Having some troubles with my tach / W output.
When I start the car, the alt light stays on, and the tach reads 0, or very little, until I rev the vehicle up to over (almost exactly) 1700 RPM.
At this point, the light goes out, and the tach works fine.
I have had 2 or 3 alternators in this, and they have all done the same thing.
Is this a common problem? Is there a simple fix?
This is completely normal actually... it's even mentioned in many of the early Owner's manuals. ("If the alternator light stays on (except after an initial rev of the engine) consult blah blah blah")
The alternator needs to get to a specific RPM in order to "self-excite" and begin generating electricity on its own.
Because it's not generating electricity before this happens there's no tach output either.
I've had MK1s and MK2s that require that first initial rev, and some that don't, and I now have one that used to not require it but now does... same alternator... go figure.
crap,
So, maybe thats why my Autostart TGEN-100 isn't sending a signal to the compustar unit.
Gah.. I am about to snip the green wire!
apparently theres some mod that will eliminate this problem. one cold morning i went to start my car, then came back in. go out and WTF car is shut off??? yea... forgot to blip the throttle... battery was DEAD :lol: this was a while back though.
whatever 'mod' it is, its built into the new serpentine alternators. it's been discussed on this site a while ago... i'll try searching for it.
here is the link to the alternator fix. apparently its a voltage regulator?
and
here is an example of one on ebay. not sure if this will work or not though... i couldn't see why not?
I searched Voltage Regulator Bosch on fleabay. Found this Item number: 230320631404
I think I'll try one.
