely following the "Used a print from images 'shades of grey'" bit.

[Petemate]

Your improvised voltmeter looks like it was made for the job; nice one Petemate.

Could I ask where you sourced it and which make / model it is?
Having not done much related to vehicle electrics; is access and tapping in to the cigarette lighter supply relatively straight forward?
Finally, though I realise you added some sort of filter to the lens I'm not completely following the "Used a print from images 'shades of grey'" bit.

Here is one of the sources:-

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/170670726769?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

(sorry - don't know how to do links!)

The place I got mine from have no more, but just do a search for digital voltmeters and there are lots available. Make sure you get one 'no power needed' - this means you don't have to mess around with the panel light feed from the power socket.
I made the mount from the corner of an old mains socket box from the workshop. The feed was fairly straightforward; I'll post some pics later (my lad has borrowed the car to go to work.....) Regarding the shades of grey - I did a search for 'grey' in images and got this:-



I then carefully prised open the tags securing the meter to the housing it came in, and there was a celluloid lens on the front of it. Using this as a template, I tried, starting with the lightest, shades cut from a print of the image until I was happy with the reduction of brightness, then reassembled - voila.

Granted, the car has a warning should the charge fail, but (from my experiences with my cars over the years) I do like to see how the charge rate is behaving. It shows some variations eg when the aircon is on, and during normal (80-ish mph) running with lights on, registers fairly steady at 14.3-14.4. One can see, when starting, how the rate rises once the glowplugs have cut off again.
I am convinced that the old alternator had not been charging at full rate, due to the slightly slower rate that the starter was spinning the engine over in the few days prior to the failure; bear in mind, that AFAIK, it only takes a few volts to put the charge light out and just because it has gone out doesn't mean all is in order!

I mounted it where it is so I can just keep an eye on it when I want, also I didn't want to mess about with the dash anywhere else. Works for me!

Many thanks for the kind comments.
Pete

[ReAxs7]

Many thanks for the additional information; I'll check back to see the pictures when you get a chance to post.

Regards,
Ron.

[Petemate]

Many thanks for the additional information; I'll check back to see the pictures when you get a chance to post.

Regards,
Ron.

Tomorrow morning - lad only just got back from work, bit late now, sorry!
Pete

[ReAxs7]

Many thanks for the additional information; I'll check back to see the pictures when you get a chance to post.

Regards,
Ron.

Tomorrow morning - lad only just got back from work, bit late now, sorry!
Pete

Not rushing you - I just meant that I'd look back from time to time to see when you'd had a chance to take pics and post.
Thanks for taking the trouble.
Kind regards,
Ron.

[Petemate]

No worries Ron - here we go.



My scanning not working at the moment, so need to do it by description. Top left, just behind the yellow/grey illumination feed wire, in the dark(!) is the tee-connector from the back of the power socket. Make up two substantial leads, ideally red & black, with a male Lucar on one end and a 'piggy-back' Lucar on the other. As both the leads from the car harness are black, I can confirm that the connector for the feed is the one that goes onto the centre connector of the power socket (sorry if you knew this.....just trying to cover everything!) Connect the wiring back to the power socket.
Next a female Lucar on the black lead of the voltmeter, and a female Lucar on the red lead of the voltmeter via a 3 amp fuse. (I just used two female Lucars and squeezed them tight enough to grip the spades of the fuse - works well) Connect them to the piggy-backs - job done.
The holes in the photo are from when I originally fitted the meter next to the power socket but it was only partly visible so I repositioned it.

Once you have it working, do not be dismayed by the variations in the reading; eg when you start up, it shows a low reading momentarily until the glow plug relay cuts off, also when the outside temp is low and the HRW automatically comes on (well, it does in mine!) the reading is around 13.9 - check by turning the HRW off & it will go up to over 14. Normal running reads 14.2-14.4 depending on systems usage (eg headlights heater etc)

Some may say why another gauge to watch & worry over - I like the idea of seeing how the charging is going.

Hope the foregoing is of use.
Regards
Pete

[ReAxs7]

Many thanks Pete; good of you to take the time over the picture and description.

Some may say why another gauge to watch & worry over - I like the idea of seeing how the charging is going.

I believe going back a fair bit that it was quite usual for vehicles to have gauges showing such things as the state of battery charge / discharge and oil pressure; evidenced upon close inspection at vintage / classic car rallies. Practical lot our forefathers.

[Petemate]

Many thanks Pete; good of you to take the time over the picture and description.

Some may say why another gauge to watch & worry over - I like the idea of seeing how the charging is going.

I believe going back a fair bit that it was quite usual for vehicles to have gauges showing such things as the state of battery charge / discharge and oil pressure; evidenced upon close inspection at vintage / classic car rallies. Practical lot our forefathers.

Exactly that - it is the trend that is important. An unusually low charge, although above the voltage sufficient to put the battery light out #(and possibly to avoid a massage in the SID?) would signal imminent problems. Charge rate is recorded in the service record; mine is now displayed on the run!
I know it is all down to cost, but I do loathe this manufacturers' mentality of leaving everything to a warning light. Last year while she was on the way home from work one morning, the wife noticed the temp light on in her Sportka. We checked it - the coolant had gone. The thermo housing had corroded, developed a leak, which would not have been noticed as the coolant was evaporating immediately it found freedom. A temp gauge or even an expansion tank level indicator FFS would have given sufficient warning for me to have fixed it rather than it catching her out while I was on shift, and possibly averting a £200 garage bill. The leak must have been going on for a number of days and I would have been happier with around £90 for the £70 'stat & coolant and a few bruised knuckles - lol.