Ignition Warning Light

[andrewcramb]

Just started my 1964 Minor Convertible 1098 with Dynamo, the car was connected up Negative earth when I bought it, this was its first run with Headlamps on, ok for about 3 miles then the lights started to dim, the Red dash warning light came on as they got dimer the more I revved, easing of the light faded slightly but still stayed on, as I returned home a total of about 6 miles no lights, when I switched the Car of the battery was dead, the Ignition light stayed on for about 5 minutes, the battery seemed to have a strong acidy smell, any suggestions

[biomed32uk]

I would start by checking and cleaning the contacts in the regulator, the light should not stay on when you switch off. Sometimes a sign that the disconnect contact has stuck together. I cant remember the model of the control box off the top of my head, sure you can find it, google it and it will explain whats what in there.

[mogbob]

Andrew
I fear the battery may of " died ". The funny smell is the clue . See [url http://www.pepboys.com/car_care_corner/ ... g_battery/[/url]
Bio's suggestion still stands as part of your check list.
Others things to check : -
Main cables to body and solenoid. Clean and cable not frayed and bolted firmly making a good connection.
Dynamo .. inspect see if the carbon bushes still have some " meat on them ". Connections clean and secure. Fan belt in good condition and correctly adjusted.
Take the usual safety precautions protective goggles , etc ( don't want to " teach you how to suck eggs " but serious burns , even the battery exploding , sending acid everywhere is not a good thing ... if you don't know what to do ! ) Seek further advice from the Forum on this if you need it.
A check with a multimeter Volts DC on the main battery terminals will probably confirm what you may suspect. Normal reading for a fully charged battery should be 12.6 / 12.7 volts.
Bob
p.s. Don't " just replace " the battery. You want to establish whether it died simply of old age or whether the charging system / control box
was faulty and as a result " cooked " the battery , by over supplying it current. If it is the system at fault , failure to fix it , will simply mean
that the new replacement battery will be damaged.

[firehor5e]

So how are you getting on?..If you find the problem is with the regulator and/or the dynamo it maybe worth considering fitting an alternator.

[simmitc]

The car would have been manufactured as positive earth. It is very simple to swap it to negative earth, but I wonder whether someone simply put the battery on as negative earth "because all cars (today) are like that" without appreciating that it should have been positive earth? It would be worth re-polarising the dynamo with whichever earth your prefer (negative is good for modern accessories), and also checking that the fan belt is adjusted properly. i agree that it sounds as if the regulator is faulty, but if the dynamo/battery had opposing polarities then that would not help the situation!

[biomed32uk]

I have also noticed how easy it is for the contacts to stick together on the regulator, mine have done it over a winter layup. Not sure how I noticed but it was before the battery got cooked. Its now a regular job to check and clean the contacts when she emerges from the garage after winter.