Are you using a 1 wire alternator or using a external regulator? Did your motor over heat, looks to be 2 issues here....

 

The alternator looks to be the same setup as the one I had previously. No problems with the one before. Same setup I believe....I don't know enough about alternators to be able to tell you. Here's a picture of the new one and one of the old Delco-Remy. I don't think the car overheated. I have an electric fan setup and my temp gauge was reading 180-185 the whole time. I left the ignition on and when I popped the hood the fan was on.

 

 

You obviously have a voltage regulator "sticking" issue causing the battery to overcharge, forming nitrogen gas inside the battery, eventually swelling the case and exploding the battery acid all over everything. It doesn't matter which style charging system configuration you have, external regulator or single wire internal, the symptoms and end result will be the same. Feel bad for your paint and anything else ruined...Good luck with the fix!

 

Thanks for feeling bad for me...I feel like crap. But what's the fix?
BTW: The green wire in the pic (that's blocked off) went to a spade connector on a sensor that was mounted to the head of the old block. I think that might have been the idiot light but I don't know.

I also forgot to mention that at idle it does about 12v but as soon as I depress the gas pedal it spikes to 16v plus and then stays there.

 

Well clearly your alternator has proven it is charging, in fact it has proven it is overcharging. With that fact established, my suggestion is to replace the old external mechanical voltage regulator with a solid state VR715 external voltage regulator. You can move the cover from the old one to the new one and it will still look like a mechanical, but your charging/over charging problems should be a thing of the past.

 

Thanks for the tip. I just swapped out the new alternator for the old one and the problem persists. I suppose it's the voltage regulator that's the problem. What's the process involved for the swap?

 

If you haven't already done so, you need to get some baking soda and neutralize the acid everywhere in your engine bay. Battery acid is highly corrosive. Then get your alternator checked out at a part store, buy a new battery, and buy a solid state regulator like Scott said.

 

I didn't use baking soda but I did hose down the areas that were affected. Then I wiped everything down really good.

 

Ok it's much worse than I thought. I took the battery out...glad I did. Check this out...completely split down the left side. There's battery acid all over the place...fortunately it's containted to the battery compartment and surrounding area....I poured baking soda all over the place until I couldn't hear "sizzling" sounds anymore. Is it ok to hit that area with a pressure washer now?

 

Yes, wash it out. Get it wet and in a paste form and scrub the crap out of it. When you think youre done, do it a few more times.

 

A voltage regulator that isn't grounded to the core support will do the exact same thing

 

Already did one pass I'm about to hit it up again.

 

OK, wow....sorry that this happened to you....Just part of our hobby I guess....

Dude you should not use a External voltage regulator and get a new 1 wire Alternator.

FYI, your wiring is a mess from the pics that you have posted. I spend so much time
completely re-wiring my cars to prevent what you are showing here....

 

Dude you should not use a External voltage regulator and get a new 1 wire Alternator.

Why's that? I'm no expert man I just replaced what was there with something shinier...

FYI, your wiring is a mess from the pics that you have posted. I spend so much time completely re-wiring my cars to prevent what you are showing here....

Probably so. I still don't know what I'm going to do with this car so I'd rather not invest a ton of time on something I know very little about...especially if I go and sell the car in a year.

 

Yeah but cheaper at RockAuto.com right now

AIRTEX / WELLS Part # 1V1038 More Info {#1119506, 1119515, 1119519, 3167669, 32702, D632, VR715} Solid state regulator; 4-prong connector One of our most popular parts $36.79

http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/x,carcode,1034738,parttype,4884

 

Hey thanks for the link. Sorry for the ignorance but is this plug and play?

 

That's it, but you can get a Duralast VR715 at AutoZone cheaper for $26.99.

 

I've used the Duralast VR715 from AutoZone before, far as I can tell they are all the same and yes it is direct replacement plug & play for an external mechanical voltage regulator.

 

Here is he article for a 1 wire, remove the external voltage regulator and jumper the connections.

http://www.camaros.net/techref/ftecref14.html

 

Here is he article for a 1 wire, remove the external voltage regulator and jumper the connections.

http://www.camaros.net/techref/ftecref14.html

A $26.99 solid state regulator is a lot less costly then an entirely new alternator so not sure why this would be the way you suggest he goes, especially seeing as the chrome alternator he has now is putting out plenty of power?

