Regulator box ticking

[mowogg]

I am currently a long way from home (Pyrenees) and my regulator box can be heard clicking. I have never noticed this before -should I be worried?

The battery seems to start the car ok, but i am not convinced that the battery is fully charging. It run a little flat when i had everyhting running (lights, heater, wipers), but the fan belt was splipping a little. This has now been sorted -it was too wet to do this at the time.

Should i be seeking a replacement for the regulator?

Thanks

[bmcecosse]

Is the red light flickering? I would suspect more the dynamo brushes......... There are ways to bypass the regulator in an emergency - but worn out brushes in the dynamo are a bit more difficult to overcome. Try the spare dynamo........

[mowogg]

Dynamo brushes are good -recently replaced.

[JOWETTJAVELIN]

Perhaps they're just bedding in? As long as the battery is charging you should be ok, though I've never heard of the regulator clicking before - are you sure it isn't the fuel pump clicking away?

[PSL184]

The regulator could click as the points opened and closed but not to the extent of the fuel pump. Regular clicking would indicate an adjustment issue as the points open and close to regulate the battery charge.

[bmcecosse]

Do you see the lights going bright/dim in time with the clicking?

[mowogg]

I don't beleive its the fuel pump -this can be heard as normal.

the regulator box clicks- this could be the contacts kicking in and out, but i have never heard them before. I have driven this car for over 80k so am pretty used to the usual noises.

The battery still does not appear to be charging as normal- i have a spare regulaltr box, which i could try? If i was at the home i would have done this straight away

[PSL184]

I'm guessing the points are closing when they shouldn't. As Roy asked, do the lights dim in tune with the ticks? The contacts are adjustable so you could try adjusting until they just close with no output from dynamo (engine off).....

[bmcecosse]

Lights bright/dim??? If you have a spare reg box with you - try it!