Morris Minor Owners Club

HEY GUYS WAS OUT IN MY MOGGY TODAY AND TURNED HER OFF THE BATTERY WAS FLAT ITS ANEW BATTERY AND THE RED LIGHT IS ON CONSTANT ON THE DASH ANY TIPS BEEN TOLD ITS BETTER TO FIT AN ALTERNATOR RATHER THAN REPLACE DYNAMO WHICH IS BETTER CHEERS

Red light tells you it's not charging the battery - but if it stays on after you stop the engine - then that means the Regulator has stuck 'IN' and it's now trying to run the dynamo as a motor. If that happens - disconnect the battery immediately. First check -is the fan belt in place and is it tight ? Second check - when you fitted the 'NEW' battery - did you fit it right way round ? Minors were originally POSITIVE earth and if you have fitted the new battery NEGATIVE earth then it won't charge.. So - check which way it should be conected. How do you tell - well th terminals should be slightly different sizes. Come back after making these checks!

hey guys so where is the regulator and how do i unfree it thanks for helping

well the fan belt is in place and tight and have tried the battery other way round and redlight is still comming on all time

Have you established the battery is on right way round ?
If you are sure about that - then the regulator is black plastic box high up on your left (as you stand at front of car looking under the bonnet) - there is a metal wire clip holding the cover on. Slide the clip down and lift off the cover - you will see two bobbins with little hinged tops - they should both be 'open', ie a tiny gap between the top and the bobbin body. If no gap - then the contacts have 'welded' shut - you can gently prise it open and clean up the contacts, but chances are if has stuck shut once it will do so again, and another regulator box may be the answer.

ok ill try that now speek soon

hi there bud try what you said and it worked no red light so i quess itll charge now eh

Well - to check - put a voltmeter (DC volts) on the battery. When revving up it should read ~ 13.8/14 volts, and when idling (red light flickering) it should read ~ 12.4 volts. You should also notice the headlights brightening up when you rev the engine - and going dim when it's idling.

well lights do brighten up when rev and they dim when idling so look fine eh thanks so much ill get a spin about tom cheers

Good result then ! But if the red light ever sticks ON again - disconnect the battery right away!

see the battery does the plus sighn go to the battery cable on the left hand side

Depends if car is positive or negative earth? The battery connections should be different and therefore only possible to fit them one way round only.

There will be a short battery connection which is bolted to the body of the car - this is the 'earth' cable. If you have a radio/stereo then that will require -ve earth - so that cable will be connected to the -ve terminal on the battery! Alternators (with v rare exception) are all -ve earth and will be runied if connected wrong way round. Dynamo can supply either system - but you must tell it first by 'priming' it with a wire from the non-earthed side of the battery and sparking that against the small Field terminal on the dynamo a few times. It will then work correctly.

battery flat again

And has the red light been OFF when running ? Did you put a voltmeter across the battery ? if so - what volts did it read!