Heater valve and ignition light??

[samir]

Hi guys had a few problems today, was driving on the a38 when suddenly the ignition light came on and I started to hear some whizzing from the engine, it then stopped and all was ok, then It came on again, so I soon realised when going above 60 ish it was coming on, then dropping back under 60 it would go off.

I finally reached my destination and steam was coming out of the engine bay, I popped the hood and saw the heater control valve was bellowing steam, checked the water and non was left. So iv ordered a new heater control valve (again as I replaced it 6 months ago) and probably arrive on Monday. In the meanwhile iv done a little fabrication and got the water pipe connected straight into the head just for the meanwhile and it's holding water as a drive around.

However the ignition light is on at all times and it's seems to be running a little lumpy, I'm thinking it's something to do with the dynamo, but don't know what and how, can someone please help? I did replace the belt a month ago, maybe was a little tight?

Also has the water leak caused this ? Or did it just arise coincidently ?

Kind regards

Much appreciated

[bmcecosse]

Hmmmm...the belt may have been too slack and the whizzing noise was the belt slipping. Also possible the dynamo has seized - and that caused the belt to slip and perhaps the water pump wasn't turning properly...and the water bolied up....and the valve began to leak etc etc... Hard to tell from a distance - so -is the dynamo easy turning? And the water pump turning ok? Probably wise to take the dynamo off and check the brushes and the bearings... The rough running - well -the overheating may have 'upset' the head gasket......

[samir]

Hi just been outside, turned it on the fan belt is nice and tight no slipping, it's turning the dynamo freely and the water pump. But iv still got the ignition light on constantly, do you think the steam caused by the valve has got into the dynamo some how? Have you got a guide on how to open dynamos and change the bushes as iv never worked on one? I know how to take it out the engine bay via the bolts but could all be done while on the car?

Kind regards

[bmcecosse]

You need to remove the dynamo - then it's easy to slip the collar off, and pull the bRushes out...for checking......and replacement if necessary.

[samir]

Ok BMC thanks for your input, so I will be getting brushes tomorrow and will carry out the work, my fan belt that I replaced recently might have been a little tight. I'm thinking that might have worn the dynamo down which may be causing the ignition to light up at idle.

Thanks

[bmcecosse]

Ignition light AT IDLE is quite normal........... As long as it goes out when you pick the revs up......

[samir]

Oh it's on idle and does not got out. I was driving it today and it went dead I rolled to the side and attach some jump leads to charge the battery for a awhile which got me home. So that must indicate the dynamo is not charging. Hopefully the bushes I ordered will sort the dynamo out and get back to normal.

[alexmcguffie]

If your fan belt was too tight, check the water pump bearings too by seeing if there's any play in the pulley. As for the ignition light, it could also be contacts in the voltage regulator. I'm a bit too jet lagged to think which set of contacts to look at though!

[samir]

Where have you come back from? Hope it was nice.. If you remember which contacts please do say as I need to check that and havnt worked with a regulator. The water pump bearing how do I check? Just try to pull the belt?

[alexmcguffie]

Hi samir,
Just back from a week in New York, lovely thank you

The cut-out contacts in the regulator should be on the left once you take the cover off. As you raise the engine revs above tick-over these contacts should close to effectively complete the charging circuit. If you connect a volt meter across terminals C and D on the regulator the cut-out contacts should close when the measured voltage is 12.7 - 13.3v as the revs rise. It's an easy check to do but I suspect the problem is with your dynamo. One silly check, are both wires still connected at the back of the dynamo...?

For the water pump it's best to take the fan belt off and check for any play in the bearings by wiggling the fan. A-series pumps are quite robust though.

[samir]

Hi yes the two wires are secure. I took the dynamo off today and opened it up. The brushes had plenty left on them but I replaced them anyway. Got a compressor gun and blew any dust within the dynamo. Put everything back on and still no charge. I don't know what to do now as I needed the car to run for tomorrow. The regulator, I see two coils and a bunch of wires connected to the contact and that's really all I know my way around the regulator, if you could send me a diagram or explain a bit more that would be useful.

New York must have been lovely.

[bmcecosse]

The dynamo test is to take the wires off - and loosen/remove the fan belt. Then take a length of cable - loop it through the TWO terminals on the dynamo - joining them together - and then touch the wire to the non earth terminal of the battery. The dynamo will run as a motor if it is good. So if that is good - refit the fan belt and start the engine - now touch the cable to the battery again - and check if it is charging the battery - it should be! Battery volts up at 13.8/14.2 volts or so. If all that is good - then you need to check wires from the Regulator/connections at the Reg etc. If all good -then there is a problem in the Reg - read the various tests/adjustments in the Workshop Manual, clean the points - or substitute a spare if you have one?

[samir]

Hi tried everything today new brushes, greased the bearing and in getting nothing ignition light still on. I'm thinking of getting a alternator conversion, which would be the best kit to get? There some on ebay that look ok but I don't want the alternator to give me problems.

Regards

[bmcecosse]

Did you do the tests I suggested?

[samir]

Oh sorry yes I did ran a piece of wire through both terminals on the dynamo and put a jump lead on the wire and the no earthed terminal. I got a twitch from the dynamo.

[bmcecosse]

Well -with the belt off - it should have run as a motor. But it sounds like it is ok - therefore the problem lies in the cables - or the Regulator.

[samir]

The dynamo moved around 2 centimetres, is this running as a motor? It was like a twitch. I was driving on the a38 when the red light popped up so I don't think wires could have been disturbed. Maybe the water leak and steam from that might have caused something? Iv been looking at a few alternators online but now I just don't know what to do. I just want my car back on the road, feel a little lost without it

[bmcecosse]

If you had the belt off - it should have run round and round! Try again - make good connections to both terminals and then hold the cable firmly on the battery - not just a 'touch'. If it doesn't run -there is something sadly wrong. Just check - does it spin round easily by hand?

[samir]

Yes it does spin freely but just doesn't want to run. It's parked up in derby now and iv come back to birmingham, iv got exams coming in the next week or so, so Iv left it in a secure place and will fix it after my exams. Probably go for an alternator which will get rid of the regulator aswell.

[bmcecosse]

If it doesn't spin as a motor - there is something wrong with it. Alternator is an option of course - but in general dynamos are more reliable!