Either way will solve his overcharge problem though...

 

1 wire alternators have other issues that he may or may not want to deal with. Get a new solid state VR, put your old Delco cover on it and never worry about it again.

 

Get a new solid state VR, put your old Delco cover on it and never worry about it again.

That's what I'm thinking. Heading off to Autozone at lunch today to pick up that Duralast VR715. A member on here graciously offered up a spare battery that he had....so I'm gonna head over and pick that up tonight. :thumbsup:

Hopefully I got all the battery acid out...I'll get everything back together tomorrow night and report back the results. Thanks everyone.

 

Here's a good article on why you need to stay with a 3-wire alternator: http://www.madelectrical.com/electricaltech/onewire-threewire.shtml

 

Yeah its more like a paste that gets put on and left a few minutes to deactivate any residual acid in cracks etc. You can make a looser mixture but then you have to keep recycling it over the area before you rinse with clear water.

 

OK, I gotta say this. We here are too polite. But next time pay attention to your gauges! Next time (if there is one) you see a voltage reading like that stop the car and ENGINE ASAP and look under the hood. I'm still cringing.

 

Thanks Fred for writing what I think many or even most of the rest of us were thinking

 

Avoid '1-Wire' units like the plague

Read the "Mad" article link above to understand why ...

I rewired and corrected more issues from 1-wires than any slightly er-looking unit could ever add to a vehicle.

As far as cleaning up the acid residue - and be aware than anywhere it has already 'dried' will re-activate as soon as more water is introduced - the first attack if this happens on the road is to grab a 'Coke' and dump it ALL OVER the effected areas to immediately neutralize the acid - then 'Coke-Rinse-Repeat' as often as necessary until you don't see (or hear) any foaming in any area.
I've also grabbed soda-water or what ever other Carbonated beverage (no :beers: though) happened to be handy to neutralize these as soon as possible.

Carry on ...

 

Avoid '1-Wire' units like the plague

Read the "Mad" article link above to understand why ...

I rewired and corrected more issues from 1-wires than any slightly er-looking unit could ever add to a vehicle.

As far as cleaning up the acid residue - and be aware than anywhere it has already 'dried' will re-activate as soon as more water is introduced - the first attack if this happens on the road is to grab a 'Coke' and dump it ALL OVER the effected areas to immediately neutralize the acid - then 'Coke-Rinse-Repeat' as often as necessary until you don't see (or hear) any foaming in any area.
I've also grabbed soda-water or what ever other Carbonated beverage (no :beers: though) happened to be handy to neutralize these as soon as possible.

Carry on ...

Aren't we overstating things a bit...is the sky falling and are we all supposed to run out and change all newer cars with one wire systems back to a 3-wire? :noway:

 

This is a great site as my 68 RS just went through this problem last sat. stopped for gas and would not start after getting gas. The Chevron station I was getting gas @ had no jumpers to loan. I usually carry a set but I just put the car on the road and they were in my truck. I was asking some customers for help I guy in a Audi convertible had a little skinny set and just gave them to me as he was told not to put jumpers on his car, then a guy in a 95 Camaro pulls in gets gas and helps me with a jump. Got home O.K. came to this great site and found out what to do and what was happening. I phoned Lordco Car Parts and the guy said it was my battery even after I told him I was getting over 15V running. I ordered the Wells VR715 from Classic and am waiting delivery. Just like to say thanks for the help once again, cheers.

 

^^^ what he said :thumbsup:

I have nothing against '1-wire's ... when they're on seldom driven show-rods that spend all their time on/in trailers and being pushed into show venues
The look works great there ...

A reliable street driven vehicle (or even the marine applications I work on a lot) require a well engineered and robust system design that can react to load variations and deliver a full charge to the system under nearly all conditions.

 

Guys, lesson learned...plain and simple. Aside from a few type 3 VW's when I was a kid and short stint with a 72 Satellite, my 67 and 68 are the first classic cars I've owned. I've taken the limited skills I acquired from working on VW's when I was a kid and have been able to apply them to these cars. I feel I've done ok up to this point. Shoot, I was able to swap out my 327 with a 383, get it started, timed, and running on my own just from this site, YouTube, and a few online articles. I'm a computer programmer, college instructor, and author...not a mechanic by any stretch of the imagination. Any mechanical work I do on my cars is purely a hobby and something I do to relax and get away from crunching numbers, business logic, and dealing with students all day.

Did I know my battery would blow its side out from overcharging, no. It's called ignorance not carelessness. When I see the gauge spike past 16v I didn't immediately think, ****, I should pull over before my car explodes, the heavens open up, and god strikes me down with a bolt of lightening. I honestly thought...cool, my battery is charging faster. . Now I know.

I know most of you have years of experience working on cars and have probably been or are currently mechanics. I am not and this is why I choose this site...to acquire additional skills that I don't have. Thanks to all for the help and thanks to Jack92584 for giving me his Exide battery and more importantly allowing me to drive his Z28 yesterday. I have installed the new voltage regulator and battery and will hopefully give it a test run this weekend time permitting.

 

No excuse. You should be able to completely disassemble the entire car, fix all body panel rust issues, know exactly how your charging system works, be able to rattle off every GM part number for every component on the car, and rebuild your engine in a weekend.

Everyone makes mistakes. I'm sure you learned from this one. That's part of the fun of owning an old car!

 

Hey all, Not wanting to hijack the thread here but, every time that I drive my '69 I see a bit of moisture on top of my batt. (2yr. old AC Delco). I did the 12 SI conversion a few years back. Pretty sure that I wired it correctly. Voltage always reads 14.1- 14.4, I don't get it. Am I in danger of what happened to the OP???

 

Hey all, Not wanting to hijack the thread here but, every time that I drive my '69 I see a bit of moisture on top of my batt. (2yr. old AC Delco). I did the 12 SI conversion a few years back. Pretty sure that I wired it correctly. Voltage always reads 14.1- 14.4, I don't get it. Am I in danger of what happened to the OP???

The risk for your battery exploding is the same as anyone else regardless of the charging system. Any voltage regulator can fail or stick closed causing overcharging of the battery. I have the 12SI system w/IR also, and it does have the "GEN" light connected as an extra precaution using the "plug in" terminal on the alternator. By the way, the only difference between yours and theirs is the regulator location...internal vs. external. The external just needs more wires run to the front of the car (i.e. longer communications line) because it was the most convenient location to place it at the factory (no where else to mount it) and it essentially performs the same task. The IR system gets rid of the extra wiring. Stop worrying about it...the sky is not falling!

 

14.1 - 14.4 is ideal.

One wire alts work just fine at keeping the batt chargd. The 2 downsides that I'm aware of are 1) Can't operate the GEN light, and 2) The highest voltage the system will see is at the stud on the back of the alternator, with somewhat less everywhere else. The remote sensing of the 3 wire is good - it "tells" the alt to maintain the regulator set point at a spot in the system that is more central so everything gets a little more voltage vs the 1 wire.

To the OP - make certain that your new VR715 is grounded to the core support!!! If it is mounted via rubber well nuts it must have a separate ground wire from the chassis of the regulator to the core support.

 

To the OP - make certain that your new VR715 is grounded to the core support!!! If it is mounted via rubber well nuts it must have a separate ground wire from the chassis of the regulator to the core support.

All good! I just fired up the engine and the gauge is reading right at about 14v and does not go beyond even when I rev up the engine.

FYI: I pulled the old AC Delco off (appears to be the original) and removed the rubber feet. I mounted the new regulator directly to the radiator support and reattached the ground wire that was on the old one to the same location on the new one. Also reattached the little resistor that was on the old one as well. Not sure if I need that or not.

Quick question, when I turn my key to the accessory position, the Gen light comes on. Excuse the ignorance but when would that come on when I'm driving? Bad alternator? Cause it sure didn't come on before my battery exploded....

 

Excellent!

The resistor is for AM radio interference and works just fine on the Solid State unit as well as it did on the Mechanical Voltage Regulator. The ground is also okay to to reuse.

The bulb check will light the GEN light to make sure the bulb is working but once the key is in the run position the GEN light only comes on when there is an issue with the Alternator or the Voltage Regulator itself, but the VR rarely does trigger the bulb as more often then not it is just the Alternator failing to deliver the required output to run the vehicle.